Haute Lacquer

GOSH Miss Minty + Layering Combo

2012-02-28T13:30:00.000-06:00

I meant to post this a looong time ago but I kept forgetting to.

This is my first ever GOSH nail polish! Isn't it gorgeous? My good friend Jennifer from The Exotic Lacquer surprised me with it. Apparently a lot of our mutual friends had something to do with it too. So a big thank you to you all!

There's also a story that goes with this, but I'll sum it up in a few sentences: My best friend Emily made up the nickname Minty for me and when I told my "polish friends" about it many of them decided to call me that instead of Shaina. Lol. So anyway, Jenn thought it was fitting to get me a polish called "Miss Minty!"

GOSH Miss Minty is a minty, turquoise cream. This is two thick, flawless coats. The brush on this is similar to the OPI brush only smaller.

Obviously I had to play around with this beauty. Here it is with two coats of Zoya Opal on top:

Peace, Love, and Happiness

2012-02-27T13:30:00.000-06:00

When I see things like this I think "oh wow, that's cute. I want that on my nails!"

But I had no idea how difficult it would be to draw Chinese symbols on nails. It was difficult to even get it remotely close to what my symbols looked like.

If you haven't figured it out by the title, the symbols on my nails translate to "peace" (index + middle), "love" (thumb), and "happiness" (ring+pinky).

Um...well, I tried.

For this manicure I used black as my base. I let that dry then took a nail art brush and OPI Who the Shrek Are You? and slowly drew each line of each symbol. Once I was satisfied with the symbols I finished off with a thick top coat.

I guess it's not all that bad. I do like the index and middle fingers, they turned out pretty good. I think it would have been better if I used a thinner brush.

Thoughts?

Not-So-Classic Ruffian

2012-02-26T16:07:00.001-06:00

Thank goodness for Pinterest because otherwise I would have never found this gorgeous ruffian nail design to do.

I made this pin about two months ago and I finally got around to doing it yesterday.

This design was originally created by Madeline Poole and was posted on her Tumblr.

And if you want to follow me on Pinterest, my name on there is scadet.

For this manicure I used Zoya Tru as the base. I then took my nail art brush and free handed the crescent moon things using Zoya Avery. The dots you see are actually individual glitter pieces that you can find in any craft store. I applied them using an orange stick that had a bit of tacky top coat on the end. I smoothed everything out with a thick coat of Seche Vite.

Simple, not-so-classic, and gorgeous.

No?

*Zoya polishes were sent for review

Mardi Gras Inspired

2012-02-21T13:30:00.000-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras!

Do people say that? I know there's "Happy Valentine's Day" and "Happy Birthday" but I've never heard anyone say "Happy Mardi Gras."

Ah, whatever, it is what it is.

This took me close to two and a half hours to do. And that's just one hand! I especially had a lot of trouble with the index finger. Apparently it's impossible to get an evenly proportioned mask. But it was all worth it; I love the finished result!

For this manicure I used Orly Out of this World (which my best friend, Emily, gave me) as the deep purple base. Then I created a horizontal stripe in the middle with Color Club Enchanted Holiday. The green stripe, closest to my tip, is Orly Here Comes Trouble. I used a dotting tool and China Glaze Brighthouse to create the gold beads and then I outlined them in black. The mask was created using (mainly) Zoya Lolly and a variety of pink polishes. I then added on some loose glitter and slapped on a thick coat of Seche Vite.

I don't feel like these pictures are doing any justice to this manicure. It's fun, glittery and so pretty in person!

Gorgeous Bar Glitter: Zoya Kissy and Rina

2012-02-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

I finally got my hands on the two of the three string glitters in Zoya's Gems & Jewels Holiday Collection!

These are the only two I wanted but the blue looked nice too.

I'm obviously late on posting these but I got them several weeks ago with Zoya's 2 free promo and I thought I'd swatch them for you guys anyway!

These pictures were all taken in natural sunlight with one coat of top coat.

Zoya Kissy. 2 coats. This is my favorite of the two. Not only is it an incredibly vibrant berry red but the glitter in it is so pretty. Kissy has regular small glitter but has multicolored bar glitter mixed in. The bar glitter is more like a holo than anything. The formula on this was really thick but other than that, this polish is perfection.

Zoya Rina. I love Rina but oh my gosh it was so difficult to work with. The formula is standard but it took me four coats to reach this opacity and I can still see my nails through the polish. I love that Rina has hidden, gorgeous blue bar glitter in the green mix! Some of the bar glitter is even holo.

I want to mention that these dry a bit matte so a top coat is a must if you want the same shine you see in these pictures.

Before I end this post, I want to say...please don't be fooled by how pretty these are. They do not look good layered together. I had to learn the hard way...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T18:39:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day loves!

I hope you all had an amazing day celebrating, and if you're single (like moi) you can celebrate the way I did...with nail art!

I actually created this manicure this past Saturday but I knew it would be perfect for V-Day. Pink, hearts, polka dots? There's a little bit of everything in here.

I got a ton of compliments on this manicure too. I love the look on people's face when I tell them I did it myself. Never gets old...

For this manicure I didn't start with a base color. Instead I applied a clear base, let it dry then began drawing the stripes. For the stripes I used a nail art brush and the following polishes: Wet N Wild Candy-licious (bubble gum pink), Wet N Wild Tropicalia (bright medium pink), and Wet N Wild French White Creme. Afterwards I took my nail art brush and white polish and drew the hearts. I then outlined the hearts in black and used my dotting tool to create pink polka dots inside of them. Add a slap of topcoat and you're done!

In real life, the contrast between the two pinks is hardly visible. It just looks like one big stripe unless you look up close with good lighting. I would suggest using shades of more contrast for a better pattern.

And just for fun, here's a cute layering combo I did for V-Day. This is two coats of Sally Hansen Twisted Pink with two coats of Zoya Chloe on top:

XOXO

2012-02-12T16:57:00.000-06:00

The inspiration for this manicure came from two manicures I've done in the past. The first was my zebra bordered with blue design and the second is my "Sexy Leopard" post.

If you haven't noticed, I love the idea of bordering your nail design with a color! I hope you're not getting tired of this trend because you'll definitely be seeing more of it in the future.

So anyway, here is today's manicure.

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild French White Cream for the base. I then created the letters 'x' and 'o' throughout the entire nail using a nail art brush and a black polish. I had a lot of trouble drawing the letters 'x' and 'o' so I ended up just doing my best with the letter 'x' and using a dotting tool and the same method I used for this post to make the 'o'. After drawing the letters I took my nail art brush and I created the border around my nails using Zoya Lolly.

This would be perfect for Valentine's Day. Or any day really.

I have another V-Day mani for Tuesday that I can't wait to share with you all!

Haute Lacquer Turns One!

2012-02-05T17:39:00.000-06:00

The time has finally come for Haute Lacquer's first birthday.

A year really does fly by!

Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this crazy journey.

I appreciate each and every one of you so much. Thank you for your sweet comments, emails, and most importantly, thank you for being a reader of my blog. I promise there is much more to come!

I can't promise for many unmentionable reasons, but I hope to have a small giveaway up in the next couple weeks or so. I'm keeping it pretty simple--compared to my past giveaways--but I'll make sure the prizes are still fun and exciting.

And one last thing before I leave...make sure you're following me on Bloglovin' if you haven't already! Blogger is taking away Google Friend Connect and since I plan to have my own domain soon, it would be great to go ahead and switch now!

Inspired by The Patchwork

2012-01-22T13:54:00.004-06:00

Happy Sunday!

I meant to post this last week but I'm just now getting around to it.

Remember my last patchwork mani that I posted? As soon as I took pictures I removed it and made this design. It's patchwork inspired but not as mismatched...this one is a lot more "uniform" looking.

By the way, anyone else obsessed with Lana Del Rey's Born To Die? I'm listening to it as I type this. I just can't get enough of this song!

For this manicure I used Zoya Cho as my base...or at least I think it's Cho, can't remember. Then I started off by painting the top edge of my nail with Zoya Carey and then the bottom edge of my nails with Zoya Petra. I took two different dotting tools: a small one and a larger one. I created increasingly big polka dots with black polish and then finished off with a fast drying topcoat.

I got a lot of compliments on this manicure. Which was weird to me since it took me less than 30 minutes to do one hand and some of the dots look kind of rushed. Lol.

Well anyway, enjoy the rest of your day!

*Zoya polishes sent for review

A Twist on The Patchwork

2012-01-15T16:29:00.000-06:00

Hello lovely readers!

Ever since I first found Chloe's Nails blog I was instantly obsessed with her "patchwork" manicures. Every combination, every color she used...it all was pure perfection.

Well, it has been a long time since I've seen anyone replicate her unique tape manicure until I saw this picture on pinterest...

Need I say more?

For this manicure I used China Glaze Pelican Gray as the shimmery gray base. Pelican Gray is definitely a must-have in any collector's collection! I actually freehanded this entire manicure since I was too impatient to use tape. I used Zoya Bevin (green) and Zoya Kendal (lavender) for the sections. For the stripes and polka dots I used the same colors I just listed as well as Zoya Breezi (blue) and a white cream.

I think it turned out pretty well! I'm loving my shorter nails if you can't tell. They'll probably be like this for a while. It's nice not having to worry about them breaking all the time.

Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments!

*Zoya Bevin and Kendal sent for review.

China Glaze Electropop Collection Preview!

2012-01-13T17:58:00.002-06:00

Los Angeles, CA - (January 2012): Where heavymetal meets rocker chic, China Glaze® introduces the Spring 2012 collection, ElectroPop. Inspired by all things girly,edgy and fun, the 12 shades of ElectroPopbring out the inner rock star in all. For flash and glam this spring, ChinaGlaze® hits the stage in style!

ElectroPop Shades include:

Kinetic Candy – Touch the sky in light blue crème

· Electric Beat –Periwinkle nails for a wink worthy performance

Aquadelic – Pool blue for nighttime gigs and daytime fun in the sun
Gaga For Green – Green lacquer for the girl craving the limelight
Sunshine Pop – Shine in the spotlight in bold yellow
Make Some Noise – Rock the mic in tangerine
Wicked Style – Party cocktail tropical punch
Fuchsia Fanatic – Fuchsia pink for the rocker diva in us all
Gothic Lolita – Steal the show on girls night out in seductive purple
Dance Baby – Hit center stage in cotton candy pink
Sweet Hook – Blow a kiss in dreamy lilac
Techno – Glitter confetti polish for a dazzling topcoat finish or all over finger tip bling

ElectroPop is alsoavailable in:

· 6 Piece Collection of “Brights”: Techno, Aquadelic, Sunshine Pop, Gaga for Green, MakeSome Noise and Wicked Style

· 6Piece Collection of “Lights”: Fuchsia Fanatic, Dance Baby, Electric Beat, KineticCandy, Sweet Hook and GothicLolita

· 12 Piece 3D Counter Display

· 36 Piece Rack

ElectroPopwill be available February 2012. Individual shades retail for $7; 6 piececollections retail for $42.

China Glaze is free of DBP,toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze nail lacquers are availablethrough salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For moreinformation, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook andTwitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a divisionof American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AIIhas been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative,quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our productlines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze,Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena,GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc,RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra,Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Creative Stripes

2012-01-03T13:13:00.000-06:00

Hello, hello!

Yesterday, when I went to do this manicure, I was literally standing in front of my collection for about ten minutes trying to decide what I wanted to do on my nails.

Flowers? No. More Ugly Dolls? Nope. Layering? Hmm...no, don't think so.

Then I thought of my "Waves" post from Retro Week and got my inspiration from there.

Not entirely the same, but just as fun. (:

For this manicure I used Orly Ancient Jade (love this color!) as the base. I then took my nail art brush and started creating stripes that curved over the entire nail. The colors used for the stripes are Zoya Skylar, Wet N Wild Ice Breaker and of course Orly Ancient Jade.

This color combination works really well! I wasn't sure whether I should start with Zoya Skylar or white but in the end I'm pretty happy with it.

*Zoya Skylar sent for review.

Zoya True and Fleck Effect Collections Swatches and Review

2012-01-01T14:12:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!

By the looks of this Spring collection from Zoya, this is going to be an amazing year for polish!

Not only do we get Zoya's great creams and shimmers but we also get a new finish from them..."Fleck Effect" flakies top coats. Are you excited yet?

First is Cho, a pretty nude with subtle silver shimmer. I found this one difficult to work with as it was pretty sheer but was fine after three coats. I just love the hidden shimmer in it!

Another neutral, this one is Farah. This is just your standard nude-taupe. Farah had very smooth application and was opaque in two easy coats. Nothing better than a full coverage nude, am I right?

Bevin. This is a soft, cool-toned, sage green. Application was a dream with two flawless coats. How many more gorgeous greens can Zoya give us? I thought the best had come with Yara and then they give us another one. But hey, I'm not complaining.

Next we have Skylar. Just stunning! Skylar is a stunning dusty blue with silver and gold microglitter. Oh my gosh, this baby is gorgeous. This was an easy two coats. This is a similar finish as Neeka and Yara from the Smoke and Mirrors collection from Fall. I cannot get over how much I love this.

Tru is a medium grape purple with copper shimmer. Application was perfection with two effortless coats, but could have also worked with one thick coat. I'm not excited by this color for some reason but it is pretty.

Lotus is a dusty purple with pink shimmer. In real life, it's a little darker than you see in these photos. We've seen this before in polishes like Revlon Perplex but the finish on this one is different. Lotus is also more packed with the pink shimmer than Perplex. I much prefer Lotus. Plus, the name is really pretty. This was two easy coats.

Now Zoya's new "Fleck Effect" flakie top coats! These are not only Zoya's first flakies but also my first flakies:

First up is Maisie, bright green and turquoise flakies in a clear blue base. I've heard that applications with mylar flecks can be tricky but I found application to be quite easy. This is one coat over black.

Next we have Opal. Opal has bright green and aqua flakies in a clear green base. This has less blue in it than Maisie does. Formula was on the thick side but was dense so it only needed one coat. I layered all three "Fleck Effect" top coats over black so you can get a better idea of the colors.

Last, but definitely not least, we have the stunning Chloe! This is my favorite of the three. Chloe is full of colors--gold, green, red, orange, yellow, pink, and a hint of blue--but the main colors are gold and red. I really love this one! Easy application. One coat over black.

These were designed to be layered over the True Collection so I tried a few combinations:

Two coats of Maisie over Skylar. Isn't that just the prettiest thing ever? Please click the picture to enlarge it so you can see how great Skylar's microglitter work with Maisie's flecks.

Two coats of Opal over Bevin. There's a little less contrast between these two but it's still very pretty. Again, please enlarge it so you see how pretty it really is.

Lastly, two coats of Chloe over one coat of Lotus. I'm sure your jaw has dropped to the keyboard by now so I'll just let the picture do all the talking.

Overall, I love both collections! Almost every color was unique on it's own. I especially think that Skylar set the bar high for the best Spring nail polish. The formula on all of them was effortless with the exception of Opal and Cho, which required three coats. Of course these colors work really well for any skin tone as well as darker complexions such as my own. I have several favorites which are Bevin, Cho, Chloe, Skylar, and Lotus. Zoya has left me speechless on more than one occasion but these Spring collections are on another level.

The Zoya True and Fleck Collections are available on zoya.com starting January 13, 2012 and retails at $8.00 each per bottle.

*Products sent for review.

Zoya True and Fleck Effects Spring 2012 Collections Preview!

2012-01-01T04:50:00.000-06:00

Enjoy this press release from Zoya on their two new collections for Spring!

2012 SPRING NAIL COLOR by ZOYA

TRUE

HONESTLY, BEAUTIFUL COLOR

A fresh bloom of dewy color. Inspired by the runway looks of top designers

this collection features slightly muted and unexpected spring shades in six easy to wear,

full-coverage creams and metallics.

· Cho (ZP585): Full coverage, vanilla shimmer metallic

· Farah (ZP586): Full coverage, latte beige cream

· Bevin (ZP587): Full coverage, pale sage green cream

· Skylar (ZP588): Full coverage, silvered slate blue metallic

· Tru (ZP589): Full coverage, gilded purple orchid metallic

· Lotus (ZP590): Full coverage, light lotus purple metallic

FLECK EFFECT

MYLAR FLECK TOPCOATS

Zoya Nail Polish presents - three new mylar fleck glazes that can be worn alone or layered

over the new ZOYA TRUE collection colors for a unique and beautiful nail look!

· Maisie (ZP582): Blue tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Opal (ZP583): Green tint with mylar green fleck effect

· Chloe (ZP584): Pink tint with mylar green and gold fleck effect

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial

chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP)

that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)

Available January 13, 2012

Find Zoya TRUE & FLECK EFFECT as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com.

As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we name them after women.

Favorite Polishes of 2011

2011-12-29T11:51:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone!

I have already posted my favorite manicures of 2011 but now I'm back to post my favorite polishes.

I'm keeping it short since I really want to narrow it down to the polishes I like the best, the top dogs, the V.I.P, the MVPs...okay I'll stop now.

Let's get to it! Not all of these polishes came out in 2011 but most of them did.

Essence Style Me Holo
This duo-chrome is gorgeous! I never made a post about this one but it is one of my favorite duo-chromes. I love the unique teal, blue and purple in it.

China Glaze White Cap
No way I could leave this one out! This is stunning layered over anything. I have used so much of this baby I'm surprised the bottle isn't empty.

China Glaze First Mate
This is one of my favorite blues in my collection. It's not too dark or too light and is very easy to incorporate into nail art designs.

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Black
I wasn't sure whether to add Bluebell or Black to this list but in the end Black won. It's so unique and gorgeous! I love the large hex glitters and multichrome glitter. I just wish I had a better picture to better show the beauty of it.

OPI Spark De Triomphe
I remember being so excited when my sweet friend Nicola got this for me! It was definitely worth the wait, this is possibly my favorite glitter from OPI. I don't know what it is, there is just something about it that makes me really, really love it.

Orly Royal Navy
Don't even get me started on this one...this IS my favorite blue in my collection. Hands down. I'm so thankful that my friend Destany was willing to swap for this beauty.

Orly Space Cadet
Love, love, love. Do I really need to say more. After, close to, eight months of searching for this I finally found it a Ulta. So happy I did because the shift on this polish is beautiful.

Sally Hansen Amber Ruby
Now you knew I had to put this one on here right? I didn't even know it was possible for polish to be this pretty! Thank God for SH Nail Prisms because a duo-chrome this good is hard to find.

Zoya Yara
This is my favorite Zoya polish...period. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Zoya really does make the best greens.

Zoya Zara
Another favorite from Zoya, This baby is beautiful beyond belief. Such a unique color with stunning shimmer. Zoya really outdid themselves with this polish!

And just for fun, here are my favorite layering combinations that I have done this year.

China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint with China Glaze Crushed Candy layered over it.

China Glaze First Mate with Pure Ice Heartbreaker layered over it.

I can't wait to see what 2012 brings, and hopefully we'll get more unique duo-chromes too...just sayin'.

Follow the Candy Cane Road

2011-12-25T09:55:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas!

I'll keep this post short and sweet since it's the holidays and many of you are probably very busy.

This is a..."creative" manicure I came up with yesterday. I didn't really have any type of inspiration but thought it would be fun to do something a little different.

And just for fun, here's our Chrsitmas tree this year! The theme was blue, silver and a touch of gold.

For this manicure I used China Glaze Starboard as the base. Then I applied one layer of Orly Bubbly Bombshell on top. The "candy cane-esque" stripe was made with Wet N Wild Break the Ice and, using a nail art brush for the stripes, China Glaze Hey Sailor. I then went back with Holly Jolly (the snowman polish) and sponged it around the sides of each stripe. Fun, simple, easy, and quick.

Happy Holidays to you! I hope you get everything you want, eat delicious food and enjoy time with loved ones!

See you in 2012!

Favorite Manicures of 2011

2011-12-23T13:49:00.000-06:00

2011 is coming to an end so I figured it's time to post my favorite manicures that I have done this year!

Going back through all of my past posts is really eye-opening. I didn't even know I had all the time and dedication in me to make all these designs. I surprise myself sometimes.

It was really hard to narrow it down but here are my top manicures of 2011.

These are in no particular order.

You can click on the pictures to go to that post.

I can't wait for more fun designs in 2012! I'll have to start the new year with a bang!

Which of these are your favorites? Did I leave your favorite out of this list?

Christmas Combination

2011-12-22T10:12:00.002-06:00

Hello, hello!

Long time no see...exams just finished and I'm out of school until January so I have a lot more time for blogging!

Now let's move onto the manicure, shall we?

This gorgeous glitter that you see is from Rite Aid. I bought this in October after seeing how cute the snowman bottles were and to my surprise the quality of the polish is pretty good too.

I always get comments saying that my more simple manicures are much easier to do so I figured I would do simple manicures for Christmas since I know there are so many great bloggers that are going all out for the holidays.

This polish doesn't have a name so I'm going to just come up with one right now. How about...Holly Jolly?

Holly Jolly is a red and green large hex glitter in a clear base. I layered one coat over Wet N Wild Break The Ice--which is a gorgeous white shimmer on it's own. Holly Jolly applied amazing. This polish is pretty dense so application was simple. No need to carefully place the glitters. It also dried nice and smooth, these pictures are without a topcoat.

If this doesn't get you in the mood for Christmas time then I don't know what will. I'll be back with nail art soon. (:

Sally Hansen Amber Ruby

2011-12-12T09:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning!

Today is a pretty exciting post, I finally got my hands on a Sally Hansen Nail Prism! It may not be Garnet Lapis or Turqouise Opal but it is unique on it's own and it's beautiful.

I purchased this on Amazon for $9.99 before shipping.

Already an all time favorite for me.

These pictures are in natural sunlight with 2 coats.

Sally Hansen Amber Ruby is a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful orange/red/gold multi-chromatic frost with the slightest hint of green flash. The switch on this polish is insane! It literally goes from orange to gold in .02 seconds. Scrangie described it best..."fall in a bottle". It's the perfect polish for fall.

The only issue I had with this is the drying time, took longer than an hour and a half for two thick coats to dry.

Other than that, I love, love, love this!

Zoya Giveaway Winner!

2011-12-04T14:09:00.001-06:00

The winner of my Zoya Giveaway Sponsored by Verve 360 Nail Salons in Pittsburgh is.....

xyoulovekarlene

Congratulations!

The winner, xyoulovekarlene, has already been emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thank you to everyone who entered. Hopefully I will be back to posting soon but we have exams in a couple weeks and I will be suer busy until then. Luckily, Christmas break is right after exams so I'll try to make up in posts then!

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-24T09:49:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksging to all my U.S. readers!

I'm going to keep this short and sweet since I know many of you are out shopping the sales or spending time with family.

I was inspired by the cute animated below and couldn't wait to get started on this!

As usual, there are a few minor mistakes, including the index finger. For some crazy reason I started chewing my finger without realizing that I hadn't taken a picture yet...I ~~must have sniffed something last night...~~

You'll have to excuse that.

For this manicure I used OPI Skulls and Glossbones as the base of the nails. I created the turkeys using Zoya Avery and then used a black polish to outline the body and wings. I created the orange part of the hat using Essence What Do U Think? and a nail art brush. The eyes were made using dotting tools, starting with a large black dot then large white dot and then small black dot. I finished with topcoat. The index finger has to be my favorite.

To finish off this (rather adorable) post, tell me in the comments: What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

Zoya Giveaway Sponsored by Verve 360 Nail Salons in Pittsburgh! (CLOSED)

2011-11-23T09:16:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone!

Today I have an exciting giveaway for you all! Verve 360 nail salons in Pittsburgh has kindly offered to give away two Zoya polishes to one person. Who doesn't love Zoya, right?

What you can win:
One lucky winner will win one bottle of Zoya Tao and one bottle of Zoya Cynthia--both from the Smoke and Mirrors Collection. A big thank you to Verve 360 for providing the prizes!

Rules:
The only rule is that you must live in the continental U.S. to enter (that excludes Hawaii and Alaska). Sorry guys!

How to enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post with the following things....

Mandatory: If you could rename the Zoya Smoke and Mirrors Collection, what would you call it?

Mandatory: Your Google Friend Connect (GFC) name that you use to follow this blog

Extra Entry: Your Facebook username that you used to like Verve 360 on Facebook

Extra Entry: Your Twitter username that you used to follow Verve 360 on Twitter

Extra Entry: The direct link to where you shared this giveaway (Twitter, blog post, sidebar, Facebook...)

**You do not have to leave your email address out in public as the Disqus comment system allows me to see the email address you entered with.

~~This giveaway will end December 2, 2011 at 10:00 PM U.S. Central Time.~~ ~~The winner will be chosen randomly.~~ This giveaway is closed and winner has been chosen and contacted!

Brown & Blue

2011-11-22T11:05:00.001-06:00

Brown and blue could possibly be the prettiest color combination I have ever seen. I've always loved it. I especially love seeing this color combo in nurseries and baby items.

I know the title of this post isn't my usual, creative title but I couldn't really think of anything else to call this. I guess being straight forward is better than "nursery inspired brown and blue nail art".

There has been no sun all week so these pictures were all taken in low lighting.

For this manicure I used Zoya Kristen as the base. Then I took my nail art brush, a dotting tool and Diamond Cosmetics Decadence to create the dots and lines on the sides of each finger nail. I finished off with a topcoat.

This is yet another simple look, but I'm really liking it.

Stay tuned to my blog, I have something exciting coming up! (;

*Zoya polish sent for review

Sweet Simplicity

2011-11-20T12:54:00.001-06:00

The sun finally came out this morning. It's about time too because I did this manicure two days ago and just now got a chance to take pics of it.

After I took swatches and posted the Zoya Touch Collection, I went back and applied Zoya Megan because it is so, so pretty!

I didn't want to cover up the color completely so I took some inspiration from Cosmetic Cupcake and did a very feminine, simple random look.

For this manicure I used Zoya Megan as the main base and OPI Spark De Triomphe (love this glitter!) on the ring finger. Then I took Wet N Wild French White Creme and a dotting tool/nail art brush for the polka dots/stripes. The rhinestones were placed in a triangle shape at the cuticles. I applied them while the polish was still dry. I finished off all my nails with Seche.

I'm loving the simplicity of this manicure, it's very refreshing!

Also, I want to apologize for cutting Retro Week short last week, but I'll be posting all this week because of Thanksgiving break so no worries!

*Zoya polish sent for review

Zoya Feel Collection Swatches and Review

2011-11-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

Today I have the Zoya Feel Collection swatches to show you today!

I feel like I say this a lot but I was really excited about this collection since I pretty much love anything from Zoya.

The Feel Collection features six full coverage neutral creams.

All these pictures are taken in natural sunlight. The descriptions of each color are written below the pictures.

First up is Kristen. On their website, Zoya calls this a "gull gray nail polish with a mild bluish hue". On me, this is more of a pale blue with gray undertones. The formula on this was perfect, two flawless coats.

Carey is a simple blue toned gray. The formula on this polish was easy to work with and applied well in two coats. Carey is my least favorite in this collection simply because it's the most simple.

Next we have the beautiful Megan. This is a surprise favorite from the Feel Collection. Megan is a delicate, soft lilac with gray tones. I just love it! Formula was very easy to work with and I only used two coats. This appears lighter in the pictures than it does in real life.

Kendal is next in this neutral collection. I kind of wish the name had an extra "l" at the end. Name issues aside, this is a very pretty soft lavender with, of course, gray tones. Formula wise, this polish was great, this is 2 coats. For some reason, this picture brings out mauve tones but really it's more purple toned in real life.

Kennedy. I would describe Kennedy as a beige toned nude. Unfortunately, the formula was difficult and hard to work with. This is three coats. I kept getting bald spots, even after two coats. This looks wonderful on my skin though.

Last, but not least is the gorgeous Avery. Avery is a beautiful peach toned nude. This is really the perfect nude! Avery gives me a very fresh and clean look. Formula was easy and I reached full opacity with two coats.

Overall, all the polishes had great application and were easy to work with. Kennedy was the only one I struggled with and had to use three coats to cover bald spots. These are all very wearable and would be great for the workplace and perfect for Winter! Leave it to Zoya to make neutral creams so unique. These all look really great with darker skin tones like my own; so if you were hesitating to buy these before...don't! A few of my favorites were Kristen, Megan and Avery.

The Zoya Feel Collection is now available on zoya.com and retails at $8.00 each per bottle.

*Products in this post were sent for review

Retro Week: Connect the Squares

2011-11-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

Good morning!

For day four of retro week I bring you the simplest design yet!

I was originally inspired by a picture but it was really hard to draw the hexagons in that picture so instead I went for a more simple "squared" pattern.

By the way, the base I used here is GOSH Miss Minty, which is beyond gorgeous and has incredible formula. My amazing friend Jen over at The Exotic Lacquer surprised me with it! Thank you Jen!

For this manicure I used GOSH Miss Minty as the base. Then I took a nail art brush and black nail polish to create the small squares that intersect with each other randomly. I finished off with topcoat.

Excuse the kind-of-blurry pictures, these were taken with artificial light.

Tomorrow is the last day of Retro Week and then I'll have other things to post next week. (:

Retro Week: Crazy Abstract

2011-11-16T08:30:00.000-06:00

Hey, hey, hey!

So for the third day of Retro Week I'm choosing to post this abstract design.

This is yet another manicure that I copied from a picture. This time I got it from zebber.tumblr.com.

Now, when I first saw this design, it looked relatively easy, but doing it was a pain! It ended up way to messy for my liking and then my ghetto topcoat made it even messier!

But...I thought I'd show you guys anyway because the idea is still very cute. (:

For this manicure I started off with a white base. Then I took a nail art brush and the following colors to create random lines throughout my nails: Wet N Wild Candylicious (pink), Kleancolor Neon Blue (blue) and Barielle Do Unto Others (green). Afterwards, I used my dotting tool and a black polish to create random dots throughout my nails. I did the dots a little different than the original design. I finished with a goopy, ghetto ass topcoat.

Her version is very impressive, I'll have to re-do this one day to get it to look like that.

Retro Week: Radiating Dots

2011-11-15T08:30:00.000-06:00

Good morning!

Ready for day two of Retro Week?

Today's design was inspired by a picture that I saw online. I saved it a long time ago in my inspiration folder but I don't know what blog it came from. If someone knows, please tell me in the comments so I can properly credit.

This came out a lot different than I wanted. I still like it though. I just wish the topcoat didn't bubble and smear so much.

Ah...well, we can't have it all.

For this manicure I used Orly Ancient Jade as the base. Next, I drew dots on several different spots on each nail. Then, using a nail art brush, I took Zoya Cynthia, Zoya Marley and an orange polish (I forgot which one) and drew the lines that surround the dots.

This was a fun and easy design to do, but taking your time is essential. I rushed through this design, (which I even said not to do in my nail art guide) so it didn't turn out as thin/neat as I had hoped.

Retro Week: Waves

2011-11-14T07:13:00.000-06:00

Hello, hello!

I'm back! Sorry for the long break. I've been really excited to announce that this week will be Retro Week. Basically, patterns, patterns and more patterns! All with a retro theme.

Well, it's not really a full week, just all five business days.

For the first day, I have this design to show you. I actually got the inspiration from a picture I found on Google.

I literally searched "retro patterns" and this is one of the designs that came up.

For this manicure I used Zoya Marley as the light lavender base. Then I took a nail art brush and drew squiggly waves with Zoya Creamy and Zoya Petra. I used the base as part of the wave design so I just left a blank there once the light purple part of the pattern came. I let it dry for 10 minutes then added topcoat

Are you guys as excited as I am for the rest of Retro Week? I hope this can make up for my absence!

P.S. Did you notice my new post signature? I created it using mylivesignature.com

Sexy Leopard

2011-11-02T08:31:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!

I'm going to try to catch up in posts since I missed pretty much all of September and a lot of October.

Here's a design that I think is so dang sexy. Seriously guys, leopard and red? To die for.

This is similar to my zebra print manicure I did last month. I got the idea from that mani and just changed up the color and print.

This is yet another design that I am just obsessed with!

For this manicure I used Ulta Set The Nude as the base. The spots were created with Diamond Cosmetics Decadence and the inside was filled with Zoya Richelle. That's usually how I do this type of leopard/cheetah. The red outline was done with a nail art brush and China Glaze Hey Sailor.

I actually like this better than the zebra print I mentioned. How about you?

Zoya Feel Collection Preview!

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

Enjoy this press release from Zoya on their new Winter collection!

2011/12 NAIL POLISH MUST HAVE
FEEL
Six full-coverge winter cream neutrals

FEEL Beautiful!
Every season the color experts at Zoya create dozens of new color collection options. This
year, one of those “secret collections” just had to be seen now rather than later. FEEL by Zoya
Nail Polish delivers six new, highly pigmented, full coverge neutrals for right now!

Zoya FEEL Collection
Kristen (ZP591): Full coverage, gull gray cream
Carey (ZP592): Full coverage, periwinkle gray cream
Megan (ZP593): Full coverage, taupe gray cream
Kendal (ZP594): Full coverage, rose quartz beige cream
Kennedy (ZP595): Full coverage, pale french beige cream
Avery (ZP596): Full coverage, blonde beige cream

Zoya is the new color of fashion...

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals
like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known
to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya FEEL as well as over 300 other ultra high-fashion Zoya shades at
www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for women so we
name them after women.

FEEL by Zoya
Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl.oz. bottle (US)

www.zoya.com

Available November 15, 2011.

Bloodshot

2011-10-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

I'm literally struggling to type this post because I'm so excited to show you guys my current manicure! I worked really hard on this one, although it looks simple, for me it was not.

I re-did my index finger so many times and then had to keep re-applying top coat to it. Which left it with bubbles.

Anyway, this design reminds me of the body parts candy eyes that we buy every Halloween.

I just love, love, love this!

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild Black Cream for the base. Then I created the outline of the eyes with a nail art brush and a white polish, afterwards I filled it in. Taking that same nail art brush I created the green dots in the eyes using Sally Hansen Green With Envy. I used a large dotting tool for the black inside the green dot and then a smaller dotting tool for the white dot. The veins in the eyes were made using China Glaze Hey Sailor and a thin nail art brush.

I'm surprised all fingers are intact. Normally there is at least one that smudged or something.

What did you guys do for your Halloween manis? Link me below!

Scream

2011-10-30T12:51:00.000-05:00

Here's a design I did last weekend but wasn't very happy with it. I decided I'll just post it anyway.

Scream was one of the very first horror movies I had ever seen and it's also one of my all time favorites. At least the original, older versions.

This is actually my second attempt, the first one was all five fingers but I didn't really like it.

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild Black Cream as the base and Zoya Jem as the base on the non-scream fingers (layered on top of Jem is Midnight's Master). The mask was made using a nail art brush and white nail polish. For the face I started with the upper-face (where the eyes are) and then I created the long oval jaw thing. After I perfected the shape of the face I drew the eyes, nose and mouth. Placing the eyes were the hardest part but having the picture in front of you makes it easier. Afterwards I finished with top coat.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Halloween design, it's my favorite that I've done!

Swirly Spiders

2011-10-27T11:58:00.000-05:00

Today's mani was inspired by MadamLuck on Youtube. Her swirl design with the skull was so cute that I had to try it!

Unfortunately I had no idea how difficult it would be to get the swirl right. Nonetheless, I really like it. I have to admit though...the glitter nails are my favorite.

Oh, and if you're keeping up with "the game", my thumb would be the jacked up finger today.

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild Black Cream as the base. For the glitter nails I layered Kleancolor Black Out (which is amazing!) over the black cream. The accent fingers were made following MadamLuck's tutorial and Wet N Wild Club Havana (for orange swirls). Instead of the skulls MadamLuck drew, using a nail art brush, I drew white spiders on my swirls.

Other than a few minor mistakes, I'm really liking this design and I am seriously, seriously loving this glitter! Everyone needs Kleancolor Blackout.

Candy Corn and Spiders

2011-10-24T11:48:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

This is going to sound really weird but the idea for this manicure came to me as I was sitting in bed Saturday morning. I woke up around 8 or 9 AM to do my nails and take pictures while the sun was still up and I was just brainstorming ideas.

It's kind of random really. I just remember when I was in elementary school my favorite things, during Halloween time, were candy corn and those plastic spider rings my teachers used to give out. Of course I always lost them hours later...

Anyway, I thought it would be perfect to combine the two and I think it came out pretty cute!

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild French White Creme as the base. Then, using a nail art brush, I free handed the stripes using Essence What Do U Think (orange) and Kleancolor Neon Yellow. The spiders were created using a thin nail art brush and a black cream polish. I used dotting tools for the black and white eyes. I let it dry for a few minutes and then finished off with a coat of Seche Vite.

This is a design I created for blogging purposes only, kind of like I was testing it out first, but I think I really will re-create these during the week. I am seriously in LOVE with this design!

What do you think?

Baby Teletubbies

2011-10-23T16:33:00.002-05:00

Hey guys!

This design was originally supposed to be the Teletubbies but the farther into the design, the less "Teletubby" they looked so I just decided to call them Baby Teletubbies.

And, yup you guessed it, at least one of my nails had to mess up after I did them. This time the victim would be the index finger. I should start a game from now on, "find the one jacked up nail", with prizes and everything.

Just in case anyone is wondering, my thumb is polka dots of all four colors.

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild French White Creme as the base. The I used the colors Claire's Vegas, Sally Hansen Green With Envy, Zoya Creamy and China Glaze Hey Sailor! for the base of each tubby. The faces and ears were made using Ulta Set The Nude and a nail art brush. For the eyes I just used white and a dotting tool and then black and a dotting tool.

How cute is Po (red) in this manicure?!

Bursts of Color

2011-10-17T12:30:00.000-05:00

Remember my BCA post where I said that I wanted to try the dots but with other colors? Well a few of you guys agreed that it would pretty much look amazing so...I did it!

I was originally only going to use black as a base and maybe a pink but I figured I'd just add on more colors. Why not, right?

And obviously, none of my manicures are complete without one of my nails looking a mess, so excuse the index finger. Seche's bubbles got the best of it.

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild Black Creme as the base. The dots were all created with a small dotting tool and the following polishes: Zoya Creamy (yellow), Kleancolor Neon Orange, Kleancolor Neon Pink, and Fingerpaints Give Pink A Chance (which is not even pink, it's red). I added a top coat once it was about 40% dry.

I really love these! I've been really into simple designs lately.

Random Retro

2011-10-15T06:30:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

Here's a random design I created a little while ago. It was supposed to be plaid but once I was done it looked like weird, confused lines. So then I added dots in an attempt to make it look nicer but it didn't really help much...

For this manicure I used Essence Bloom-A-Loom (light purple) as my base. Then I started created lines in different sizes and directions using Sally Hansen Green With Envy (lime green) and Rimmel Peppermint (light mint). The dots were created with my dotting tool and Sally Hansen The Real Teal.

I'm still not sure if I like it but I'm not gonna lie...it looks pretty cute in the first picture. (:

Wrapped in Lines

2011-10-12T06:30:00.001-05:00

Good morning!

I have a lot planned for this week and next. As you may know, I sketch all my designs before I do them and for Halloween, it is not exception. I've already sketched a few designs that I hope to have up in the next couple weeks!

This is a manicure I did Saturday after searching pinterest.com for nail art inspiration. I found a picture similar to this and decided I'd give it a try. I didn't save the picture so I'm not sure which one it is but anyway, this is my version!

I love doing designs like this because it could not get more simple. Seriously, 2 colors and some lines? It took me less than 15 minutes to do both hands!

For this manicure I used 2 coats of China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint as the light minty base. The I took my nail art brush and created lines, using Zoya Breezi, in different directions on each nail. I decided to do each set of lines in multiples of three, that way the design isn't overwhelming. I created the glitter accent by tracing a few lines on my ring finger with Revlon Blue Mosaic.

Simple yet pretty.

Breast Cancer Awareness

2011-10-10T07:02:00.000-05:00

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I'm sure you've been seeing a lot of Breast Cancer Awareness (BCA) manicures floating around, I know I have. One of my favorite types of reasons to do nail art is for awareness or for a holiday. In this case it's awareness--BCA.

Breast cancer, next to skin cancer, is the number one cancer in women. I actually lost my aunt to breast cancer. There was no way I was going to miss out on dedicating this manicure to her.

Here's what I came up with for BCA.

Excuse the cuticles, sorry!

For this manicure I used Ulta Noel as the light pink base. I let that dry for a little while and then used a small dotting tool and Wet N Wild Candy-licious for the polka dots. The accent finger is a base of Ulta Noel and 2 coats of Sinful Colors Pinky Glitter. The ribbon was created using Wet N Wild Candy-licious and a nail art brush.

I really like the non-accent fingers, I'm thinking of trying that with other colors. What do you guys think?

While I've Been Gone

2011-10-03T06:30:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to be back! Words cannot even describe. Blogging is a fun way for me to relax and share my polish/nail art love so it was awful not being able to blog for a month. But I'm back now and I want to thank everyone that supported me by 'liking' my sketch for the Seventeen Magazine contest. Also thank you all for being so patient with me. I hate to neglect my blog.

When I went through my camera to decide which pictures to post I noticed that I really don't have that many manicures to show you. Lol! I for sure thought I had more. I guess I just forget to take pictures sometimes.

Anyway, here's a design I created inspired from The Daily Nail.

For this manicure I used Pixel Naughty Bit Nice as my base. Then I took my nail art brush and used a black polish to create the zebra print. Afterwards I used Zoya Robyn for the bright blue outline.

I made swatches of the 3 polishes I picked up from the Wet N Wild Fantasy Makers polishes, but I didn't think I'd be gone so long. I'll just post them anyway though.

The bottles are so cute!

Here's Black Magic, a dupe for Wet N Wild Blackmail from their Megalast line.

As I said, this is a dupe for Blackmail from WNW's Megalast line bit here is a comparison so you can see for yourself...

My favorite of this collection, Wet N Wild Purple Potion, a dark purple, almost black with bright purple glitter.

And the last one I picked up was Night Glow. This is a sheer, milky color so I layered it over Essence Mellow Yellow. It is insanely bright when it's in the dark!

That's it! I have more pictures to show you but I'm saving those for another post. I plan on doing a fun theme week after my Halloween manicures. (:

Thanks for reading!

Help Me Win A Scholarship!

2011-09-29T17:10:00.001-05:00

My prom dress sketch

Hey lovely followers and readers! I know I have been gone for a really long time and I really am sorry about this. I really dont know when or if I will be getting my computer fixed. I may just need to buy a new one. Anyway, as promised, I will be coming back with pictures and posts of my designs while I've been gone.

Now for a huge favor I want to ask you. I feel awful asking for such a favor when I havent been around for so long but it mwans so much to me that I finally decided to post about this. I eneterd a contest on Seventeen Magazine's facebook where I had to sketch a design of a prom dress and the prize is a $25,000 college scholarship. This is something that I could really use since my brother and sister are both going into college in this same year.

Step 1: Like Seventeen Magazine on facebook

Step 2: Go to this link and "like" this photo (that's my sketch!), of course you can vote for someone else if you'd like: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150398244517216&set=a.10150398243762216.419494.8028997215&type=1&theater
*The caption should say "Shaina, Alabama" if you have chosen to vote for me. (:

If you did vote for me please let me know! As a thank you I'd love to give you an extra entry in the next giveaway I have. It's the least I can do after being away for so long.

Thank you so much everyone!

I'll be gone

2011-09-01T06:29:00.000-05:00

My computer is down so I'll be gone for a few weeks or however long it will take to get fixed. I'll see if I can post using my friend's computer but probably not very often, if at all. I'll keep you guys updated on Twitter and Facebook so you'll know how the "getting my computer fixed" process is going along.

Anyway, I hope you guys will stick with me!

P.S. Yesterday's post was scheduled before my computer went down.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pumpkin Spice

2011-08-31T06:26:00.007-05:00

Today's post is pretty exciting for me since I was dying to get my hands on this polish after seeing swatches floating around on other blogs. Luckily, my friend Ashley had a few extra and was willing to give me one, thanks Ashley!

As of right now, I don't have any nail art to show you this week so I figured I'll just show you this swatch instead. Also, my computer isnt working so I wont be able to post for a few weeks, most likely. I'm on someone elses computer right now. :(

Anyway, behold....Pumpkin Spice!

Sally Hansen Pumpkin Spice is an orange glitter suspended in a dark brown, jelly base. I have heard that this is sheer on it's own so I layered two coats over Savvy Chocolate just to be safe. The application with this was great. I love the brush on the Xtreme Wear line so I've come to expect flawless application.

Pumpkin Spice is beyond gorgeous! Considering this is my first Halloween as a nail polish collector, I'm more more than happy to have this as my first Halloween nail polish.

Now to track down those Wet N Wild On the Prowl and Fantasy Makers polishes...

Sexy Stripes

2011-08-29T06:15:00.017-05:00

Good morning!

This is a manicure I did Saturday night. I always do the more time consuming and less simple designs on the weekends, that way I can leave the weekdays open for studying and I won't be distracted.

Anyway, I saw this picture on tumblr about a month ago (I don't know who to properly credit since I saved it on my computer, sorry!) and I really wanted to try it. It was relatively easy to do but pulling off straight lines were difficult. I wish I had a white polish that I could have used for this, oh well.

I love the end result though, LOVE!

For this manicure I used OPI Skulls and Glossbones as the base. Then I created a thick gold stripe with Color Club Enchanted Holiday. Using my nail art brush and a black polish, I drew a horizontal line through the middle of my nails. The leopard tips were made with a base of Wet N Wild Heatwave. For the spots I used the same Color Club Enchanted Holiday polish as the gold stripe and the leopard outlines are made with a black polish.

These are so "in-your-face", I just love it.

Subtle O's

2011-08-27T06:30:00.042-05:00

Hi everyone!

I'll admit that one of my favorite parts of creating posts is coming up with a title. I'm very happy about this one! I don't know why but I just think it's cute.

Anyway, I'm excited to show you this design I created a few nights ago. I wore this throughout the beginning of this week and my sister also loved it so I recreated it for her.

I remember being so clueless when I sat down to do something on my nails. I really had no idea what design I wanted to do and then I just settled for this. I didn't think I'd love it this much though!

Also, I got this great idea from Rebecca Likes Nails who got it from Gettin' Girlie.

Ignore my dry skin, my skin has been suffering ever since I switched back to nail polish remover with acetone in it.

For this manicure I used Revlon Garden as the gorgeous, medium, muted grass green base. Then I used my dotting tool and created silver dots of Fingerpaints Easel Come, Easel Go!. I let it dry for a few minutes and went back over the silver dots with Revlon Garden, which is what creates the "O" dot effect.

I really like this and I also love the base color! When I think feminine i think pink and girly but this is very feminine to me for some reason. It's so subtle and pretty in real life.

Friday Poll: Tag- 15 Weird Facts

2011-08-26T19:22:00.001-05:00

TGIF! Dori (from Kiss My Acetone) is doing something a little different this week with the Friday Poll so I thought I'd copy her and do this tag too. (;

1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you?
My family doesn't have a nickname for me.

2. What’s a weird habit of yours?
Alright, I've mentioned this before but when I am going to bed I will check and double check that my bedroom door and all bedroom windows/blinds are closed and shut tight. I can't sleep any other way.

3. Do you have any weird phobias?
Well, I have a fear of throwing up. Emetophobia. I have not vomited since I was a baby and even then I was too young to remember. I just assume that I threw up as a baby. The thought of food going up my throat and out of my mouth horrifies me! I'd rather ride a tortoise (I'm also scared of oversized animals) than throw up! I mean, does it hurt? Can you even breathe? It just seems really, really scary!

4. What’s a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you’re alone?
Set Fire to the Rain by Adele, whenever I get home from school I go straight to this song!

5. What’s one of your biggest pet peeves?
When people stare, I just want to go over there and punch their eyes out. It's insanely annoying.

6. What’s one of your nervous habits?
Over thinking. I really need to deal with it because when I get nervous and anxious I overreact, over think and I start to panic. And then I bottle up my feelings and it turns out to be a huge mess.

7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
On the very edge of the right side of the bed. As in, if you're looking from the foot of the bed.

8. What was your first stuffed animal and its name?
If I could remember, I would tell you. That was forever ago.

9. What’s the drink you always order at Starbucks?
I don't know, a Vanilla Frappuccino I guess. I like to keep it simple.

10. What’s the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
Tugging at my eyes. I know I shouldn't but sometimes it's easier to apply eyeliner that way!

11. Which way do you face in the shower?
Towards the shower head. It feels refreshing.

12. Do you have any weird body skills?
Nope.

13. What’s your favorite comfort food that’s “bad”, but you love to eat it anyway?
At the top of my head I would say candy. It's weird...I don't have a sweet tooth for cakes, cupcakes and that sort of thing but candy I could eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

14. What’s a phrase or exclamation you always say?
I'm so boring, I don't say anything worth telling.

15. Time to sleep – what are you actually wearing?
Silk pajama bottoms (they're so comfortable!) and a tee shirt.

This is still Friday Poll so I'm tagging all of you! Feel free to copy and paste your answers in the comments. I really want to hear your answers on this one!

1. What’s a nickname only your family calls you?
2. What’s a weird habit of yours?
3. Do you have any weird phobias?
4. What’s a song you secretly love to blast and belt out when you’re alone?
5. What’s one of your biggest pet peeves?
6. What’s one of your nervous habits?
7. What side of the bed do you sleep on?
8. What was your first stuffed animal and its name?
9. What’s the drink you always order at Starbucks?
10. What’s the beauty rule you preach, but never actually practice?
11. Which way do you face in the shower?
12. Do you have any weird body skills?
13. What’s your favorite comfort food that’s “bad”, but you love to eat it anyway?
14. What’s a phrase or exclamation you always say?
15. Time to sleep – what are you actually wearing

Have a good weekend!

Abstract Swirls

2011-08-25T05:54:00.005-05:00

Some of you were curious to know what my nails looked like on the first day of school (Monday the 15th) so here it is!

A few nights before school started I saw this tutorial by Robin Moses and I knew that I had to try it! I'm always inspired by what she creates.

Robin makes great videos that explains everything she is doing and why she is doing it. It really helps for when you want to try something out and don't know where to begin.

Hers turned out a little more clean but...well, I'm just Shaina, she's Robin Moses.

For this manicure I used Essence Forget Me Not as the base. I began by drawing swirls and lines all over my nails with Zoya Breezi and a nail art brush. Then I drew small lines coming out of the swirls. Robin highlighted this design with glitter on the little lines, so I did too! The glitter I used is Sinful Colors Hottie. I still didn't fell like it was enough so I added white dots to random places on each nail.

Topcoat was really beneficial to this design. I wasn't sure if I liked it on me and then I added topcoat and fell in love!

Also, I discovered a new-to-me blog a couple days ago that I want to share with you. It's called Nail Nerd. Her nail art really amazes me. Her creativity is insane and she is so original!

That's all, I hope you all have a great day!

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Bluebell Mattified

2011-08-23T06:17:00.004-05:00

Good morning!

Yesterday I showed you Kleancolor Chunky Holo Black mattified but today I have the equally stunning Bluebell to show you matte!

After trying Chunky Holo Black with a matte topcoat, I knew I had to post Bluebell too. I think these were made to be worn with matte topcoats.

I'll go ahead and show you how beautiful it is...

Finally, the blue I have been trying to capture for ages, I knew it was in there somewhere:

*You can click any picture to enlarge it.*

For this manicure I started with two coats of CCUK Midnight Blue. I then layered two coats of Kleancolor Chunky Holo Bluebell on top of that. I finished it off with Essie Matte About You.

I think the end result on this one is a lot more exciting. I just LOVE it matte!

Kleancolor Chunky Holo Black Mattified

2011-08-22T06:36:00.023-05:00

Today is another Monday, the weekend just flew by! I guess I should start getting used to it.

So the theme this week in PAA was "Creative Layering". Which just means layering different nail polishes for a crazy and fun combination.

I didn't go too crazy since I was dying to wear Kleancolor Chunky Holo Black and also to use my new matte topcoat that I got from my sweet friend Nicola!

I got a ton of compliments at school too. Not so much "oh, that's pretty" but more like "wow, your nails look so cool" or "this is amazing, how does it do that?"

Yeah, it was a good week.

For this manicure I started off with one coat of Rimmel London Black Satin as the base. Then I layered on one coat of Kleancolor Chunky Holo Black. After letting it dry I added Essie Matte About You matte topcoat.

Apparently it wasn't dry enough when I added the matte, as you can see by my horrendous index finger. I later re-did it and was still very happy. This is one of my favorite layering combinations!

Again, nothing extravagant but I think it looks pretty amazing.

Tribal Print with a Retro Twist

2011-08-21T06:38:00.001-05:00

Good morning!

This is a design I created about two weeks ago. It was pretty random, I wanted a design that I could do without having to be super specific or perfect. This worked great for that!

I literally just started drawing random lines and dots and came up with this.

For this manicure I used Essence Forget Me Not as the light blue, shimmery base. Then I started to create lines and dots using China Glaze First Mate, Catrice Big Spender Wanted, China Glaze Starboard, Rimmel London Black Satin and Claire's Vegas. The black and silver rhinestones are from Born Pretty.

Okay, so it's not perfect, but it was a lot of fun creating this! It's like tribal print, but not really. When I created this, I wasn't going for anything specific.

It took me a long though, probably a good two hours, so I ended up with just normal polish on the other hand.

Friday Poll

2011-08-19T17:18:00.000-05:00

It's Friday again! Which means Dori of Kiss My Acetone has created another fun poll!

1. How has your week been so far?
Long and tiring. I feel like I've been running around school everyday. It really is like exercise. Other than that, I've been having a pretty good week. It's been nice starting school.

2. What’s on yo nails?
Kleancolor Chunky Holo Black layered over a black cream. I've gotten a lot of compliments on this polish and also a lot of people going "whoa, how does it change colors like that?!" Haha, it gets me every time.

3. What was your worst nail polish related accident (ie: spills, bottle breaks)?
Years ago, when I wasn't really into polish yet, I kept all my nail polishes in a plastic container and one day three of them just broke, out of the blue. Nail polish was everywhere and that day three people lost their lives. A gorgeous military green, a perfectly opaque white and a really gorgeous blue polish.

4. Out of all the products you use in the summertime, which ones do you love the scent of the most?
Hands down, my EOS Lip Balm in Summer Fruit. It smells and even tastes delicious.

5. If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you move to?
Either Tokyo, Japan because the city is beautiful there and has amazing shopping locations or Australia because, well...

6. What is your favorite part of painting your nails?
A long time ago I'd say that I like getting compliments on my designs, but now, I'd say that I enjoy doing designs and nail art. I enjoy it and I find it relaxing.

7. What is your least favorite part of painting your nails?
The smell, the smell, the smell! Some people think that because I do my nails so often, that maybe I no longer smell the horrible polish stench. I'm used to it, but I can definitely still smell it.

8. What type of mp3 player do you have?
I don't own an mp3 player since I don't really listen to much music, unless it's Kate Voegele, Rihanna or Adele.

9. How often do you paint your toe nails?
Every other week, for the most part. If I chip them I'll go ahead and change it. Once it starts to get cold though, I let them go naked and wear closed toe shoes.

10. What was your first job?
I'll come back and answer this once I get my first job. (:

Don't be afraid to answer these in the comments below! Just copy, paste and answer.

1. How has your week been so far?
2. What’s on yo nails?
3. What was your worst nail polish related accident (ie: spills, bottle breaks)?
4. Out of all the products you use in the summertime, which ones do you love the scent of the most?
5. If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you move to?
6. What is your favorite part of painting your nails?
7. What is your least favorite part of painting your nails?
8. What type of mp3 player do you have?
9. How often do you paint your toe nails?
10. What was your first job?

Barielle Soul-er Powered + Nail Art

2011-08-19T06:02:00.032-05:00

Hello everyone!

Today I'm showing you the last of my three Barielle Karma Kollection polishes. I had a lot of trouble getting good pictures of this color and manicure but the colors below are pretty close to accurate.

I've been creating nail art for each shade and this one is probably my favorite design. You can still see just how pretty this color is but also the nail art is a nice touch.

I call this, "The Leopard Moon"! I love half moon manicures and I love leopard print, so why not combine both?

Here's Soul-er Powered on it's own!

Barielle Soul-er Powered is a warm toned yellow with bright yellow and gold shimmer. The shimmer on this one never gets lost, it is packed with gorgeous shimmer. I used two coats for this. It was thick, but applied nicely.

For this manicure I used Soul-er Powered as the base. I then created a half moon with Color Club Enchanted Holiday. I took my nail art brush and Rimmel London Black Satin and created black leopard spots on the half moon I previously made. To bring this design together I outlined the moon.

What are your favorite yellows?

*Some products in this post were sent for review

Barielle Positive ZEN-ergy + Nail Art

2011-08-18T06:29:00.021-05:00

I'm so excited to be showing you this polish today! I only have three nail polishes from the Barielle Karma Kollection but I will say that out of the three, this is my favorite.

The finish on this one is so unique and beautiful.

I also went back and created this random design. It kind of makes me think of a maze, or maybe those things that would hypnotize you?

Of course I smudged my index as soon as I started taking pictures. There was no turning back, so I continued like it wasn't even there.

Here is the beautiful Positive ZEN-ergy on it's own...

Barielle Positive ZEN-ergy is a medium mossy green packed with silver shimmer. At times, I even see gold shimmer, but maybe that's just what my skin is pulling out. The formula on this one was great! I used 2-3 coats and had no problems with thickness. This color is so stunning! Everyone must own it.

For this manicure I used Positive ZEN-ergy as the base. Then, using my nail art brush, I started creating random lines with Rimmel London Black Satin. I tried to keep all the lines following one path but some of them don't.

Lately I've been really into green polish, I'm sure some of you have noticed. You'll probably be seeing more green as the weeks go by!

*Some products in this post were sent for review

Barielle Do Unto Others + Nail Art

2011-08-17T06:32:00.006-05:00

Hello lovely readers!

I'll be swatching my three Barielle Karma Kollection polishes this week and today we are starting with the gorgeous Do Unto Others!

This is the second time that I have done peacocks on my nails. I first did them a couple months ago but looking back, I don't really like how they turned out. So of course, being me, I had to re-do them!

I think they look better the second time around.

And here's Barielle Do Unto Others on it's own.

So pretty!

Barielle Do Unto Others is a bright turquoise cream with a bit of a minty tone to it. It applied perfectly in two coats. I probably could have done one though. This is only my second Barielle polish and I am more than impressed with the quality of their formula. The only complaint I have about this one is that it did stain my nails.

For this manicure I used Do Unto Others as the base and I created the Peacock feathers using China Glaze First Mate for the root of the feathers and then Butterfly Jungle as the yellow center. Inside of the yellow center I put a dot of Zoya Robyn and then another of China Glaze First Mate. I added blue rhinestones for accents.

I can't decide on whether I like the feathers or the polish more...

*Some products in this post were sent for review

Whimisical Flowers

2011-08-15T06:30:00.005-05:00

Good morning everyone!

I mentioned on Twitter that I would be going back to school today so I won't be able to post as I normally would. Today's post is a scheduled post. Most of the posts this week will be. But it's only until I find a posting, swatching and nail art routine that works for me.

I was inspired to do this beautiful design after seeing JaeMarie2008's tutorial on "Simple Abstract Flowers."

I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the video. It's so simple but I am obsessed with it!

Here it is with a topcoat, I prefer it matte though.

For this manicure I used Zoya Lolly--from the Mod Mattes Summer Collection--as the base. Then I started creating thin green lines all over the nails using China Glaze Starboard. Afterwards I took Wet N Wild French White Creme and I drew the flower petals. I went back in and drew the dots using Barielle Do Unto Others and a small dotting tool.

This could possibly be the most simple nail art I have ever done. It took me less than 30 minutes to create this.

I only wore this for a day because I wanted something else for my first day of school mani.

Beginner's Guide to Nail Art- Now LIVE!

2011-08-14T19:54:00.000-05:00

Hey guys!

Just a quick post to show you what I've been working on for almost two weeks now.

My beginner's nail art guide is now live! You can follow the link to get to it or find it under the "Check Out" section of my sidebar.

http://hautelacquer.blogspot.com/p/beginners-guide-to-nail-art_05.html

I'm really excited that I got this up! I hope it helps someone out and that it was informative enough.

I know it is long and very wordy but I felt like I had to mention everything for those who are fresh when it comes to nail art.

Please feel free to leave your suggestions on what else I should discuss. But note that I don't do stamping or water marbling.

I'll be back tomorrow with some nail art, I promise.

Friday Poll

2011-08-12T12:06:00.001-05:00

Another Friday means another Friday Poll, brought to us by the lovely Dori over at Kiss My Acetone!

1. How has your week been so far?

Pretty good, blog wise and my personal life too. Finding Orly Space Cadet was a nice way to start the week!

2. Whatcha wearin on the nails?

LOL, well, one hand is bare, naked, polish-less. The other hand has Barielle Do Unto Others with peacock feather nail art (which you'll see soon!). I'll go back and do the other hand later.

3. What is your favorite store to shop for makeup at?

Ulta, no doubt about it. I like that they have drugstore brands, higher end makeup and salon brands. I don't think it gets better than that.

4. What’s your favorite store or drugstore to shop for other non-makeup supplies at?

Hm...maybe CVS Pharmacy or Wal-Mart. If I really had to choose between the two, it'd be Wal-Mart because they have more items and variety.

5. How has the weather been in your neck of the woods this week?

Good and bad. We haven't been getting a lot of rain like the rest of this summer but at the same time, there has been zero sun many times this week. I kind of need the sun if I'm gonna take decent pictures...

6. Have you had the chance to enjoy the pool/beach/river/lake yet this summer?

Nope! And that's perfectly fine with me. I'm not looking to burn this chocolate out in the sun.

7. What are some of your favorite products to use in the summer time?

Well I like Neutrogena's Pure & Free Sunblock, EOS Lip Balm, and Olay's Quench Body Lotion. I don't normally stick to one thing though, I like to try new products.

8. When do you usually transition from using summer products to fall products?

Once October starts to roll around. The heat where I live lasts until September and it starts to cool down and get a little chilly towards October.

9. What is your favorite color to wear on your nails in the summer?

Anything that is bright and/or shimmery! I especially love blue shimmers (like Orly Royal Navy).

10. What is your favorite color to wear on your toes in the summer?

I like to wear purples and pinks on my toes. One color I will never stop loving for the toes is China Glaze Ahoy! Glass flecks look amazing on the toes.

You can answer too! Copy and paste the questions and answer them in the comments.

1. How has your week been so far?
2. Whatcha wearin on the nails?
3. What is your favorite store to shop for makeup at?
4. What’s your favorite store or drugstore to shop for other non-makeup supplies at?
5. How has the weather been in your neck of the woods this week?
6. Have you had the chance to enjoy the pool/beach/river/lake yet this summer?
7. What are some of your favorite products to use in the summer time?
8. When do you usually transition from using summer products to fall products?
9. What is your favorite color to wear on your nails in the summer?
10. What is your favorite color to wear on your toes in the summer?

Zoya Jem/Valerie and Petra/Kelly Comparisons

2011-08-10T12:33:00.003-05:00

Good morning!

I posted my Zoya Smoke and Mirrors Review/Swatches a few weeks back and since then I've been noticing from my stats that a lot of you are looking for comparisons of Petra and especially Jem.

I already did a comparison of Zoya Jem and Zoya Valerie in my original Smoke and Mirrors post, but I'm not entirely pleased with that comparison so I'm re-doing it.

Kelly, Petra, Valerie, Jem

I promise I'll have some nail art soon, but for now, see for yourselves how these polishes compare.

As you can see, there isn't really a difference between the two. I originally said that the only difference is that Jem has smaller (or finer) shimmer than Valerie, but I'm not too sure that's even true anymore. In my opinion, you really don't need both. They are practically the same polish, just with different names.

(Sorry about the clean up here, I was in a rush!)

I've also noticed people searching for Zoya Petra and Zoya Kelly comparisons. These two are not the same. They are both dusty grays and have purple tones but Kelly has more blue undertones than Petra and Petra is darker than Kelly. If you were thinking or buying one of the other I'd say get both! Both of these are must haves! Absolutely gorgeous.

I'm pretty disappointed that Zoya would dupe their own nail polish. It frustrates me when companies do this. Jem and Valerie are identical twins. Luckily, this is the only one from the collection that they duped. Zoya Kelly and Zoya Petra are two different polishes, they are half sisters at the most.

Did any of you get Jem without knowing it was a dupe? Or did you buy Jem, even though you have Valerie, and you knew it was a dupe for it?

*Some products in this post were sent for review

Orly Space Cadet

2011-08-10T05:59:00.018-05:00

Good morning!

Today I'm showing you my favorite nail polish, Orly Space Cadet! I finally found it yesterday after searching for it for months.

I know there are a million swatches of this already, but lucky for you, you get to see one more.

I'll let the polish do all the talking.

I'm sure your jaw has dropped to the keyboard by now.

Orly Space Cadet is this amazing gold/orange/copper, green and purple multi-chrome foil metallic. I couldn't pick up much of the green, but believe me when I say it's there! Space Cadet is pretty sheer so I layered it over one coat of Rimmel London Black Satin.

A close dupe for this is Claire's Venomous which I posted swatches of here. The finish of these two are a bit different though.

I'm so happy I got this! It's now the best nail polish in my collection.

P.S. I guess I should bring attention to that fact that I shortened my nails a few days ago. I'm getting tired of long nails for some reason.

The Mixed Giraffe

2011-08-08T13:33:00.002-05:00

Hello, hello!

I just came back from Ulta where I found.....wait for it.......Orly Space Cadet! I couldn't even get my words out when I found it, I was like "Mom, I, I...look..I ..found...Mom....its...Space....Cadet!

I have mentioned wanting this SO many times. Just search "Space Cadet" in the search box and you will see all the posts where I have mentioned this beauty and now I have it, sitting right next to me!

It's weird, I've been stalking Ulta for close to 8 months hoping with some miracle I'd find it and today it was just randomly sitting out right in the front of all the other Orlys!

Anyway, this is the manicure I created for PAA, the theme this Monday is Animals/Animal Print.

For this manicure I used two coats of Wet N Wild Bite The Bullet as the base. I used my nail art brush and created the spots using Zoya Petra from the new Smoke collection. I finished off with Seche Vite top coat.

I called this The Mixed Giraffe because it was meant to be giraffe print, but it also ended up looking like cow print. But I still like it.

Alright, that's it, I'm off to play with Space Cadet!

*Products sent for review

Nail Polish and Nail Art Collection/Storage

2011-08-07T14:31:00.000-05:00

Hellooo everyone!

Today I'm showing you my nail polish collection and organization as well as my nail art collection.

It's not fancy or anything but I enjoy taking pictures and showing my stash to you guys. This is my third collection post, my first one was here, and my second one was here.

I asked on Twitter if you guys wanted to see pictures now that I'm over 200 bottles and I had a pretty good response so here it is!

Remember, you can click any picture in this post to enlarge it.

This is the same storage that I used the last time I posted my collection, now it's more full and I moved the purples down to that last bottom row--which was empty to begin with. I got this at Walmart by the way.

Top shelf: Pinks, reds, oranges, and yellows. This shelf has more than any other, I'm almost running out of space.

Second Shelf: Blacks in the back, then there's silvers, whites, nudes and browns.

That Wet N Wild white you see in the front has tooth marks because the cap was super tight and I tried to unscrew it with my teeth! Bad idea.

Third Shelf: Greens and blues.

All four of the Orlys that I own are on this shelf. Also, a lot of my Zoyas are here too. I have 28 Zoyas and 11 of them are green/blue. Zoya makes some of my favorite blues and greens.

Last Shelf: Purples

Purple had to have it's own shelf. It was taking up too much space in the first shelf so I moved it down here. The two Zoyas that look identical are Zoya Jem and Valerie. I'm telling you, they are exactly the same!

Under each shelf I have a piece of cardboard, they would all fall through if I didn't.

As of today I have exactly 205 bottles of nail polish. Zoya's taking the lead with 28, Wet N Wild is close with 21, and then I have 17 China Glaze polishes. 14 Kleancolors, 13 OPI and 10 Revlons. Check out my spreadsheet for specific polishes.

My goal is to have 369 total polishes by next summer. 369 is my favorite number.

I also have a "nail art collection". I try to keep it organized since I like to see everything, but it gets out of hand sometimes.

I keep all my nail art supplies as well as some nail care products in this three tier shelf I bought at Dollar Tree. I keep this on my bathroom counter actually.

Top Shelf: Palette for mixing nail polish/paint, nail polish remover, q-tips, Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail strips, and my base/top coats.

The circle bottle is Seche but I keep it in that bottle since I have the big re-fill thing of Seche Vite. The other one is my cheap, nameless base coat since I ran out of my CND Stickey.

Middle Shelf: Purse of stamping plates/supplies, dotting tools, rhinestone wheels, and fimo sticks.

Here's what inside the purse looks like.

Last Shelf: Nail stickers/decals, French tip guides, Born Pretty nail foils, false nails, loose glitters.

Underneath that pile of nail stickers I have my bigRuby nail tattoos and that white baggy has my Ozotic 528 ring.

Here's the false nails, I keep them taped so they don't fall off, lol.

I ran out of room pretty early on so I keep my nail care tools and stuff in this drawer.

So that's all of it!

I really want some Melmers or any other storage that can hold all of my nail polish and more. But we'll see.

Dotted All Over

2011-08-06T12:14:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone!

First I wanted to tell you about a new blog that I already love. My best friend, Emily, just started her very own fashion/beauty blog over at Style As A Second Language. I know a lot of you are interested in fashion as well as makeup and I think her blog would be great for you. Show her some love and support and check out her blog!

Now back to the manicure. I'm in the process of going through my untrieds and using them all as bases for my nail art. One of the ones I chose to wear was Fingerpaints Chrysanthe-Mum's The Word. I hate the name, but I love the color.

Also, how do you guys like the size of this picture? Do you like my pictures better when they're big like this or smaller like my last post? Let me know!

There was zero sun when I took this picture, *sigh*. Also excuse the chip on my index.

And here's Chrysanth-Mum's The Word on it's own.

For this manicure I used Fingerpaints Chrysanthe-Mum's The Word as the base. This is an interesting color, it's like a pastel lime green. Really pretty! I used my dotting tool to create the dots. The polishes were Fingerpaints Groovy Green, Rimmel London Green With Envy and Zoya Ivanka. The glitter on my ring finger is Orly Here Comes Trouble from their Pin-Up Collection.

I really love doing polka dots. They're fast and easy and really simple. I don't wear a design more than once but polka dots can be done in so many different ways!

Wet N Wild Mega Last Swatch Spam!

2011-08-06T11:42:00.000-05:00

Good morning!

Today I have some Wet N Wild polishes to show you from their Megalast line. I've been meaning to get this post up for a really long time but I keep getting distracted.

Most of these colors aren't very unique, but they're still pretty and a few are worth getting, in my opinion.

Descriptions of each color and a review are under each of the pictures.

Blackmail. 2 flawless coats! No words can describe this beauty, so I'll just shut up now.

Through the Grapevine is a bright purple cream. Reminds me of grape soda. 2 coats for this one. The formula on this one was good. It's not as bright as this first picture, the second one is more color accurate.

Bite The Bullet is next. A medium lavender cream. This is one of my favorites! This took me three thin coats, but the formula was easy to work with. My application wasn't too great though...sorry guys!

Candy-licious is this bright barbie pink. Three thick coats here. I'm not a pink person but I do like this. It's bright but not neon or hot pink.

Undercover is this dusty, light rosey cream. Really pretty! Formula was difficult to work with though. This was really thick and it took three coats. As for color accuracy, the second picture is most correct.

Last but not least, is Disturbia! A dark grape purple with pink shimmer. I've already posted this but I think it deserves better swatches. This is three coats. The formula was a bit sheer, but not difficult to work with. Please click the picture to see better detail, its so much prettier in real life!

I've worn a lot of the polishes from this line and the majority of the creams need three thin coats or two carefully thick coats to reach full opacity. The colors are pretty, but not particularly unique. However, I do have my favorites. Bite The Bullet, Disturbia and Blackmail are all really pretty. They are definitely worth your time and money. The rest are a hit or miss situation.

Wet N Wild Megalast line retails $1.99 and can be found at most Wet N Wild retailers.

Which are your favorites?

*Products sent for review

Friday Poll

2011-08-05T19:13:00.000-05:00

Hi guys!

Starting this week I'm going to be posting Kiss My Acetone's weekly Friday Polls here on my blog!

I think these are a great way to get to know each other, plus they're really fun!

Please feel free to copy and paste the questions at the bottom of this post and answer them in the comments. Also, let me know if you like this idea.

1. How has your week been?
Really great! I’ve spent this week with my friends and then we had orientation a few days ago, which was a lot more fun that I expected.

2. Any fun weekend plans?
Well this weekend is the tax free holiday so I’m excited to do more shopping.

3. What upcoming collections are you most excited for?
I’m most excited for the Orly Mineral Fx collection. It’s not that the colors are super unique but some look really amazing and I know the rest will have that flawless Orly formula.

4. Do you watch Shark Week on Discovery Channel?
I never have, no real reason, it just doesn’t interest me.

5. What did you buy in your last nail polish haul?
My last nail polish haul was Monday when I bought Fingerpaints Easel Come, Easel Go (Orly Shine Lemming killed!), Fingerpaints Chrysanthe-Mum’s the Word, and Orly Here Comes Trouble.

6. Are you still stuck in Summer mode or have you already moved on to Fall?
I’ve moved onto fall for the most part. I still like to wear bright summer colors though.

7. What type of camera do you use?
Nikon Coolpix s3000.

8. How do you store and organize your nail polish?
I keep them in some cheap rack thing that I got at Walmart, organized by color…no big deal.

9. What are your favorite base coats and top coats?
CND Stickey Base Coat and Seche Vite.

10. What is your favorite activity do do while your nails dry?
Normally I just watch TV or attempt to eat.

Now you get to answer! Copy and paste the questions in the comments and answer them. I'd love to read them.

1. How has your week been?

2. Any fun weekend plans?

3. What upcoming collections are you most excited for?

4. Do you watch Shark Week on Discovery Channel?

5. What did you buy in your last nail polish haul?

6. Are you still stuck in Summer mode or have you already moved on to Fall?

7. What type of camera do you use?

8. How do you store and organize your nail polish?

9. What are your favorite base coats and top coats?

10. What is your favorite activity do do while your nails dry?

Skulls and Glossbones

2011-08-05T13:59:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!

I've been complaining on Twitter about how there has been no sun lately. No sun means blurry and bad quality pictures. Luckily there was some sun this morning so I quickly took pictures. I literally ran out of bed and downstairs before the sun went away! It wasn't until after the pictures were taken that I brushed my teeth and ate breakfast.

I created this design yesterday using my new dotting tools that I won from Midnight Manicure's giveaway. I had dotting tools before but they were all the exact same size.

This is also my first time wearing OPI Skulls and Glossbones from their recent Pirates of the Caribbean collection for Spring. I am madly in love with this color! Words can't even describe. It's like a dusty taupe-gray that is just amazing.

Of course, taking the name literal, I drew skulls and bones on all my nails.

For this manicure I used OPI Skulls and Glossbones as the base. I created the bones using Rimmel London Black Satin. The hearts in the middle were made with China Glaze Hey Sailor. Taking my dotting tool and the same black I created large dots to represent the skulls. Then I used my nail art brush to draw the three lines attached to the skull. What are they called anyway? Going back in with my dotting tools, I dotted some eye holes with Skulls and Glossbones.

This design came out kind of messy but I think it's really cute so I'll just ignore that. (:

Funky Checkers

2011-08-01T12:10:00.001-05:00

Another Monday means another PAA theme! This week we created tape manicures.

The weeks are just flying by, it feels like Wednesdays turn into Fridays and Saturdays turn into Mondays. Seriously, it's crazy how fast things are moving!

For this manicure I used Love Polish's Checkered with a Twist" tutorial to help me create this look.

The placement of the tape really confused me at first, but her tutorial is really great so it shouldn't be too hard to understand.

For this manicure I used Nicole by OPI Light a Candle and Zoya Marley. I did half my nail in each color, just like Love Polish's first step. Then I applied one coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat to speed up the drying process. After about 30 minutes I applied the tape, like Love Polish shows, and painted over it using Zoya Jem to form my first set of checkers. Then I laid down my second piece of tape and painted over that using Rimmel London Black Satin. After I completed all the steps and fixed any mistakes I applied another coat of Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat.

Like I said, this was really hard for me at first but Love Polish's tutorial was very helpful and explained everything really well.

She has one of my favorite blogs and her tutorials are all amazing. I definitely recommend checking out her blog, especially if you love tape manicures.

I just came back from Sally's Beauty Supply about an hour ago. They still have a lot of Fingerpaints on clearance for $1.99 and also they have a coupon out where you can get a free Fingerpaints polish with any purchase.

Just thought I'd let you all know, have a great day!

Follower Appreciation Grand Prize WINNER!

2011-08-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

Again I want to thank everyone for supporting my blog and reading my posts. I'm still shocked that I have all these wonderful readers/followers and I've been blogging for a little over 6 months!

I appreciate each and every one of you, so much.

As you know, all the random winners have been selected, announced and successfully contacted.

But what about the grand prize winner?

The lucky winner is.....Casandra W! Congratulations!

Casandra has 5 days to respond to my email or I will choose a new winner. I'm extending the time because I would hate for anyone to lose a prize like this.

As for everyone else, thank you all for entering. 222 people entered and there were 819 total entries! I will be having more exciting giveaways in the future, so don't worry if you didn't win this time.

I would love to hear some feedback on this giveaway. What did you like? What would you like me to do again? What would you like me to do different next time?

Random Twitter, FB and Blog Winners Recap!

2011-07-31T13:43:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone!

I wanted to create this post to announce and re-announce all six of the random winners in my giveaway extravaganza!

First I held a Twitter giveaway where you had to "RT and win". I used random.org and entered all the Twitter names into a spreadsheet.

The winner was....SoooAda!

A couple days later the Facebook Scavenger Hunt started. For this SH you had to follow the clues to unscramble a secret word. I used a fruit machine to select a winner.

The winner was....Nicola!

Now more recently I asked you guys to leave a comment on every other post last week to be entered for the "random comment giveaways". Again I used a fruit machine to select the winners.

From last Sunday's post, the winner was.....istaysteezin!

From Tuesday's post, the winner was......Lacquered Lover!

From Thursday's post, the winner was......Jennifer Barela!

And last, but not least, from yesterday's post, the winner is..... Meredith Wells! I have already sent her an email. Meredith has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Congratulations to all the lucky winners! Each winner got to choose a polish from the above picture as their prize.

If you didn't win any of the random giveaways you can still enter my grand prize for 8 1/2 more hours. Please only enter if you haven't already.

Thank you guys for sticking with me through all these weeks! Haute Lacquer now has over 600 followers! Wow. I had such a great response from this giveaway. I won't be able to constantly do random giveaways but when I do, I promise it will be just as fun.

Shades of Blue

2011-07-30T11:09:00.003-05:00

Good morning!

I've been wearing Zoya Neeka on my nails since Wednesday and it killed me to take it off. Neeka is gorgeous.

So I took it off this morning and created this design, inspired by IndigoNova1 on Youtube. I can't find the tutorial at the moment, but it's very simple.

This is a really fun and easy design that anyone can do! I enjoyed doing it, it took me less than 15 minutes.

Anything that quick and easy works for me!

For this manicure I used China Glaze Sea Spray as the gray-toned, blue base. Then I used my striper brush to create diagonal lines using Zoya Breezi on all my nails. It's okay if the lines are messy since they will be covered up anyway. Once all my lines were created I took my dotting tool and Rimmel London Black Satin and drew dots on the outer corner of all the lines.

I'm going to attempt a tape manicure tonight, so if it works out, you'll see it on Monday!

Thank you for reading.

Franken: Midnight's Master

2011-07-28T08:20:00.040-05:00

I mentioned this franken in yesterday's haul and I decided that I will just HAVE to post swatches of this!

I first saw this polish on Let Them Have Polish's blog when she posted it here. I immediately went to Facebook and asked Laurie to create this baby for me.

Laurie (the genius behind this franken) mixed OPI Servin' Up Sparkle with LA Girls Uninhibited to create this polish and named it after her favorite book, Midnight's Master (by Cynthia Eden).

I'll stop talking now and let you drool...

And here's the base on it's own. Very pretty, but very streaky. I didn't mind since it'd be covered up anyway.

Wow right?! I almost died when I took it out of the package!

This is the mother of all glitters. I mean, come on, black and silver glitter? Yes, please.

China Glaze Metal Crackle Glaze: Tarnished Gold and Oxidized Aqua

2011-07-27T12:57:00.001-05:00

Good morning! Are you ready for more crackle?

I've posted many other crackles in the past, some from different brands, and others from China Glaze so you shouldn't be surprised to see this post if you've been reading my blog for a while.

I love crackles! End of story.

I'm incredibly impressed with this new batch of Crackle Glaze. The first collection was nice but I remember purchasing Lightning Bolt and Crushed Candy and was disappointed at how difficult it was for me to apply and how it was so hard for the white to crack.

The formula on these were much easier.

First up is my new favorite crackle, Tarnished Gold. This is layered over Zoya Dree. Bad color combination here, lol. Anyway, this had easy application and formula. I love that this finishes with a nice metallic finish! These pictures are without a topcoat, but once you add a topcoat, it glistens and is much more shiny and "glittery".

Next is the gorgeous China Glaze Oxidized Aqua. This is layered over Orly Royal Navy. When I saw the press release, I wasn't really excited for this one, but I think if you pair it with the right color, it can end up looking really good. Again, great formula and easy application. This one dried super fast, which means the cracking started quickly.

Like with most crackles, do not go back over a spot that has already started cracking. If you don't like the way a finger turned out, it's best to just start over completely.

What is your favorite crackle?

*Some products in this post were sent for review

Collective Haul (Pic Heavy!)

2011-07-27T06:30:00.004-05:00

I rarely ever do hauls so I thought I'd do one today.

I've been collecting all the packages I get in the mail so that I could share them all in one post.

First is my prize from Jae Marie on Youtube. Her Youtube channel is JaeMarie2008 and she recently held a summer nail art contest and I won in her beginner level! This is actually the first nail art contest I have ever won so I'm really excited about her package.

Included in the prize pack were nail art stickers, glitters, jewelry and rhinestones as well as two Kleancolor sets: "What Girls Really Talk About" (glitters) and "Candy Cast" (neons).

From Left: Neon Yellow, Neon Aqua, Neon Orange, Neon Pink, Neon Lime, Neon Amethyst

From Left: Black Out, Grand Finale, 24 Carat, Kiss Goodbye, Peaceful Heart, V.I.P.

Now the next thing I want to show you is the beautiful Ozotic 528 ring I got from Jette! She has her own blog over at vettelicious.com. I won her giveaway a while back where I got the chance to customize my very own nail polish ring.

These are the pictures she sent me once the ring was completed, just look how pretty!:

Then a few days later another package arrived at my doorstep. Kristina from My Lucid Bubble sent this lovely package. I'm her purge buddy, lol. She also sent four Bundle Monster plates but I had to retake this picture a million times and forgot to picture them this time around.

From left: Fingerpaints Groovy Green and Give Pink A Chance, OPI Kangarooby, Sinful Colors Fiji, Mood Struck polishes (nameless), Essence Mr.Big, Color Club Enchanted Holiday

Carly from Lacquered Lover had a giveaway for 50 followers and I won it! I finally got my hands on some of the OPI POTC Collection. Included in the prize pack were OPI Burlesque Minis, OPI Silver Shatter and Zoya Charla.

I also got my first international swap package this month. As I mentioned in a recent post, I did my first international swap recently with Kellie from Fablaicious Nails.

Barry M Dusky Mauve and Black Crackle Effect

Some other things I got this month...

China Glaze Tarnished Gold from their Crackle Metals collection. The nail foils came from Born Pretty when they were giving them away. Also I picked up some random glitter at Sally's Beauty Supply.

Nail stickers, 2 from Kellie's swap and the others I got cheap from Ebay.

I also did a swap with Destany of Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom. She gave me her bottle of Orly Royal Navy, which has been on my wishlist forever and a gorgeous turquoise from L.A. Colors!

The same day Destany's package arrived, Laurie's package arrived too. I bought her franken Midnight's Master after seeing how gorgeous it looked on Let Them Have Polish's blog post.

And last but not least, I picked up these three Sinful Color polishes from Walgreens (they are having 3 for $4 this week) and the glitter was on clearance for $.75 at CVS.

Top, From Left: Hottie, Pinky Glitter and Call You Later, Bottom: Wet N Wild Lilac Frost

This is probably the most polish I have ever bought or received in a single month. Normally it's a lot less but I've been very lucky to win a couple giveaways and participate in some swaps plus you cannot beat these sales this summer!

Have a great day everyone!

Floral Never Gets Old

2011-07-26T13:20:00.003-05:00

Hey guys!

I hope you're not getting tired of seeing floral designs around here because I have another one for you!

I've had this tutorial from IndigoNova1 saved on Youtube for while and I finally decided to attempt it yesterday. I decided to use yellow instead of white, just...'cause.

She makes it look so easy in the video but it took me forever to get it right! I made some bigger, some too small, but in the end, I ended up really liking it.

For this manicure I used China Glaze Starboard as the base. I created the flowers and dots using Essence Mellow Yellow and Rimmel London Black Satin. I followed IndigoNova1's tutorial exactly as she did it so if you're curious to know how to get this look, you can watch her video.

I LOVE this! I never think to use green for floral nail art, but it actually looks a lot better than I thought it would.

Thanks for reading!

Pineapples

2011-07-25T10:51:00.002-05:00

It's Monday! Which means that it's a new theme in PAA. This Monday's theme is fruit.

Now back to the manicure!

I had to watch a few tutorials on Youtube before I could get the shape of the pineapples to come out right, but I think I finally got it! It's the smaller details I had trouble with.

Anyway, here's what the final outcome looks like....

For this manicure I used OPI Sparrow Me the Drama as the base. Then, using a cosmetic sponge, I sponged on Wet N Wild Candy-licious to my thumb, middle and pinky. Afterwards I sponged on Kleancolor V.I.P. (my new favorite glitter!) over Candy-licious. The pineapples were made using Butterfly Jungle and then China Glaze Starboard for the leaves. I mixed in some black to darken it up.

You may have noticed that I shortened my nails. I was getting really tired of the length. At this length, I'm more carefree and don't have to worry about breaking a nail every minute of the day! I do miss doing nail art on longer nails though, it's like a bigger canvas.

Well thats it, see you in my next post!

*Some products in this post were sent for review

NOTD: Zoya Robyn

2011-07-24T01:14:00.010-05:00

Good morning everyone!

I don't always post NOTDs but I thought I would today since I have zero nail art on and I love this color! I've actually used Robyn before in a lot of my nail art, but I've never worn it alone like today.

Today is also the first comment giveaway, but we'll get to that later.

Zoya Robyn is a stunning, bright sky blue cream. Application could not be easier. I used two thin coats. Robyn is hands down my favorite blue cream!

I don't think it gets better than this.

Daisies

2011-07-22T12:04:00.001-05:00

Hellooo everyone!

I just came back from a doctor's appointment, well, really a dentist appointment and they had to numb my mouth which feels really weird. I'ts even worse when I start laughing! My smile is all crooked and it looks like I've been doing drugs...it's not a pretty sight.

But that's not what this post is about. I got my first international swap yesterday from my friend Kellie! She sent me Barry M Instant Nail Effects Black Crackle (or whatever it's called) and Barry M Dusky Mauve, which is what I'm wearing today. She also sent me some nail stickers that you'll probably see sometime next week.

This design is inspired by Emily's Nail Files.

Ignore my middle finger today. I don't know where that random pink speck came from.

For this manicure I used Barry M Dusky Mauve as the base. Then I took my dotting tools and dotted the center of each flower using Butterfly Jungle. The white petals were also dotted, this time using Wet N Wild French White Creme. And because I can't get enough of these dotting tools, I created random black dots throughout each nail!

Well thats it! Don't forget to enter my giveaway. You can enter in the top right hand corner of my blog.

Murder Scene

2011-07-19T13:43:00.001-05:00

Hey everyone!

A little while after that balloon fail I posted I sat down to try another manicure.

I'm stepping away from all the pretty purples and pinks and showing you something a little more risqué. Not sure if I'm using that word right but it sounds cool so it's happening.

A few days ago I was browsing Google for unique patterns I could work with and I found a tie with the most amazing murder scene pattern on it! I don't know what company makes it or where the picture is originally from but I knew I had to create this manicure ASAP.

Plus I received a hot black glitter from Wet N Wild and this was the perfect way to use it!

For this manicure I used Wet N Wild Blackmail as the base. Then I drew the white outlines using Wet N Wild Hush Hush. After the outlines of the people were dry I drew yellow stripes with Zoya Creamy, my all time favorite yellow! The words "CAUTION" were carefully written with a nail art brush and Rimmel London Black Satin.

I was going to add blood to some of the nails but then thought it'd be too much, so I didn't.

Now, you know I couldn't finish this post without showing you the amazing Wet N Wild Blackmail, a gorgeous black with gold/silver micro glitter! I had trouble capturing the beauty of Blackmail. This is 3 effortless coats, two coats would've been fine but the camera picks up on bald spots.

*Click to enlarge*

And the tie that started it all...

So what do you think? I'm curious to see if you guys like this design. I know I fell in love with the pattern as soon as I saw it.

*Wet N Wild polishes sent for review

Balloon Nail Art Fail

2011-07-19T13:21:00.001-05:00

So the other day I was really excited to get started on this manicure. I had asked everyone on my Twitter to send me pictures that I could get inspired from and yet somehow my manicure still ended up looking awful!

I mean, I liked the idea. It started out really cute and I was all "OMG, this looks great!" and then I just kept going and going and then we have this...

It's okay to laugh along with me, this is pretty bad!

Not just the weirdly shaped balloons, but the strings aren't done right and the "designs" on the balloons are also really bad. I don't understand what happened when I sat down to do this.

The base color by the way is Zoya Robyn, this is the best thing about the manicure, the gorgeous background color.

Here's the picture that inspired me, as you can see, I did not do this picture proud. Thanks to jamieleelu on Twitter, who tweeted me this picture. I will be re-doing this.

I am not happy with the way it turned out at all.

Glitter Bomb!

2011-07-18T07:15:00.015-05:00

YES!! The time has finally come for me to do a glitter bomb. This is my first, actual "glitter bomb" so if you can't tell already, I'm overly excited!

It's glitter, glitter, and even more glitter!

Now, for this manicure I wasted no time! I went straight to my stash as soon as I was done with breakfast and chose two glitters I hadn't tried yet. Kleancolor makes glitters like nobody's business! It's like they throw some random materials in and the most amazing glitter is created.

*Drools* Here's my glitter bomb for Monday's Nail Art Challenge in PAA. I made the picture bigger than I normally do so you could see the delicious glitters but still these pictures do it no justice.

For this ~~manicure~~ amazing glitter bomb I started with a two coats of Wet N Wild Disturbia, which, by the way, has the prettiest pink shimmer.

Then I applied a thin layer of Kleancolor Grand Finale (a silver, holographic string glitter).

And for the best part, I topped it off with Kleancolor 24 Carat, and it's magical. As you can clearly see in that first picture. (;

OHMYGOSH, I don't think it gets better than this! Until I get out my black glitters that is...
*Wet N Wild polish sent for review

Pretty In Pink

2011-07-17T12:24:00.002-05:00

Hi my lovelies!

First I want to welcome all the new followers to my blog! I love reading yours, and everyone's comments so thank you all for leaving them.

I've wanted to do a manicure like this for a while and I finally got around to doing it yesterday. Unfortunately there was no sun all day so the pictures came out kind of crappy but that's okay! You guys still get the idea...right?

For this manicure I used all Wet N Wild Megalast polishes. The base color is Candy-licious. I used Disturbia for the dark purple lines (which look black in these pictures). Using my dotting tool, I created dots with Hush Hush and Sugar Coat.

And of course, here's Candy-licious on it's own:

Wet N Wild Candy-licious is a bright, Barbie pink cream. The formula on this one was kind of tricky to work with. It took three coats to reach full opacity. My camera picks this up as a hot, neon pink in some pictures but this is the most accurate color. It's not florescent at all.

I'll be back tomorrow to show you an amazing glitter bomb I created! This Monday's challenge in PAA (Polish-holic Anonymous on Facebook) is to go crazy with glitter and I'm so excited to show you what I came up with!

*Wet N Wild polishes sent for review

Zoya Smoke and Mirrors Collection Swatches and Review

2011-07-15T14:50:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone! Today I have both the Smoke and Mirrors collection to review. These are Zoya's new collections for Fall 2011 and I'm so excited because I love Fall collections and Zoya collections!

Descriptions and reviews of each color are below each picture. I apologize in advance for the messy clean up on some of these.

Let's start with the Smoke Collection:

First up is Jana. Jana is a light, dusty, taupe-y brown mixed with the slightest hint of purple. Jana applied like a dream. One thick coat and you're good to go. I had trouble capturing the beauty of this color, each picture was a different shade of the color. This is like a lighter version of China Glaze Below Deck.

Next we have the beautiful Petra. Petra is a dark taupe/gray/brown with purple undertones. This applies nicely in 1-2 coats. I love this one, reminds me of Zoya Kelly, except Kelly is a little darker and has more blue undertones in it than Petra.

Codie is a unique dark brown with subtle olive tones running throughout it. This one needed two coats. Application went smoothly. I actually like Codie more than I thought I would.

Anja is your standard dark, burgundy wine red with a hint of purple. I'm not a fan of these types of colors, but it's still nice. This applied great in two coats but really stained my nails. I strongly suggest using a base coat with this one, which is where I made my mistake.

Cynthia is a dark, teal-ish navy blue with the most subtle shimmer you will ever see. Capturing the shimmer is almost impossible, but this is such a beautiful color! I used two coats for full opacity.

Dree is, in my opinion, the star of the Smoke Collection. I can't tell you how much I love colors like these. Dree is a beautiful mossy, camouflage green cream. Wow! One of Zoya's best right here. Like Jana, Dree applied perfectly. One thick coat is all I needed.

Now let's get onto the Mirrors Collection:

First we have Nimue which is a dark purple metallic with a silver, shimmery base. I used two coats in this picture. I don't like the way this looks on me, but it's still a pretty color.

Next up is Marina, a dark blue metallic with a shimmery, silver base. 2 coats. Marina is similar to Nimue as it has the same metallic finish and base. This is actually one of my favorites.

Tao, again like Marina and Nimue, is a soft metallic. 2 coats for this one as well. I describe Tao as a gunmetal gray metallic with light silver shimmer. All three of these, Marina, Nimue and Tao, can leave brush strokes if you're not careful with application. It's more noticeable in these pictures than in person.

Yara is my favorite from both collections, and possibly my new favorite Zoya color. This is one sexy glitter! Yara is a stunning olive green packed with gold and green flecks of glitter. Two effortless coats. Another plus is that it dries with the same pretty glitter. I hate when nail polish dries completely different than how it was when it was wet, Yara isn't like that.

Neeka, is one of the more unique colors in the Mirrors collection. Neeka is a dusty medium purple with strong pink and gold flecks of glitter. This is two coats of easy application. Don't hesitate to click on the picture to enlarge it and see more detail. Absolutely beautiful! No surprise that this is my second favorite in the collection.

Last, but not least, we have Jem. Jem is a medium purple with bright purple/pink shimmer. Jem applied flawlessly in 2 coats. This one reminds me of Zoya Valerie, they are total dupes, at least in my opinion. I've compared them below so you can see for yourself.

The only thing I would say that was different is that Jem has finer, or smaller, shimmer than Valerie.

Overall, all the colors had great application. None of them needed more than two coats and many, like Jana and Dree were opaque, or almost opaque in one coat. The colors in both the Smoke and Mirrors collection are different finishes and all have a nice, unique touch to them. A few of my favorites were Cynthia and Dree from the Smoke collection and Marina, Yara and Neeka in the Mirrors collection.

The Zoya Smoke and Mirror Collections are available on zoya.com starting July 15 and retail $8.00 each per bottle.

*Products in this post were sent for review

Gradient Stripes

2011-07-14T10:45:00.002-05:00

Gooood morning!

I'm really excited about today's manicure! This is the probably one of my favorite sponging manicures that I have ever done. The fade is a lot nicer and the design on top is like the icing on the cake!

I've had this on for about three days now.I couldn't upload pictures since my camera's SD card was no longer working on my computer. Luckily I found a good USB card reader and I can upload now!

For this manicure I used Kleancolor Neon Aqua as the base. Using a cosmetic wedge, I sponged on Butterfly Single onto the tips of my nails and up to the base. Then I lightly sponged Zoya Valerie to the very tips of my nails. Using a black polish and a nail art brush I drew curved stripes throughout my entire nail. And because I never stop until I run out of ideas, I added a few glitter pieces to the tops and bottoms of my nails.

The fimo wheel I'm holding is one of the items that goes in the giveaway. They came in the mail a little while after I posted the giveaway. Here's what they look like. This will be going into the grand prize.

P.S. Don't forget that tomorrow is the start of the Twitter giveaway! Make sure you're following me to participate. If you don't have a Twitter, no worries, more giveaways to come in the next few weeks.

Follower Appreciation Giveaway Extravaganza! (CLOSED)

2011-07-11T09:58:00.013-05:00

EDIT: This giveaway is now closed and a winner has been selected. Thank you to everyone that entered!

Giveaway time! This is a giveaway in celebration of 400 followers and more. (Prepare yourself for a seriously long post.)

I'm so excited to be announcing this giveaway! I feel like I don't say enough how much I love all my followers. Without you, blogging would not be fun and enjoyable! Thank you for all your support, nice comments, and sweet emails. I appreciate it all.

Before we get to the giveaway, I want to take a minute and thank our giveaway sponsors! Thank you to BigRuby for sending their amazing nail tattoos for this giveaway. Another big thank you to Barielle for kindly sending two polishes from their new Karma Summer 2011 collection.

Shades by Barielle ($8 each)

· Salon-strength formula that is completely free of the chemicals dibutyl phthalate, toluene and formaldehyde – pregnancy safe

· Provides high-shine glossy coat and forms protective barrier for a long-lasting finish

· When shopping online…buy one get one 50% only at barielle.com

Now onto the giveaway!

To celebrate I will be having 7 winners: 4 random comment winners, 1 Facebook winner, 1 Twitter winner and 1 grand prize winner!

To start off, there will be random blog winners! For every other blog post I make throughout a certain week, I will be picking one winner from the comments and awarding them with their choice of one polish from the picture labeled "Random Winner Prizes". This will take place only for the ~~week of 7/24/11 - 7/30/1~~ (ENDED).

But it doesn't stop there! I will also be picking a random Twitter winner. All you have to do is follow me and tweet me a specific phrase that I will announce via Twitter. The winner will get to choose one of the items in the "Random Winner Prizes" picture as well. This will take place on ~~July 15, 2011~~ (ENDED). The winner will be chosen and contacted through a Twitter message the next day.

Is there more? Yes! There will be a Facebook winner too! I'll be doing a scavenger hunt for all my FB fans. I'll come up with a code and have a few clues as to how to crack it. ~~The first clue will be given~~ ~~Tuesday July 19 and the last clue will be given~~ ~~Friday July 22~~ (ENDED). I will randomly pick the winner from all the correct answers and they will choose a prize from the "Random Winner Prizes" picture. More details will be announced on the Haute Lacquer Facebook page.

I'll try to throw in extra goodies for the random winners but I'm not making any promises.

Finally we get to the grand prize!

To enter, please fill out the form below. There are 4 possible extra entries.

-1 extra entry by liking Barielle on Facebook

-Another extra entry by liking BigRuby on Facebook

-A third one by answering the question

-A fourth by sharing this giveaway

I am giving away 6 polishes along with nail decals and other goodies.

What you can win (all brand new)...

Barielle- Soul-er Powered, Do Unto Others

Kleancolor- Chunky Holo Bluebell, Chunky Holo Black

NYX Girls- Dorothy

Zoya- Charla

Pre-cut Animal Fimo Slices

Dotting Tools Set of 4

BigRuby Supercool Nail Tattoos- 1 of each:

Mod, Garden, Cosmic, Star, Tweet and Sea set

The winner of the grand prize will be chosen using a random generator and contacted through email.

This entire giveaway will end on July 31, 2011 at 10:00 PM US Central Time

EDIT: Giveaway is now closed and form has been removed.

Questions? Feel free to email me at hautelacquer(at)gmail(dot)com .

That's all! I hope you all enjoy the next few weeks as much as I will and good luck!

For Those Girly Days

2011-07-10T15:20:00.000-05:00

I'm baaaack!

Okay, so maybe I wasn't really gone that long but it felt long. I already started to miss blogging.

This past Thursday I got some glitter in the mail and I have been dying to use them ever since! The ones I decided to use for this design are the gold hex glitters and a hot pink which flashes blue/purple, or violet in this case. Unfortunately you can't really see how amazing it is in the pictures!

I also experimented a little with my pictures. I tried holding some beads I found in my closet, but I don't know, do you guys like pictures like these better? I've always thought that this kind of thing was distracting, but let me know what you think.

For this manicure I used Funky Fingers Golden Coast as the base for the pinky and index fingers, Ulta Noel as the base for the base for the middle and ring fingers and Revlon Strobe as the base for the thumb. The pink stripes were made using the glitter I mentioned above. I just used topcoat to draw stripes then brushed on the glitter. For the thumb I placed each hex glitter, one-by-one, using a cuticle stick. I used that same glitter on my ring finger. The rhinestone you see, as always, is from Born Pretty.

I think it would be easier to just show you guys the pink glitter I used, it came in this packet, the one on the bottom left:

And if anyone is curious, this is everything I used for this manicure:

That's it! I kept it really simple today. I really wanted to try out these new products and also I miss posting.

P.S. Make sure you check my blog tomorrow. I'll be posting something special for my followers. (:

Zoya Smoke And Mirrors Fall 2011 Collections Preview!

2011-07-05T01:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a sneak peak of what Zoya's Fall 2011 Collections have to offer. They are releasing two new collections called Smoke and Mirrors:

Zoya Nail Polish presents 12 enticing and mysterious new colors for fall 2011.

Zoya Smoke Collection:

Jana (ZP564) - smoky mauve quartz cream
Petra (ZP565) - smoky eggplant mauve cream
Codie (ZP566) - smoky brown taupe cream
Anja (ZP567) - smoky palatinate purple cream
Cynthia (ZP568) - smoky Prussian blue cream
Dree (ZP569) - smoky camouflage green cream

Zoya Mirrors Collection:

Nimue (ZP570) - smoky rich thistle metallic
Marina (ZP571) - smoky steel blue metallic
Tao (ZP572) - smoky slate gray metallic
Yara (ZP573) - sparkly olive green metallic
Neeka (ZP574) - sparkly amethyst purple metallic
Jem (ZP575) - sparkly fandango pink metallic

Zoya is the new color of fashion... The new Zoya smoke & mirrors colors were designed for and inspired by top fashion designers and beauty icons.

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are free of harmful industrial chemicals like toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find Zoya Smoke & Mirrors as well as over 300 other high-fashion Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. As always, each and every Zoya color is made for beautiful women so we name them after beautiful women.

Smoke & Mirrors by Zoya - available July 15, 2011 (USA)

Sug. Retail $8.00 per 0.5 fl. oz. bottle (US)

What do you guys think about this upcoming collection? I know I'm really excited about these and I already have Petra, Cynthia, Nimue, Yara and Marina on my wishlist! Do you see any you like? Which collection are you most excited about?

Fireworks Mani

2011-07-04T10:52:00.000-05:00

Good morning everyone! Happy Fourth of July to all my USA readers!

This is a design I created for Creatively Yours! I did a guest post over on her blog and if you're interested in seeing more pictures, how I did it, the products used and my inspiration, please click here to go directly to the post!

I hope you guys get the chance to check it out. Let me know what you think over on her blog!

Quick Announcement

2011-07-04T01:43:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that you can now follow my blog with BlogLovin!

So if you don't have a Google account or you aren't into following by email, you can just follow with your BlogLovin account!

Just click the button below to follow my blog. I also have this exact button on my sidebar.

While you're here, make sure you check out my other buttons such as my Twitter and Facebook icons on the upper right.

I also keep small updates on my sidebar as well as giveaways, polls, my blogroll and labels.

Alright, I'm done now! See you in my next post!

Dripping Dots

2011-07-03T15:44:00.001-05:00

Today's post is this "dripping" manicure I attempted for the first time. I have seen so many of these and I thought it was time I finally gave it a try!

I can tell you one thing, it's not nearly as easy as it looks. At least not for me! I thought I'd be finished within a matter of 10 minutes but it took me at least 45 minutes to get it even remotely right.

It's simple, but not easy, if that makes any sense.

Anyway, I went with this color combination because I thought I'd step away from the blues and do something different for a change. But don't worry, you'll be seeing more blue tomorrow. (:

For this manicure I started off with a base of Rimmel Black Satin. When that was dry I applied a thin line of Zoya Creamy to the tips of my nails, almost like French tips. Then I took my nail art brush and drew thin lines from the tip closer to my base of my nails. I did them all at different lengths and then dotted them at the end. They're supposed to look like drops of nail polish so I went back and tried to round them in a tear drop shape. The polka dots are made with Essence Mellow Yellow. I let the Essence polish thicken up a bit so that I could get more of a 3D look with the dots.

I love this! It's not perfect but I really like it. I didn't take a picture of it but my other hand has this same design, only in red. It almost looks like dripping blood, which I like.

Creamy by the way is not neon, it's really bright, but definitely not a neon yellow. My camera just wants to think it is.