Gradient Manicure

Where on earth did April go? I feel like I've been pretty out of the loop lately, but one thing that I've loved seeing is the Gradient Manicure, popular on Pinterest and among bloggers. I have yet to see this hit mainstream America (magazines etc), and a friend even said that she asked a nail tech if she could get this look, and was told "No, I don't know what that is or how it's done." To quote Scrangie:

You know what I'm not disappointed in?  The Nailasaurus.  Not only has she had amazing nail art since, oh forever, but she did this gradient nail tutorial (with tons of pictures) that had even me saying "I can do this."

Then I was reading Twitter when I came across this from The PolishAholic:

I knew that I had to try this NOW.

I decided to use Zoya Zuza and Carly from the Summer 2012 "Surf" Collection.  I didn't have any makeup sponges but I had eyeshadow brushes which are the perfect width of my nail.  I had a plastic paper sheet protector (like the one from the Nailasaurus tutorial).

I learned some quick lessons.

1:  Don't skip steps.  I tried to just sponge on Carly and I ended up with this weird LINE of polish.  Then I put the colors side by side and swirled with a toothpick and all was right in the world.

2:  When in doubt, add Spectraflair.  More on this later, but let's just say it took my manicure from awesome to AWESOME.

3:  Get photographs next time.  (oops)

Here are some iPhone snaps that I did get of my experience!

Now with Spectraflair!

And in horrible light!

I ended up wearing this manicure for 4 days before it started to show tip wear on my right hand so I removed it.  I used Poshe base coat, 2 coats of Zuza, sponged Carly, and 2 coats of SpectraFlair mixed with Seche Vite.  I did have a little bit of blue staining from Zuza, but a quick scrub under soapy water and a nail brush fixed me up.  I can't wait to try this again!

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

May Day Competition Winner!

Thank you to all who signed up, followed, liked, tweeted and more for the May Day Competition!  We really appreciate your love and support.  The winner, Susan from the UK has already claimed her prize - enjoy it!  Stay tuned for more from the Beauty Blog Coalition!


Thanks again to the lovely sponsors of this competition!

PolishGalore	Beauty Swatches
Moxie Reviews	Glitter Gloss Garbage
Polarbelle	Prime Beauty
Phyrra	Midnight Manicures
Naturally, Nancy	Blushing Noir
Perilously Pale	Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom
My Highest Self	Pretty In Dayton
Beauty Info Zone	Retrodivas's Beauty
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OPI Vintage Minnie Mouse

While I await my second request to join the OPI Blogger Network, I was at least, allowed back on the media press release list, so please enjoy the following press release about a collection that will be available in salons come June.  I hope to take my 5 year old to Disney World in the next 2 years... I went to Disneyland at 7 and was pretty much smitten with Disney for a long time after that.  All images courtesy of OPI.

OPI’s All Ears!

OPI Announces New Limited Edition Minnie Mouse-Inspired, Nail Lacquers

  

            OPI launches Vintage Minnie Mouse, including four limited edition nail lacquers, for summer. Created in honor of Disney’s beloved character, the colors encapsulate Minnie Mouse’s irresistible charm in playful, pretty shades of pink and red. 

 “OPI is so excited to collaborate with Disney and draw inspiration from one of the world’s most popular characters,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director.  “This collection brings together the expertise of OPI and the iconic style of Minnie Mouse to inspire the distinct palette of vibrant, feminine shades for summer Nails will pop against summer skin in these classic, saturated hues – holding their own alongside the bold prints of the season.”

The line features a pink crème lacquer, one frosted red shade, a shimmery fuchsia, and a heart glitter confetti:

Nothin’ Mousie ‘bout It
Don’t squeak it – SHOUT IT! This confetti light pink is tops!


I’m All Ears
Tell me how much you love this magenta shimmer.

If You Moust You Moust
You gotta pink what you gotta pink.

The Color of Minnie

You had this little mouse at “red.”

As with all OPI nail lacquers, Vintage Minnie Mouse by OPI contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde, and features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application.

This limited edition promotion will be available beginning June 2012 at professional salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, JCPenney, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for  $8.50 ($9.95 CAN) suggested retail for each Nail Lacquer.

For more information, please call 800-341-9999 or visit www.opi.com. Follow OPI on Twitter @OPI_PRODUCTS and become a Facebook fan! 

ABOUT OPI

As the world leader in the professional nail care industry, OPI is committed to providing high-quality products and services to both salons and their customers, along with a focus on industry safety and innovation. Known for its exceptional formula, fashionable colors and iconic names, OPI’s heavily-pigmented lacquers are super rich, long-lasting and chip-resistant – offering an affordable luxury to consumers. OPI nail lacquer is available in over 200 shades and contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde. Each lacquer features OPI’s exclusive ProWide^™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Currently, OPI is available in over 100 countries and retails a full line of professional items, including nail treatments, finishing products, lotions, manicure/pedicure products, files, tools, gels and acrylics.

Illamasqua Kink

I haven't worn a green in awhile, so today's post is from Illamasqua's Theatre of the Nameless collection - Kink.  I had previously reviewed Vice in January (whoa was it really that long ago?) and loved the rubber/plastic finish.  I used a base coat of Poshe and 2 coats of polish.  I did not use a top coat to keep the rubber/plastic look to my nails.

This is a great forest green that did not stain my nails.  I love how the rubber/plastic finish makes it look so complete.

Please excuse my camera reflection in my nails.  Despite not having a top coat, this polish has a lot of sheen and shine to it, even in the shade.

And finally indoors with the flash - this almost has a murky blue/green tone to it, but it's just the bad lighting, nothing more.  Perfectly pigmented and very smooth formula.

For those in the States, you can purchase Illamasqua from Sephora [official website] for $14 a bottle.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.

NCLA Santa Monica Shore Thing

I feel like a robin egg/Tiffany blue today!  Thankfully, NCLA has my back with Santa Monica Shore Thing, a lovely Tiffany blue creme.  Formula on this polish was fantastic - I used a base of Poshe, 2 coats of polish and a top of CND Air Dry.

YAY SUN!  Look how lovely this color is!!!  Great opacity, great coverage, fabulous color.  (Yes, I know I didn't paint my thumb nail >_< I rarely do when swatching polishes.)

Here in the shade, you can see that this perfectly pigmented polish still shines even when there isn't any sun around (oh yeah, I just wrote that).  My hands got a bit red looking under the shade - not sure what's up with that one.

Finally indoors with the flash - still awesome.  AWESOME I TELL YOU.  I'm quite happy with this color, if you haven't noticed - great for a wedding even!


Bonus picture, I was looking at another location for my bottle shots - thoughts?

Also, NCLA has now added Pinterest and Instagram (name: shopncla) to their social media... They just had a mini giveaway/contest on Instagram 2 days ago where 5 winners won their favorite product, so make sure you're following all their social media!

NCLA [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] [Tumblr] is available on the website for $16.00 a bottle and in a variety of stores.

Disclosure: The product[s] in this post was [were] provided to me by the company for consideration.  For more information, please read this post.