NOTD: 24 October 2013

Press Sample 
I finally updated my polish spreadsheet earlier this week when I couldn't sleep and realized I have a LOT of nail polish. Additionally, I have a lot of nail polish that I haven't worn. So a few nights ago I decided to just randomly grab a color and GO.
I had a base coat of Cult Nails Get It On when I decided to grab Morgan Taylor Bronzed & Beautiful, a metallic gold polish. I used two coats and realized metallic gold and I don't go well together. The polish was fantastic - great formula, didn't pool in my cuticles, nice opacity... but my skin tone and gold? Nah.
So I decided to add dots! I can do this. I used Morgan Taylor Lost In Paradise a beautiful Tiffany blue creme. I placed a drop of polish on a plastic nail wheel and dipped my essence dotting tool to add random dots on my ring finger. Okay, not bad - but I just wasn't feeling the dots. The blue didn't pop against the gold as well as I hoped. I topped my manicure with Cult Nails Wicked Fast and decided to sit awhile and think about what I could do when it hit me.
I have a tiny striper brush in my ORLY Instant Artist polish! Now this was apart of the Nail Art Society relaunch kit and it's a funky but awesome concept. The polish (or paint as they call it) is water based so if you mess up, you can just wipe it off with water. Oh yes, you heard me right. Also it's super opaque (which is SO RARE) and then it's a thin brush so you can really draw some lines. So I decided to draw lines around my dots and BAM a leopard mani that Snooki would be proud of.
I attempted to photograph this today but I learned that I've gone WAY too long without taking photos and just about every single one was blurry. Lame.  But I did get this.

Yay! I was actually really proud of this manicure. I was even able to paint my Cinderella hand with the accent too. That's saying something.
PS: Super cool random fact, this is my 1500 post on PolishGalore! Yay milestone!

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

Morgan Taylor: Brand Overview

Taylor Daniel & Morgan Haile

While out at Cosmoprof North America this year, I had the opportunity to meet Morgan and Taylor of the new professional lacquer line Morgan Taylor. Morgan Taylor is produced by Nail and Hand Harmony, the company that produces Gelish & Gelish MINI. Morgan is the daughter of CEO & founder Danny Haile, and Taylor is the daughter of David Daniel, Nail and Hand Harmony's President. Added family connection - Morgan and Taylor are cousins!
These girls are amazing. You can already see how fashion forward they are - both are college educated and have a passion for polish. (Added fun fact: Taylor has a YouTube channel here)
Morgan Taylor came out of the gate running this summer with 100 core polishes and 5 treatments. They boast a 7-10 day wear & are highly pigmented with only 2 coats needed for full coverage. They are also big-3 free.
The Fall 2013 collection was part of the core 100 polishes and the photo I grabbed was of course, blurry. I did, however, get a shot of this massive display that I believe held all 100 colors and some of their treatments.

Taylor was especially excited about this color that she created - Something to Blog About. (Only in the bottle, not the color on my nails.)

The 5 treatments include a matte top coat which is all the rage right now among polish companies.

The Royal Life collection (press release here) will be launching November 1st and includes 6 brand new glitters.

Morgan Taylor has also been teasing the new Glam Rock collection on their Facebook, which will be launching in winter.

For salons, they offer this beautiful 48 piece wall display to showcase Morgan Taylor on the wall.

Now I'll be honest, it breaks my heart that this brand is only available to the professional, but that just means you need to ask your favorite salon to carry the brand - or um, ask a professional to give you gifts. -cough-
I have 59 lovely press samples from Morgan Taylor and believe it or not, I came home with a few duplicates so stay tuned to PolishGalore for a giveaway!
Back to the polish - Morgan Taylor's website is new but contains a lot of information. Additionally you can like them on Facebook, follow on Twitter, subscribe to their YouTube and follow them on Instagram.
For the professional, you can purchase Morgan Taylor at CosmoProf and some etailers. The retail price is $8.50 per bottle.

Sation Miss-terranean Collection

Sation has worked hard in the past year to really to rebrand and bring forward some great collection campaigns and this fall was no different. 

I was supposed to meet up with Sation at Cosmoprof this year and I completely spaced it. As you may remember, Cosmoprof was a bit of a disaster for me between a broken laptop and just general <curse word here>. However, I've heard nothing but amazing things from the collections that were shown.

This fall, Sation launched their Miss-terranean Collection - a transatlantic tribute to the rich, vivid color palettes of Europe's most treasured destinations: the classic beauty of Italy's primaries, the decadent sizzle of Spain's signature brights, and the ever-polished appeal of the oh-my-glam Parisians.

I actually have this collection in my stash and I look forward to wearing it - 6 cremes that were available online at MissPN.com as of September. (Image courtesy of Miss)

Hottie Biscotti

Sizzling yet sensual, this universally flattering neutral will be the toast of the season.

Don Wannable

Be prepared for fashion followers when you reveal this glorious Grecian blue; its unexpected brilliance will be the talk of the villa.

Napeoleon Dyna-Matte

Start a color revolution in true old-world style with this captivating crimson that your suitors will go matte for.

I Need A Spumani

As delectable as the dessert, a muted pistachio will give your nails a chic foreign flavor.

Wine-y Happy People

Salute to sophistication! Raise a glass to a rich velvety vino, in an exquisite Bordeaux shade that will make a splash along the Seine

Tira Miss-u

The ultimate in lacquered ladyfingers. This silky, sumptuous lavender that will have you reaching for seconds.

Sation is available for $5 a bottle.

China Glaze Bat My Eyes

Press Sample 
Today I have for you Bat My Eyes from the Monsters Ball (Halloween) collection from China Glaze. The name totally throws me, because when I think of "bat my eyes", I think of a pin up girl with long eye lashes and dark black mascara. This polish, however does not remind me of bats or eyes but hey, not every name can be a winner. (Sorry!)

This is a gold glitter in a slightly black base but not so much that the glitter gets eaten by the base. I used a base of Cult Nails Get It On, 2 coats of polish and a top of Cult Nails Wicked Fast.

So yeah, check this out - it's pretty awesome! There's even a little bit of yellow bar glitter in there but that gets sucked in the base coat. I was pretty impressed by the opacity in 2 coats.

Same story in the shade - it's almost like a jelly which is pretty cool.

Ta da! I was actually very happy with this polish and I can see myself wearing it again. It's a great color for Halloween and I could maybe see this working for fall otherwise - maybe as a funky French!

China Glaze [Website] [Facebook] [Twitter] can be found online through several etailers, including my favorite Head2Toe Beauty, Sally's Beauty Supply as well as TransDesign.

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

Halloween Nail Art

I'm currently rocking some nubs after snapping not one but three nails last week, so hopefully this posting helps you and I alike find some creative ways to celebrate Halloween with our nails - long or short. All images courtesy of their respective companies.

If nail art isn't your thing, Dermelect Cosmeceuticals has 4 brilliant colors that will help accent your costume or show off your holiday spirit.

Head Turner

A brilliant tangerine creme - perfect for pumpkin related costumes.

Decadence

A metallic espresso - great for a witch or zombie look.

Red-iculous

This classic red creme works great for blood related manicures.

Persuasive

This delicate peach is perfect for princess costumes.

Dermelect ME Anti-Aging Nail Lacquers ($14) at Dermelect.com and high-end apothecaries, beauty boutiques, salons, spas, medi-spas and doctors offices.

Next, Pure Ice has 18 scintillating and stylish shades in their new Perfect Potion Halloween Collection including a Glow in the Dark polish to help you mix and match for the perfect manicure.

Perfect Potion Halloween Shades

-Glow In The Dark

-Cheatin' (glittery purple)

-All Night Long (sparkle blue)

-Hit The Floor (sparkle red)

-I'll Never Tell (glitter brown)

-Superstar (white)

-Blackout (black)

-Can't Stop (coral pink)

-Free Spirit (sea green)

-Silver Star (silver)

At only $1.99, the price is definitely right to collect them all and rock several different looks. Pure Ice is available at Walmart and Walmart.com

CND is constantly being the innovated one that thinks outside the box, and this Halloween they created Hollywood-inspired nail looks to die for. Ask your favorite salon to help recreate these Shellac looks or the last one is done with Vinylux for the at home DIY-er!

 The Redrum - Inspired by the cult classic "The Shining". Created by Heather Reynosa-Davis, CND Education Ambassador.
1. Apply a thin later of CNS Shellac Base Coat and cure for 10 seconds in the CND UV Lamp.
2. Apply two thin layers of CND Shellac in Wildfire. Cure each layer for 2 minutes.
3. Apply a thin layer of CND Shellac in Black Pool - DO NOT CURE.
4. Use a style to etch the letters into the wet Black Pool revealing Wildfire underneath. Cure for 2 minutes.
5. Apply a thin layer of Shellac Top Coat and cure for 2 minutes.
6. Wipe with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to remove top film.

The Dracula - Inspired by Bram Stoker's 1931 classic horror film. Created by Kris Kiss, CND Education Ambassador
1. Apply CND Shellac Base Coat and cure for 10 seconds in the CND UV Lamp.
2. Apply two coats of CND Shellac in Cream Puff. Cure each layer for 2 minutes.
3. Apply CND Additive in Black Pigment from cuticle towards the center.
4. Apply CND Additive in Red Pigment from the edge towards the center.
5. Apply drops of isopropyl alcohol randomly on black pigment area.
6. Lightly apply CND Shellac in Wildfire over red pigment area and cure for 2 minutes.
7. Lightly dust CND Additive in Steel Dreams over black pigment area.
8. Apply CND Shellac Top Coat and cure for 2 minutes.
9. Wipe with 99% Isopropyl Alcohol to remove top film.

The Alien - Inspired by Steven Spielberg's 1970s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Created by Torie Bastian, CND Education Ambassador
1. Apply two coats of CND Vinylux in Steal Gaze and wait for it to dry (8.5 minutes).
2. Using a striping brush, draw two large almond shaped eyes using CND Vinylux in Black Pool.
3. With a striping brush, outline the shape of the alien's head and fill in the surrounding area with CND Vinylux in Midnight Swim.
4. For additional effect, use a sponge dipped in CND Vinylux colors of your choice to create a nebulous, space-like look. Let dry for 1 minute.
5. Apply CND Vinylux Weekly Top Coat.

ORLY brings you 4 polishes that are sure to give you just the right of glitz and glam for any Halloween Look.

Black Pixel, Right Amount of Evil, R.I.O. and Monster Mash; $10 each at OrlyBeauty.com. Additionally, ORLY is offering free shipping on all orders over $16 with the code FALLFREESHIP from now until November 15th. Any guest who makes a purchase using FALLFREESHIP is additionally eligible to receive a coupon code for 20% off their next order. All 20% off coupon codes are eligible for savings through December 15th.

Finally, Gelish brings you a great Spooky Eyes nail art from head manicurist Danielle Candido. This is great for those who may not be able to dress up at the office but can rock a look on their nails! (And it's also for someone like me who may be a little nail art challenged!)

Prep the nails first: Apply Gelish MINI Nail Surface Cleanse on to a lint-free wipe to clean the nails. Push back the cuticle and clean the surrounding nail. Apply an adhesive tab to the plastic pusher and lightly buff the nail to remove the shine. Apply Gelish MINI Nail Surface Cleanse to a lint-free wipe to remove the dust and clean the nails. Dehydrate the nail plate with Gelish MINI pH Bond. 

1. Apply a thin coat of Gelish MINI Foundation Gel to the nail, making sure to cap the free edge. Use a clean orangewood stick to clean up any excess Gelish MINI Foundation Gel from around the cuticle or under the nail. Cure in the Gelish MINI Pro: 45 LED Light for 45 seconds. After curing Gelish MINI Foundation Gel, a tacky surface will remain. 

2. Apply a thin coat of Gelish MINI Black Shadow to the entire nail bed from the cuticle to the free edge.  Cure in the Gelish MINI Pro: 45 LED Light for 45 seconds. Apply a second coat of Gelish MINI Black Shadow for full coverage. Cure in the Gelish MINI Pro: 45 LED Light for 45 seconds. Darker colors, such as Gelish MINI Black Shadow may need to be cured longer. 

3. Using the larger end of a double-ended dotting tool, place two dots of Gelish MINI Sheek White on the nail bed next to each other. Cure in the Gelish MINI Pro: 45 LED light for 45 seconds. Using the smaller end of the double-ended dotting tool, place two smaller dots of Gelish MINI Black Shadow inside the dots of Gelish MINI Sheek White. Cure in the Gelish MINI Pro: 45 LED light for 45 seconds. 

4. Seal with a thin coat of Gelish MINI Top It Off Sealer and cure in the Gelish MINI Pro: 45 LED Light for 45 seconds. Your nails will remain tacky until they are cleansed. 

5. Apply Gelish MINI Nail Surface Cleanse to a lint-free nail wipe to remove the tacky surface. To finish, apply Gelish MINI Nourish Cuticle Oil to the skin surrounding the nail plate and massage into the cuticles.  

There you have it! No matter what your skill level or what products you have, there are many options to rock a great manicure next week for Halloween. Stay tuned to PolishGalore to see what I ended up wearing next Thursday!