Easy A

Just some thoughts:

Tonight I watched Easy A starring Emma Stone, and I've gotta tell you - it was awesome. It made me remember how dramatic high school was, but how normal it felt at the time. I'd just like to point out how insane that is. What's worse is that some people's lives are still like that. Can you imagine? Some people just never grow out of the drama. It's sad, really.

Anyway - It also gave me inspiration on what kind of parent I want to be. Everyone always fantasizes about being a cool, down to earth parent who can bond with their kids (and of course it never happens... does it?) Fiction or not, these two were nothing short of hilarious and wonderful.

NOTD: OPI Guy Meets Gal-Veston (& my other Texas collection swatches)

I finally got around to putting this nail polish on! I have three from OPI's Texas collection - Don't Mess With OPI, Y'All Come Back Ya Hear? and Guy Meets Gal-veston. The latter two my dear boyfriend actually got me for Valentine's day. It's taken me a while to get around to using GMG on its own, I haven't been feeling too pink lately... or too jelly, as a matter of fact.

So here it is, Guy Meets Gal-veston.

So juicy looking! I love jellies. This collection marked my first time using them, and I just can't get enough. (This was 4 coats, by the way)
Here is Y'All Come Back Ya Hear?

I never thought I would love an orange polish as much as this one! After a couple of days of wear, I added a layer of GMG on top. The colour turned into a juicy, fruity, tropical papaya shade.

I didn't realize my fingernails could look so delicious.
And to complete my bit of the collection, here's a swatch of Don't Mess With OPI.

I love this green, it's such a beautiful shade and the formula is awesome. I'm happy I decided to go with this one instead of Jade is the New Black (one of OPI's staples), I prefer the richer green tones than the blue-ish that lends itself to JitNB.

These polishes are still available for purchase in most stores too (probably until the Pirates of the Caribbean collection comes out in May), go out and grab these if you haven't yet!

NOTD: Easter Egg Nails!

Easter is tomorrow, what a better time to whop out some pastels? I had originally done this mani last weekend for an Easter party we had at work but I accidentally deleted the photo so - here it is again! I made it a bit different this time though, I threw on a matte top coat for an "eggshell" finish (full credit for this idea goes to dear bf).

Without the matte topcoat (pretty, but.. just wait)

 

This is my right hand, a bit shakier than the left eh?

Yay! The matte top coat actually made the polka dots more defined, they're a lot easier to see now without the glossiness reflecting back at you. They look like Cadbury's Mini Eggs, I wanna nom them.
Happy Easter everyone!

NOTD: Joe Fresh Twilight

This is one of the other Joe Fresh polishes I picked up this week. Twilight. It's my first flakie! YAY! A girl on the nail board at Makeupalley suggested I throw a matte tc on top, so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

I officially LOVE flakies! The top coat makes it look rubberized or like those silicone cellphone covers (as per DBF's Mom :D). What a fun mani!

Comparison Swatch: Joe Fresh Matte TC vs Essie Matte About You

So I picked up my first matte top coat last week (Essie's Matte About You), but seeing as they're owned by L'Oreal  I'd rather not buy their products. If I had known that Joe Fresh had a matte top coat I wouldn't have bought it in the first place.

Three days later, I find out about the Joe Fresh. A bit of a bummer, because I'd already bought the Essie one, but I figured I'd at least compare the two. So here goes.

I picked up a bunch of polishes that day, and started with Joe Fresh Cobalt.

Then add the top coats

The Joe Fresh is a little bit glossier and reflects the light more, while the Essie dulls it a little bit more (ie: mattifies more). The application is very similar, other than the length of the brush on Joe's being really short and a little bit harder to control. I found Joe's wear to be a bit sturdier than Essie's though.

Overall, I like both of them. Price wise Joe cost me $3.33 (3 colours for $10), and Essie's was over $10, so I think in the future I might stick with Joe.

NOTD: SH Xtreme Wear Red Carpet + Polka Dot Accent Nail

This is another mani partially inspired by Nailside, she's so talented and creative!

For the polka dots I used the tip of a bobby pin (with the rubber bit still in tact, obviously) and it worked like a charm. I practiced a bit on my nail wheel first to see what techniques yielded different sized dots. It works really well. To think I was about to go out and buy a dotting tool!

The bow was tricky, I used a paint brush dipped in polish and had to redo it a couple of times, but it still turned out decently. I didn't even bother trying the bow on my right hand, but the dots are there on the ring finger.

This one is really appealing to the vintage lover in me.

NOTD: China Glaze Black Mesh over Double Fade

If nothing else, I love the crackle/shatter polishes for spicing up a mani next day. It changes the look completely and makes for an extra day or two between having to switch things up (or going crazy from staring at the same polish for an eternity).

So just a recap, this was the mani I currently had:

 

And when you add some crack!

Oooh! So cool! I really love this one. It's my first time using the black crackle too, which surprises me seeing as it's the most popular. Hooray!

*Achoo*

I think I'm getting sick. :(