Showing posts with label white. Show all posts
Showing posts with label white. Show all posts

Thursday, February 28, 2013

ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY! China Glaze Glitz 'n Pieces...and other surprises!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, long time no see! I'm RIDICULOUSLY sorry to be posting so late, and so infrequently. I just simply run out of time to post amongst everything else going on with internship and the time I'm away from home (I leave my house at 6:30 in the morning and often don't get home until 7 at night or later...).

BUT I have some fantastic things for you all tonight! First of all, tomorrow, March 1, 2013 (or today depending on when you're reading this!) is my ONE YEAR BLOGIVERSARY! I can't believe I've been blogging for a whole year already! I remember clearly my first post (which is really funny to go back to) was done when I had a snow day at the school I work at, and I tried a water marble for the first time.

Since that first post, my polish collection has doubled, or possibly tripled. I'm close to the 300 mark on polishes, which may not seem like a lot but probably more than anyone I know has. (Except maybe one of my friends, she knows who she is!) I feel like I'm getting a good routine down with my pictures, I'm getting bolder in my polish purchases, and overall learning much more about formula, color combinations, polishing technique, brands/types of polishes, and even certain nail art techniques (though nail art is still not a strength of mine).

And NONE of that would have happened if I didn't have sweet readers like YOU GUYS, who have followed my Facebook page and read my blog posts over time. While my numbers are still small, that is my own doing: I am not active enough for my readers, my pictures always seemed mediocre, and my nail care was never amazing. But those that have still followed what I post: THANK YOU SO MUCH, YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING!!! Also, following other bloggers has helped me hone in on what I should be doing. For example, The Polish-Aholic did a post on taking and editing pics, and it helped tremendously!

This evening is probably some of my best pictures I've done, but this polish is probably one of my new favorites. Being that I'm Sparkle and Shine, this polish certainly fits the bill! I have China Glaze Glitz 'n Pieces over OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls (perfect barely-off-white for layering!). Glitz 'n Pieces is from the new Glitz Bitz 'n Pieces collection (I'm not 100% sure I have that name right), which are 6 similar glitters. This one has small and medium silver hex glitter, medium and large black hex glitter, and black bar glitter (which doesn't come across hairy at all in this combination). The other colors in the collection have the same black "pieces" with different colors of glitters or "Glitz" I know putting this one over a white wasn't the most creative combination, but it's neutral enough for matching outfits at work, and I've gotten TONS of compliments from co-workers and my high school students! 

You'll have to pardon the rough cuticles and booboo on the ring finger, it's been a rough winter, but I found a six-pack of OPI Avojuice lotions on clearance at Ulta the other day, so I'm trying to stay lotioned as much as possible!





Sooooooo,do you like Glitz ' Pieces? Want your own bottle? Wellllllll, for my one-year blogiversary, I'm going to give one lucky winner three of the colors from the Glitz 'n Pieces collection that they want! From a blog called Sparkle and Shine Nails, it was only necessary! Just a few ground rules:

1.) Please follow the Rafflecoptor instructions for entry (they aren't very demanding :-D) Giveaway runs until March 17, 2013 at midnight EST (St. Patrick's Day!). Winner will be announced Monday evening on Facebook and e-mailed. They will then have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen.
2.) Please only US Residents for this one :-( My goal was to have international shipping figured out by the time this came around, but alas I cannot (someday ladies!)
3.) Please remember this giveaway is IN NO WAY AFFILIATED WITH FACEBOOK.
4.) Have fun, thanks for supporting me for the past year, and good luck! Feel free to e-mail me with any questions at sparkleandshinenailz@gmail.com

Peace!
-Jessica (Sparkle and Shine Nails)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, January 21, 2013

Pokemon Nail Art Challenge: Week 1 Grass Type

Sooooooooo I've been going a little crazy lately getting my school counseling internship started, but I found something fun to do on the weekends! Adventures of the Nail Friends and The Blahg are hosting a Pokemon Nail Art Challenge using the original 151 Pokemon!

Didn't know I had that much nerd in me? I totally do, and I think I did my nerd self proud this time around. Now, the introduction to the challenge was just pokeballs, and then the first week is Grass type. Each week is a different type of Pokemon (there is a picture at AofNF's blog that outlines it), but I ended up combining my grass type with the introductory post to get things started :-).

So, without further ado..
Bellsprout!

Blurry closeup.

I used lots of different polishes for this one. The pokeballs are OPI Alpine Snow and Big Apple Red, with a Sinful Colors black striping polish. Bellsprout is a yellow Sinful Colors striping polish for the head, Zoya Angelina for the stem-like body, Wet 'n Wild Sage in the City for the leaves, and OPI Pink Friday for the mouth.

Here's the links to everyone else's posts!


Peace!
Jessica (Sparkle and Shine)

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Polish Review: Penguin Polish Penguin Poopies and Happy New Year Baby!

Good evening! So I was supposed to do this review sooner during the weekend, but between finishing Christmas wrapping and a sick husband...hey, it's here now, hooray!!!!

So I got a message a little over a week ago from a fabulous lady named Lacey who is the creator of Penguin Polish (the link takes you to her Etsy). We connected by our similarity of love for all things sparkly, hehe. She asked me to review a couple of her polishes, and boy did she pick polishes for me to a tee! She is all about fantastic glitters, and even has some SCENTED polishes, one of which I get to share :-)

I'll post a few bottle shots of the polishes, to give you an idea of what to expect. The bottles are almost exactly the same in shape and size to a Seche bottle, to give you a comparison. (Pardon the cuticles in some of these shots, undoing staples on a bulletin board at school and a change in weather patterns have left my fingers in dire need of more than the treatment I normally do!)

Left: Happy New Year Baby Right: Penguin Poopies


As a note, I was wearing China Glaze It's a Trapeze when I got these in the mail :-)


First we have Penguin Poopies. This is a mix of medium black, white, and purple hex glitters with larger purple hex glitters in a clear base. Now, what I LOVE about this first of all is the name, hehe. That and the color combination, because purple is my color and I love me some black and white glitter (I need to buy a few of the ones I've been eyeballing after Christmas). The glitter was also very good quality, no "tacos" or curling whatsoever! AND the polish smelled like sugarplums after it dried, even after topcoat. It isn't the "OMG I want to eat this" kind of smell, but definitely a delicious "Bath and Body Works" type smell :-)

What I didn't love but could deal with is that, because of the nature of the large hex glitter, you kind of had to dab it on and place it the way you wanted. Here is a base of Seche Clear, two coats of OPI Steady As She Rose, one dabbed on coat of Penguin Poopies, a coat of Gelous and a coat of Seche Vite.
Artificial light, with flash.

Artificial light, no flash.

Thumb shot!

Artificial light, with flash.
Happy New Year Baby! is a rainbow mix of shard glitter, with some micro-glitter, a few holographic shards, and small holographic hexes mixed in. This is the streets of New York City on New Year's night, with confetti all around. The mix of glitter has an abstract, haphazard feel but at the same time is distinct and not just "thrown together," because you can tell what's in it. I LOVE it, it is so fun and festive, it works for almost any special occasion even though it's a New Year's polish.The coverage was also GREAT in one coat!

The only thing I didn't love was it does stick up in a few places, even with topcoat. That's due to the shark glitter, but as with Penguin Poopies, there are certain qualities about glitter nail polish that come with the territory which I have long since set fort in, hehe. Here is Seche Clear as a base, two coats of OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, one coat of Happy New Year Baby, and two coats of Seche Vite.
Artificial light, with flash.

Artificial light, no flash.

Thumb shot!

Artificial light, with flash.
So if you are like me or Lacey and love all things sparkly, these polishes are for you! You can find them at here Etsy shop which I will post again here. Penguin Poopies, as well as her other Christmas and Hannukah polishes are selling for $5.00, but generally they are $9.00 for a full size. She has some other scented polishes, fantastic glitter polishes, and even a polish specially made for Alana on "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo."

Happy Holidays!!
-Jessica

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

I'm baaaaaccckkkK! :-D With CANDY CORN NAILS!!!

I'm doing horribly lately at getting my posts done. Twelve master's credits really are as bad as my advisers told me they'd be! But while I should be utilizing this day off for working on a paper...I'm updating the blog quick with one of my favorite mani's that I've done in a long time :-D

First of all, I LURVE candy corn. Second of all, today (October 30) is National Candy Corn Day! So, naturally, candy corn is my theme :-) Here I've used Orly Spark for the yellow base on all but the ring finger. Then I sponged Sally Hansen Sun Kissed for the orange gradient, and used China Glaze Lightning Bolt crackle. For the ring finger, the base is Sally Hansen White on, with Sparked and Sun Kissed sponged on in a gradient fashion. The whole thing is topped off with a coat of China Glaze Ghoulish Glow, but I couldn't get a good picture of the glow :-(

With flash in fluorescent light

No flash, fluorescent light

No flash, incandescent light

Had to do a picture of my mani with the shirt I'm wearing today!
Now I'm working on a mystical witchy mani for Halloween tomorrow, and I'm having a hard time with it!!!

Peace!
-Jessica

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

China Glaze Swatch Fest Part 1!

So it was voted on Facebook last night that I do a China Glaze swatch fest, as part of an effort to swatch every color that I own. However, I got about a third of the way through them and realized it was going to take me a while! So, I'm presenting the colors in order of their release dates based on a little research I did, because I feel it's good to know a little about when a certain color came out, or what colors it was meant to go with. This is the first third of the batch of China Glaze's I own. As a note, each color starts with a picture with flash, then a picture without flash in artificial light.

Reggae to Riches (Year Unknown), Caribbean Temptation collection: Gorgeous fuschia with blue-purple duochrome shimmer. Opaque in two coats, fantastic formula and shine, no topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.


      
Fairy Dust (2004), Fashion Fairies collection: Holographic sparkly topper, full of small holographic glitter with a silvery tint. The glitter is a little thick but covers nicely. One coat over Sally Hansen White On, no topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.
.

Exceptionally Gifted (2006, re-release 2011), Exceptionally Gifted wedding collection, Susan G. Komen  color of 2011: Semi-sheer pink frost. Formula is okay, requires three coats for full opacity and has the streaky finish of a frost polish. No topcoat. 

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply when released for Susan G. Komen foundation.


 Lubu Heels (2007), Louboutin Manicure inspired polish: Dark black jelly with small red glitter throughout. Creates a very vampy, high fashion dark look that’s beautiful. Formula was pretty good, opaque with two thicker coats of polish and not too runny or thin. No topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.


Unplugged (Spring 2008), Ecollection: Brown metallic with undertones of red tint and gold shimmer. Beautiful formula that went on smoothly and opaque in two coats, no topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.

     
 Secret Peri-wink-le (Fall 2008), Operation Colour collection: Pale blue/purple cream, pretty much the color periwinkle to perfection (refer to Periwinkle from Blue’s Clues, it’s her in a bottle!). Pretty nice formula, slight running toward the cuticles and streaks with one coat, but perfectly opaque and smooth in two coats. No topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.


Atlantis (2009), Specialty collection: Teal jelly base with medium holographic glitter throughout. While this color is absolutely amazing, my particular bottle’s formula is awful! It’s very thick and goopy the more you use it during the manicure, and if the first coat doesn’t dry entirely, the second coat drags. I don’t know if my bottle is older, has too much glitter, or a bad batch, because this isn’t a problem I’ve seen before. So if you are able to get your hands on this color brand new, you might be better off. One thick coat of Color Club topcoat.

Bought in a blog sale, but can be found on  e-tailers such as Amazon and eBay.


Dorothy Who? (2001, 2009 re-release), Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection: Blue jelly base with small silver glitter throughout. Can I just say I am one that is not only glad they came out with the re-release of these polishes, but that this color is now part of the regular collection? It’s such a vibrant blue, and the sparkle gives it a magical touch associated with The Wizard of Ox movies. Formula wise, this polish was decent, but it required three coats for full opacity and could use a topcoat one dry to smooth out the slight texture from the glitter. One coat Color Club topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.


Ruby Pumps (2001, 2009 re-release), Wizard of Ooh Ahz collection: Red jelly base with small red glitter throughout. I feel like I put the ruby slippers on my fingers when I put this polish on, and the sparkle is mesmerizing. The formula is just as beautiful, two coats to full opacity but could use a topcoat as there is a slight texture one dry. One coat Color Club topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.
Four Leaf Clover (Spring 2010), Up and Away collection: Somewhere between a kelly and mint green crème. The actual color of this polish is poorly represented by my camera. It is not nearly as blue as it looks without flash, and not nearly as mint as the picture with the flash. But the formula of this polish was fabulous, opaque in two coats, smooth, not too thick or thin. No topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.


Flip Flop Fantasy (Summer 2010), Poolside collection: Bright pink-coral neon. This pink is SCREAMING at you even from the bottle, it is a perfect summer color for toes and fingers. The formula wasn’t the greatest, though, it was rather streaky and barely smoothed out with three coats (topcoat helped, though). It also has that neon tendency to dry with a matte finish. One coat China Glaze Fast Forward Topcoat.

Bought at Sally Beauty Supply as part of regular collection.
 Lightning Bolt and Cracked Concrete (Spring 2011), Crackle collection: Lightning Bolt is a white crackle finish, Cracked Concrete a cement-gray crackle finish. The cracks on these are generally thin, sometimes a little stringy-looking for my taste. However, they always crack on fully dry nails, even though they are starting to get slightly goopy with age. They do dry matte and leave some texture without extra coats of topcoat. One coat Color Club topcoat.

Lightning Bolt bought at Ulta on clearance.
Cracked Concrete bought at Sally Beauty Supply’s website on clearance.


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Polly Polish Polish Olympics!

So I'm trying something new today. As it is 3:00 p.m. here in New York State, I am posting for Polly Polish's Polish Olympics! Now, you all know my hand in nail art, and how it's improving. Well, the theme for this event was the Olympics, and the idea in my head didn't translate exactly the way I imagined it would to my nail.

BUT, like any other Olympian, I am going in strong and confident! So here is my entry into the event!




Here's the concept: I am highly representing USA, as you can tell with the stars and stripes. The light blue is the waves from the aquatic center, because swimming is my sport, and I am SOOOOO excited to see Missy Franklin rocking the Olympics at 17! And the medal represent her gold!

Polishes used:
Dark blue: China Glaze First Mate
Silver sparkle stars: L.A. Colors Art Deco in silver glitter
White stripes: Sally Hansen White On
Red Stripes: Finger Paints red striping polish
Waves: Zoya Zuza
Gold Medal: L.A. Colors Art Deco in magenta and Zoya Goldie

The entire design was done by hand (you can probably tell!), and in all honesty, doing this challenge has almost gotten me more into the Olympics this year!

Here you will find links to other participants in the Polish Olympics!: