OTT pastel nails & why I love fakes...

 

I'm getting braver about materials! I'm actually really frugal and, while I want to wear ALL the nail deco, I don't want to have to throw the cuteness away after wearing it and removing. (Most bits don't hold up too well.) But if I do the fakes then I can wear them over and over. Or until I snag one on my hair or jeans! LOL Another plus to fakes is that I only have to apply a PITA polish once. Srsly, I own so many that are just horrible by nature (whites, glitter you have to fish for, etc...My nail homies know!) They're all gorgeous but I really have to psych myself into the application process- especially with the way ALL polish (and basecoats and strengtheners) peel off after a few hours. Something with my body chemistry in the last year...

So those are reasons I rock the fake nail sets more often than not these days!

Recent purchases & first impressions...

In a desperate lunge toward better skin, I hauled A LOT the past month. I'll call them December hauls since they've arrived over the first week of.

 

As usual, my biggest order is from f2plus1. Their reliability keeps me coming back for new-to-me products and larger orders!

 

Mint Choco nails...

Icing Mint Chocolate w/OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys (and Blue Bell Blackberry Cobbler)

Mint Chocolate np from Icing is a pale, blue-green base with two sizes of black glitter. The base is definitely green- not kinda-sorta blue like some "mints." It really does look like its namesake since mint chocolate chip chips are so dark. Icing's formula with this one is really good- opaque in three thin coats. The glitter doesn't clump together either. Sometimes I fish for large pieces but that's just because I'm a little obsessive about having close to the same amount on each nail :-s

My mom talked me into splurging on OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys since she knew I'd been hunting for the perfect chocolate sauce color. It works GREAT! 

Zoya Zenith...

Eeee! Here's a press pic of (most of) Zoya's Winter Holiday nail collex- Zenith! It's missing Dream, a dark blue with holo sparkle. I'm so excited to see the assortment of cool tones, esp. Mosheen. (I want to roll around in it- if it wasn't all chemically of course!) Yeah, I have tons of these go-to winter polar shades but they're still great to see.

pic from Zoya

Aqua trio...

Zoya Wednesday, Maisie and Zuza!

Fruit mani...

*Why yes, I AM holding a mango*



I've been determined to go all out with the nail art lately! It's taken awhile for me to admit that I collect polishes and deco things and that, yes, This is My Hobby. (Well, one of my hobbies...) And in celebration of that, I'm indulging it to its fullest:-D
I'm going to at least leave the deco'd ring fingers until they wear off to see how long I can keep the fruit slices on- so far they've survived a load of laundry and a from-scratch bedmaking...LOL. I think a pinky-coral would look great with them too. This is Essence Peaches (from the Marble Mania T(rend) E(dition) layered over Essence Hazelnut Cream Pie (a Nude Glam shade.) Peaches is a milky jelly which is one of my fave finishes, but my nails aren't nice enough to show through, hence the layers. Some chain I have access to *better* get Essence's Fruity TE because manis like this neeeeeed a fruity-scented topcoat like the one in that collection!



Revlon Mint Gelato polish, hmmm...

The hmmm isn't because this is a new thing for me. I used scented polish all the time in the 90's. But I'm not sure I love it now. In fairness, this one's scent reminds me of that time and so I'm sort of judging based on that. But it's REALLY close to my HG light-turquoise, Essie Turquoise & Caicos, which I've wanted a better formula version of. Zoya Wednesday has called to me but my Ulta is 30min and a long, annoying road away. (Also, I'm not keen on ordering one polish at a time from Zoya online and it's the only color I want right now.) From studying online pics, I can say that one could do a lot worse than Mint Gelato as a dupe for Wednesday...

Spring pooped on my nails...!

 

W'n'W Bow in My Presence + W'n'W Black Creme + SH Raspberry Race + Konad plates s9 and s10 + essence micro marbles

OMGmusthave...

I've LOVED the last two years of summer collections by Zoya. 2010 was the year of the Sparkle collection which I have four of (and will get a fifth- the purple one, Mimi.) It included Charla (of ten-dupe fame) the aqua-delicious hight of gorgeousness. In 2011, Zoya did the Sunshine collection of gold-shimmer infused colors. I have Rica (perfect, sparkly coral) and Faye (pinky-purple enigma). Even the ones I wouldn't wear, I love to look at in swatch picks. And I'm beyond excited to see...



Tracie looks very close to Sinful Colors Olympia which I just got but I'm hating the formula so I might have to get the Zoya instead. AND ZUZA?? If it's not my next most-byootyfull-polish-in-the-entire-world-ever I'll be really surprised. Can.Not.Wait.