Franken Fridays is back! Plum-Sickle Makes & Beetle Wings make their debut

Happy Friday everyone!  Thank goodness for the weekend!  I have been so busy that I can't hardly think straight!  It's been raining like crazy here in Virginia & i'm so glad that the weather is finally breaking!

Most of you know that back in the day I used to make my own polishes.  Some people call it frankens & others called them custom polishes.  I used to make entire lines for myself & send samples to my nail buddies.  Unfortunately, I stopped making polishes when I had a horrible bout with depression but i'm happy to announce that I have renewed my love for making polishes & i'm bringing back "Franken Fridays"!!  First up is Plum-Sickle

Plum-Sickle is a bright plum based polish packed with flakes, red shimmer & a smidgen of spectra flair!  It is super saturated & can be worn on it's own.  Pictured above is 2 coats topped with NYC in a minute top coat.  It applied like a dream & I was so impressed with myself lol.  It had all the elements that I love in a polish.  Can you believe this polish was made with eyeshadow?  I have a tutorial coming soon with step by step directions.

Next up is "Beetle Wings".

Beetle Wings is a super saturated Multi-Chrome Polish that shifts from Blue to Pink to Purple to Red.  I added some spectra flair for that extra kick & I'm in love!  This is 2 coats on it's own (No base coat needed) with 1 coat of NYC in a minute top coat.  This is by far my favorite polish ever!  I remember making it because I was having a hard time purchasing Enchanted Polish & decided to make my own.  I made this using some pigments I purchased offline. I will be doing a step by step tutorial on making this at a later date.  

FYI:  Unfortunately I don't sell my polishes because I don't have the time & I would have a nervous breakdown if anyone was every disappointed in something that I sold to them.  I don't consider myself a professional or a mixologist of colors.  There have been many times I've purchased a polish from an Indie Brand & was completely let down because the quality of the polish was AWFUL.  Whether it was goopy or not mixed correctly to glitters falling or bleeding & pigments dropping to the bottom of the bottle.  You name it, I've purchased it & I don't want to put that pressure on myself.  So instead, I send gifts to friends or giveaways.  You can't complain when it's free right? lol  Anyway, enough talking & off to the polishes!

Please enjoy many more photos after the jump.  Warning:  Extremely Pic Heavy

Thrifty Thursday and Revlon Ritzy 780

Welcome to "Thrifty Thursday" everyone!  Who says that you have to pay a gazillion dollars for gorgeous polish?  Last week I was walking thru Rite Aide & passed the polish clearance bin.  I picked up Revlon "Ritzy" 780 for a WHOPPING 45 cents!  Yes you heard it!  45 cents!!

 Ritzy is a black polish packed with gold micro-glitters & larger hexagonal silver glitters.  Pictured below is 3 coats on its on with 1 coat of NYC in a minute top coat.  There was no problem with application.  It applied easily with no clumping or gooping & dried smooth to the touch.  I think it's gorgeous & perfect for this Fall.

So if your pockets are a little light, drop by your local drug store clearance bin ladies.  There are plenty lovelies waiting to be taken home & enjoyed that won't break the bank!  Until next time...

Nail Art Wednesday & Breast Cancer Awareness

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  My mother is a breast cancer survivor so this cause is near & dear to my heart.  Today I chose to pull out Lynderella Angel Food from my un-trieds & broke out my stamping plates using the breast cancer ribbon.  This was so simple & my mani was finished in 10 minutes.  I hope with all the awareness that you guys have your yearly mammograms & take the time to self check.  Early detection is key!  Thanks for reading!

Indie Tuesday, Nailnation 3000 Enchanted Forest #13 & BusyGirlNails Nailart Challenge

Welcome to Indie Tuesday everyone!  For the first time, I've decided to participate in a nail art challenge called Busy Girl Nails.  I must warn you, my nail art skills are subpar to say the least but I wanted to give it a go because it's not overwhelming & fits in perfectly with my schedule.  Day 1 is Antique Gold.   I decided to use Enchanted Forest from one of my favorite Indie brands Nailnation 3000 .  My Indie rack is filled with her polishes because she just "gets it right".  There are a lot of indie polish makers out there but there are only a few who make QUALITY products with phenomenal customer service.

Enchanted Forest #13 is a deep green chrome with hints of gold, holo & flecks of pink & cooper micro glitters.  It is FALL in a bottle.  It reminds me of crunched leaves that have fallen to the ground in the fall.  It is so unique & stunning.  I don't have anything like it in my collection.  Application was a breeze & it dried smooth to the touch.  My accent finger is Kiko duo chrome 395 that shifts from gold to green & I did a saran wrap marble to finish it off.

All in all, I love this look!  Please be sure to check Maria from Nailnation 3000 out.  Her polishes are amazing!

High End Sunday/Vintage Monday Combined - Versace Lacquer V02077

Happy Sunday everyone!  Life has been so hectic lately that I haven't been able to really post anything. But after receiving another long time lemming of mine, there was no way that I was NOT going to post this baby.

Versace's Heat Nail Lacquer V2077-W is a multi-chrome polish in a blackened base that shifts from red to green to gold to purple at extreme angles.  This polish is LONG discontinued & I have been scouring the earth for it for YEARS! I've searched eBay, foreign auctions, blog sales, yard sales, Craig's List, Flea Markets, Estate Sales & Salon Sales.  I've even gone on "dusty shopping trips" & asked every single person I know to look out for this elusive polish.   And just when I thought I would never own this beauty & had given up ALL hope,  a very good nail buddy of mine "gifted" this beauty to me without asking for anything in return!  I am so humbled & honored by her generosity & so thankful for such a sweet friend.

Versace V2077-W  is said to be a dupe for Clarins 230 lovingly referred to as "unicorn pee".  It is also long discontinued but is easily obtainable on eBay if you're willing to pay the hefty price tag for it.  I happen to own this one as well & although they both have the same shifting qualities, they are not dupes.  Clarins 230 has a Purple/Maroon base & Versace v2077 has a rich blackened base.  I must admit, I prefer Versace.  It applied like butter, looked better with my skin tone, dried super glossy & doesn't have the horrible smell that Clarins 230 has.  (I will be doing comparisons of all my Clarins 230 dupes at a later date).

Taking photos of Versace on it's on was so frustrating!  The shimmer would not translate in the photos! UGHHHHH!!  Because I wasn't able to properly capture the shifting qualities of Versace V2077 on its own,  I decided to layer it over one of my own frankens called "Lucky Charms".  Lucky Charms is an extremely saturated multi-chrome polish that has the same shifting qualities as "Unicorn Pee".  It shifts from red to green to gold & can be worn on its own.  My accent finger shows Lucky Charms on its own on half the nail.  The other half is one layer of Versace V2077 painted over it.  The color shift picked up on camera MUCH better this way.    I'm totally in love with this polish!  Words can't even describe but hopefully my pictures will.

Above picture indirect sunlight

Close up/Indirect Sunlight

Above Picture Direct Sunlight

Vintage Monday by way of Chanel Le Vernis Palpitant 41

Welcome to "Vintage Monday".  Today I bring to you another very special polish by way CHANEL.  Chanel Le Vernis Palpitant 41 is long discontinued & extremely hard to find.  In fact, it's so old that I can't find any information on what year it was made.  The internet has VERY limited information & photos on this polish.  All I will say is that it's gorgeous.

Palpitant is a Multi-Chrome Polish!  It shifts from a Plum-ish/Purple, to Cranberry-ish Red, to Gold-Yellow & Green.  As you know, duo chromes/multi-chromes are my FAVORITE!  Palpitant can be worn on it's own but because it's such an elusive & expensive polish that I chose to layer it over China Glaze Stella to make it stretch.  

Isn't it gorgeous?  I decided since it's fall, to stamp it with Leaves from BM04.  Chanel really outdid themselves with this one.  I can't believe it's a vintage. Pictured above is indirect sunlight showing the Plum-ish/Purple to Gold/Yellow Shift.

Pictured above in shade showing Cranberry-Reddish/Yellow/Green Shift

Indirect Sunlight

Like I said before, Palpitant 41 is long discontinued & extremely hard to find.  I purchased mine off of eBay after I searched for months to find it.  I won't say how much I paid for it but it wasn't cheap so if you find one for a reasonable price, snatch that baby up!  It's a beautiful edition to any collection.

High End Sunday & Chanel Lilis #647

Welcome to "High End Sunday" guys.  Today I bring you one of my FAVORITE colors of the summer.  Yes, I know summer just ended but today was such a beautiful & bright day that I decided to rock Lilis on the fingers & toes.

Lilis is from the summer's L’Été Papillon de Chanel collection of 2013.  It's a gorgeous "peachy/Coral/reddish" creme.  It's "squishy" appearance almost makes you think it's a jelly but it's not sheer.  You get complete coverage in 2 coats & applied flawlessly.   Lilis skyrocketed to the top of my favorite polish list.  It's the perfect summer color & I think it looks amazing on my skin tone.

Pictured Above Indirect Sunlight

Pictured above is in direct sunlight.  I tried to do a little nail art but it didn't come out exactly like I wanted.  I did a little bundle monster stamping & was inspired by someone on Instagram.  Unfortunately, I can't remember who it was.  I will continue to step out my comfort zone & practice nail art!  Until next time....

Swatch Fest Saturday - Zoya Indigo

Happy Saturday everyone!  The last couple of days have been super busy for me & I wasn't  sure that I was going to be able to get a post up but I was determined to make it happen.  Welcome to Swatch Fest Saturday.  Swatch Fest Saturdays just means I'll be swatching random polishes with no theme.  I couldn't think of anything creative to call it (I'm so lame) lol.  Anyway, today I have for you an oldie but goodie.  Zoya Indigo.

Zoya Indigo is from the Downtown Collection for fall 2007.  It's a blackened blue shimmer polish with tiny holographic glitters scattered throughout.  It's such a gorgeous color.  Below is 2 coats with no top coat.  I took it in 3 different types of lighting.  Application was like butter & I purchased it at Zoya's last BOGO sale.  I'm so glad that I did

Above pictured in direct sunlight

Above is pictured with artificial lighting

Above is pictured indirect sunlight

Zoya polishes can be purchased here for $8 but they always have fantastic sales.  Customer service is amazing which is always a plus so please check them out.

Thrifty Thursday with a little Fergie...

Happy Thursday everyone!  Today I'm keeping up with my daily themes giving you "Thrifty Thursday".  You don't always have to buy expensive polish to have beautiful nails!  I personally love a good sale & lately I've been finding some gorgeous cheapies with amazing formulas.  Wet N Wild Fergie Miami Spirit A007 is one of those polishes!  I must warn you, my photos are not color accurate. Unfortunately I don't have the photography skill level to edit the coloring but I hope you can see that it's still a beautiful polish.

Miami Spirit is a "neon-esque" super rich & saturated "Teal/Green" Shimmer polish that is packed with personality.  I wore this to work today & I people were stopping me all day telling me my nails were gorgeous & asking what color polish I had on.  I purchased Miami Spirit at my local drug store for a whopping $2.99!!  It's very budge friendly.  When I tell you this baby applies like butter I mean it!  It's almost a 1 coater.  Drying time is fantastic & there is no streaking.  I love the fat brush & it is one of my all time favorite polishes.  I wore this quite a bit this past summer & my bottle is almost a 3rd of the way finished (considering I have over 1000 polishes, this says a lot about how much I love it).  If you love teal polishes, please go check it out.  I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

Nail Art Wednesday - Galaxy Nails

Welcome to Nail Art Wednesday's everyone!  The reason I included nail art in one of my weekly mani's is because I wanted to challenge myself.  I admit to not being the best nail artist.  Actually, I suck really bad but if you've been following my blog, you know that i'm determined to push myself to practice so that I can continue to get better & grow.  So Wednesdays will be a hoot!  Good or bad, i'm posting the outcome!

Last week I saw so many amazing Galaxy Nails due to the Nail Art Challenge that's going around.  I was always too afraid to try it because it looks so challenging.  But I was inspired by so many nail artists that I decided to take the plunge & try it.  I used a youtube video tutorial to complete my mani.  I will post it after the pictures.  Here is what I came up with.  My nails didn't turn out perfect but I'm still stoked at how they turned out.  *Pats self on back*.  Have you tried Galaxy Nails?  I would love to see yours!

This is the Youtube Tutorial that I used

Indie Tuesday - I Love Nail Polish "Mutagen"

Anyone who knows me, knows that my absolute favorite type of nail polishes are Multi-Chromes!  A few weeks back I pre-ordered the I Love Nail Polish Ultra Chrome Set!  I completely fell in love with the swatches I saw online & when they arrived, I was not disappointed.  The presentation alone made me giddy!  They came in the cutest boxes with matching tissue paper!  It was hands down the best Indie Polish presentation I've ever seen!  I won't be showing you the entire collection today because these babies are so gorgeous that they deserve their very own posts!  Today I'm showing you Mutagen.

Mutagen is described as a wonderful mirror-like chrome nail polish that seamlessly cascades through green, blue, red and orange; all depending on the angle of your fingertips.  It is part of the ILNP's "Ultra Chrome" class of chromatic nail polishes; formulated to apply directly to the nail without the need for a base color.  It is said to be fully opaque in 2 coats.

Above Photo is the press sample photo taken directly from ILNP Website.  

I do not claim to own any copyright to these photos.  All credit goes to the original owner.

Although Mutagen is described to shift from green, blue, red & orange, I wasn't able to get all of those colors.  The color shift that I saw on my nails ranged from bright green, olive green, bronze, yellow, blue & purple.  Its definitely a show stopper.  I've actually seen underwater swatches where the reds & oranges were captured but unfortunately I was not able to see that translate naturally on my nails.  With that being said, Mutagen did not disappoint!  It's gorgeous! 

Above Photo taken in indirect sunlight (Green to Bronze Shift)

Above photo direct sunlight (Yellow, Green, Blue & Purple Colorshift)

Indirect Sunlight (Green, Bronze, Yellow & Blue)

Application was a breeze.  I applied 3 coats of Mutagen with no undies to get full opacity.  I probably could have gotten away with 2 but I don't like visible nail lines.  Mutagen costs $12.50 & can be purchased here. 

Huge Blog Sale over at So Much Polish

Hey guys. I know this is my 2nd post today but I wanted to get the word out that my friend Jill over at SoMuchPolish is having a huge blog sale!  She's selling off discontinued & hard to find polishes as well.  She has 100% feedback on MUA & I've personally had nothing but great experiences from her!  She's absolutely amazing!  Please go check her out & spread the word!  Details can be found here.  Please let her know that I sent you.

Vintage Monday - Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Garnet Lapis #07

Welcome to "Vintage Monday" everyone.  Today I'm taking you all the way back!  I bring to you none other than Sally Hansen Nail Prisms!  Sally Hansen Nail Prisms were released in the early 1980's.   They were the first of their kind.  They are described as a "Rainbow in every Bottle" which describes them perfectly.  They are the "Queen & Grandmother" of every multi chrome & holographic polish of today.  Sally Hansen was decades ahead of their time with this line.  They are an "antique" & exquisite in every way.

I fell in love with Sally Hansen Nail Prisms a few years back & since then I've been obsessively collecting them.  They have been discontinued for years & are extremely hard to find.  It is my goal to own every single one of them & thanks to my amazing nail polish friends I've almost reached my goal.   Click here for more information.  My Prisms are the pride & joy of my polish collection!  The first polish I'm going to share with you from this line is none other than Garnet Lapis 4674-07.

Garnet Lapis

Garnet Lapis is also the same polish as Rainbow Presents (Canadian Release).  I'm fortunate to own them both & can verify they are one in the same polish.  It is a multi chrome which shifts from blue to purple to pink to gold & many other colors in between.  An oil slick if you will.  Everyone who knows me, knows my favorite type of polishes are Duo/Multi-chromes & because of this, Garnet Lapis is easily one of my favorite polishes of all time!  When I wear this polish, women actually stop me & ask me what polish i'm wearing or "is that one polish you have on?   Men have even said to me "that's a some cool polish you have on there".

Garnet Lapis is pretty sheer so I put 1 layer over black.  As with most multi chrome polishes, layering over a dark base makes the polish really rich & the color shift pop.  Unfortunately, my lack of photography skills hindered my ability to capture the true beauty of this polish but I hope you can still get the idea.  Ok, enough of my yapping!  On to the pictures.
Warning:  Extremely pic heavy!

Above Photo Direct Sunlight (Blue/Purple Shift)

Above Photo Taken in the Shade (Purple/Blue Shift)

(Blue to Pink Shift & Purple to Pink to Gold Shift)

More photos after the jump

High End Sunday - Dior Apparat 871

Happy Sunday everyone  I'm not sure if i'm alone, but I tend to have a hard time deciding which polishes to put on my blog.  I have so many polishes to choose from that I neglect so many great brands.  I call it "Polish Overload"!  Because of these reasons, I've decided to have a theme for each day of the week.  I'm hoping this will help me post a variety of great polishes that would otherwise sit in my drawers & get dusty.  The  themes are as follows:

• High End Sundays 
• Vintage Mondays
• Indie Tuesdays
• Nail Art Wednesdays
• Thrifty Thursdays
• Franken Fridays
• Swatch Fest Saturdays

I'm looking forward to finally having some type of order.  Let's see how long I can keep up with it lol.  Today is "High End Sunday" & I'm thrilled to introduce you to...

Dior Apparat 871

Apparat is from the 2011 Christmas Collection "Les Rouges Or".  In the bottle, the polish translates as a rich burgundy packed with gold shimmer.  But sadly on the nails, the gold shimmer less pronounced. On the nails it is a glowy vampy cranberry with gold, green & dark red micro shimmer.  Apparat is a one coater, super saturated drama queen & I mean this in a great way!  Normally I'm not into reds but this is an exception & I'm so happy I purchased it.

All photos were taken in natural lighting on a cloudy day

Nfu Oh 51 - Oh how pretty!

Happy Friday everyone!  Today was such an awesome day!  I found another polish that I've been longing & I can't wait for it to arrive!  More on that later.  In the meantime, I'm showing you one of my favorite polishes.  It's the stunning Nfu Oh 51.

Nfu Oh 51 is purple jelly based polish with color shifting flakies.  The flakies shift from red to green to gold.  This polish appears to literally glow!  The multi chrome shift is very strong & easily seen & is a show stopper in the sun.  Because it's sheer, I chose to layer it over black.

Normal indoor light

Direct Sunlight

Isn't it gorgeous?  I purchased it from Fabulous Street.