Polish Haul

Alright, it's official - I suck at life.

Or, at the very least, updating the blog. 

I've been meaning to post the pics from my Sally Beauty Supply haul since Monday, but circumstances were (and still partially are) out my control.  I started training for my first job ever as a cashier on Tuesday, trained again Wednesday night and might actually get to work the register either Thursday or Friday.

Anyway, enough complaining on my end.  Without further ado, I give you picture spam ;)

Finger Paints lables: Cerulean Seascape, Art of Theft, and Laugh My Art Off



From China Glaze's Hunger Games collection: Stone Cold (District 2, Masonry) and Agro (District 11, Agriculture)

China Glaze: Long Kiss and Ruby Pumps

China Glaze: Reggae to Riches and White Cap

I just happened to end up at Sally's during a sale: Buy two bottles, get one of equal or lesser value for free. 

Guys, there's something you should know about me.  I'm a bargain shopper.  I don't mind paying full price for something, but I have a ridiculously difficult time passing up a good deal.

I got these nine bottles, plus a bottle of Seche Vite top coat, for roughly $43.  It seems like a lot to me, as I'm used to pay no more than $3-$4 per bottle.  But for ten bottles, totally worth it. 





Girly Girl Nail Art Challenge - Day 2

Day 2: Gimme That Bling

As always, We'll do pictures first and I'll tell you about it afterwards.

The OPI Natural Nails base coat worked okay for me yesterday, and as it is my only option until at least Monday, I used it for the base today.  The black polish is Finger Nails "Black Expressionalism", white is NYC Long Wearing Enamel "French White Tip", and the glitter is Sinful Colors "Queen of Beauty".   The black was 'thick' enough that I only needed to do one coat to get the bottle color.  I normally do two coats to be on the safe side, but this polish frustrated me today.  No matter what brand I use, black polish always makes it seem like my four year old niece (who has yet to learn to color inside the lines) did my nails. 

I tried to pre-draw the white tips using a Sally Hansen nail art pen and then doing the white polish.

Step 1: Draw line where the 'white' party of my nail typically is, using nail art pen
Step 2: Paint over this using white nail polish
Step 3: Decide it looks awful and begin to rage a bit
Step 4: Give up on doing it freehand and use the scotch tape method instead

After I was certain the white polish had finally dried, I applied two coats of the Sinful Colors glitter.  I've had this bottle for quite some time and am sad that it's rapidly approaching its last use.  I'll have to swing by Walgreen's sometime to pick up another - for $1.99, it's not a big deal.  Top it all off with Seche Vite, and you end up with the final product shown above. 

Check out these other awesome bloggers who are/were participating in the GG Nail Art Challenge :)

Robin, Erin, and Anna - Polished Cousins
Ashley - Follow the Yellow Polish Road
Jodi - Captivating Claws
Danielle - Rock N Polish
Elly - Polishable
Olivia - Unprofessional Nails
Kate - This Charming Kate
Bethany - A Plethora of Nails
Lizzy - The Do It Yourself Lady
Eugenia - Talon-ted
Johanna - Neues vom Kellerkind
Amanda - Nox Nails
Ashley - Smashley Sparkles
Sarah - See Sarah Swatch
Emily - The Lacquerologist
Jess - LuvMyLacquer
Tressa - O' Natur Nail
ChiChi - I'm just me...ChiChi
CR - Color Me Silly
Amanda - Berry Polished
Bonny - Over Stuffed
Taylor - REJOICE!
Jess - Nearly Natural Nails

Finger Paints - Avante Garde Green and Art You Wondering?

Finger Paints - Avante Garde Green and Art You Wondering?

*Although not shown, I start every manicure with my Sinful Colors base coat.  It works really well for me, and protects my nails from staining.  This can be found at your local Walgreens for $2.50.  For the top coat, I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails.

I made my first trip to Sally Beauty Supply today.  Y'all, I've decided that I should just be poor forever.  I must've spent a good 30-45 minutes mulling over the different color choices.  With some prodding from my mom, I picked two of the polishes I'll be using for today's manicure.  The Finger Paints brand is not one I had heard of prior to this store visit.  For $5 a bottle, I was hoping it would be worth it's price.

Avante Garde Green

Pros: With the right amount, the color is a rich emerald color - one that is hard to come by in the stores. 

Cons: The color didn't distribute evenly at all, and left my nails with different streaks. 

Art You Wondering?

Pros: The glitter distributes evenly over the nail, unlike other glitters.  After a few coats, the glitter could probably be used as a color, by itself.

Cons: None - this is a great polish.

After three coats of 'Avante Garde Green'

Three coats of 'Avante Garde Green' and one coat of 'Art You Wondering?'

Final Verdict: The final product can come out looking nice and bright.  However, many people don't have the time to apply a base coat, then 3-4 layers of the actual color, then 1 layer of sparkles and finally, a layer of top coat.  I would probably purchase this product again if it was on sale, but I doubt I would pay the full $5.