Fourth of July Manicure

Happy Fourth of July!

The manicure I did for today was definitely a test of patience. Lol.

I have dabbled with nail vinyls once before and didn't have a huge issue, however, this time I was about to give up if the 3rd time I went to use them wasn't going to work.

I couldn't decide what to do for this year's 4th. After scouring Youtube for hours, I finally just did something simple and went with stars and stripes with a dotticure accent nail. Lesson learned, I am not good at dotticures at all. I have a horrible time figuring out placement and I always tend to overdo it. It still came out okay but it's not something I'm very good at.

 For this mani, I  used several polishes. Blue - Bettina with a Zoya holographic layered on top. Red is a Zoy with a drugstore brand "holo" layered on top. White accent is Glitter Gal with OPI layered on top for opaqueness. The white for the stripes is a Sinful Colors striping polish and the white for the stars is the same Glitter Gal polish. The silver holo glitter is China Glaze from the Color Pop collection. (I'll look up the names later.)

Bettina Polishes - Crazy Dog Lady

Hello ya'll! Long time, no see. :) I've been sort of making a small comeback into the nail world but I know I still won't ever have the time to fully delve back in. 

I've been watching a lot of nail videos on Youtube and Instagram and I got inspired to get back into the nail art side of things. I've become a bit of a crazy dog lady so these nails are inspired by that.

Base polish is Bettina's Orchidea, which is a light pastel mint green. The stamp was a fail gradient using Bettina's PepperMint, Aqua, and Indigo. I used the Bundle Monster stamping plate # BM-S160 (link) for the designs and used the double ended glass stamper (link).

The downside to stamping is smearing the design when you don't wait long enough to apply your fast drying top coat. -_- Otherwise I'm really happy with this design. It's the first time I've ever stamped on all my fingers (and actually the first time I've ever really been successful with stamping lol). It's trial and error so just keep on trying!

Sonoma Nail Art — Sincerest Pumpkin Patch

So I guess I hand't realized how long it had been since the last time I posted. >.> My intention was to post a few weeks ago but life and time just flies by and gets in the way!

Today we have an oldie but a goodie in spirit of Halloween coming up. It's Sonoma Nail Art's Sincerest Pumpkin Patch (from 2012, I think). This polish is a glitter packed shimmery green transparent jelly base. There are multiple sizes and colors of glitter - green, silver, orange, red.

I layered this on top of a nice green creme Butter London polish I found at Marshall's because it's basically a one-coater. I wanted to be able to make a couple of layers of Sincerest Pumpkin Patch because it was the real star of this manicure.

Photos were actually taken a couple of days after I did this mani. I loved it and wore it until it cracked off of my nails (I'm a horrible nail care person). 

Anyway, I think I have at least one more Halloween inspired manicure to post before next weekend so I will definitely try to get to that!

Until next time.

♥ nailbrite

Butter London — Wallis

Decided to redo my nails and am being hopeful that fall will come around sooner rather than later (living in Louisiana that's really not likely). 

So today we have Butter London's Wallis. Wallis is a gorgeous golden olive green shimmer. Two coats to full coverage but there was a bit of patchiness in some places that thankfully isn't noticeable.

I do wish my nails would grow and when I put topcoat on it wouldn't cause shrinkage but no matter what I use it happens, so oh well.

Hope you guys are good!

♥ nailbrite

Dollish Polish — Toad-ally Awesome

Very long time no update.

Just decided to pop in here because I actually painted my nails today. After getting a manicure while on vacation, my polish lasted a whole 2 days so I decided I wanted to get rid of it and do a fun mani!

This is an oldie but a goodie. Dollish Polish Toad-ally Awesome is a jam packed glitter in a clear base. There is large and small white glitter, square blue glitter, gold glitter, red glitter, and micro blue glitter. This is from her 2012 Super Mario Bros. collection.

The glitter has settled so I had a little issue trying to fish out the bigger glitter, otherwise this goes on awesome. I used Toad-ally Awesome over an unlabeled Color Club blue. Two thin coats and I had perfect coverage.

L-R: Toad-ally Awesome by Dollish Polish, Unnamed Color Club blue.

Life Update & OPI Fifty Shades of Grey Collection

So, it's been a while. :) Understatement of the universe. I don't think I will be posting a ton but I think I want to start doing my nails again. Here's a little update on my life.

I got married.

We have a little family.

L-R: P (stepdaughter), hubby G, Mishka, and I.

I've become a crazy dog person. 

We do dog park meets with huskies and other northern breeds.

So needless to say my life is a little hectic. My nails are crap and I barely take care of them let alone have time to do some of the fun manicures I used to.

But despite everything the new Fifty Shades of Gray OPI collection came out and I HAD to have it despite my personal opinions on the novel and movie.

Love the grays, so I did a little manicure with Shine for Me (accent) and Embrace the Gray. Even though I actually bought the mini set, the quality is on par for OPI. Both went on smoothly with only 2 coats to full coverage.

So I hope to post a little. I already have 2 other manicures planned. I just know I won't be as active as I once was. Having a life and a family takes up a lot of my time, which I'm happy to spend time with them rather than spend so much time online.

Hope everyone is well. :)

♥ nailbrite

Long overdue update.

If you guys follow me on my Facebook page, I've explained why I've been gone for so long.

Lift has taken the high road and I have been incredibly busy the last several months. I don't have nearly as much free time as I once had. My boyfriend proposed to me on November 2, 2012 and now I've been focusing all of my time and energy into planning a wedding for next year.

I do miss blogging about my nail polish and doing nail art, but I just haven't had the time to blog let alone barely paint my nails. I hope all you guys can understand.

I did plan on coming back after the New Year but now I'm not sure that's even possible. I may (when I have the time) go through some older pictures I have and post some of those. Unfortunately anything new and weekly like I used to do may be a long time coming.

Anyway, I hope you guys have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. :)

♥ nailbrite

Trelly's Polish — Pumpkins Scream

So tomorrow is Halloween and I'm terribly behind on being active on my blog. I've still been swatching and taking photos, just not really keeping up with everything with how BUSY life is. OTL.

So here's another quickie for you guys.

Today I have Trelly's Polish Pumpkins Scream which is a clear/blue base polish filled with multi colored glitters in black, blue, teal, purple, and orange.

This is 1-2 thin coats layered over China Glaze Harvest Moon. I had a hard time choosing a base for this combo but I think HM works well.

Trelly's Polish can be purchased at her Etsy shop.

Until next time~ :)

Smitten Polish — Fire and Blood

Very long time no post! Life has been terribly chaotic recently and I have had no time for anything, let alone editing and posting blog posts. I barely even get a chance to paint my nails more than once a week now. OTL.

Today I just have a quickie for you guys.

Smitten Polish Fire and Blood is a blood red jelly base packed with red, orange, and holographic glitters. This was a part of the Game of Thrones duo, which I still have to post the other from it...

Anyway, on to the pictures!

I don't remember how many coats this was or even if it was layered over something, but as you can see this is an absolutely beautiful red polish (something I never wear!). It's become one of my favorites in my collection.

You can purchase Smitten Polish from their Etsy shop for $9.00 for a full 15ml bottle.

Until next time~ :)

Smitten Polish — The One On The Right

Another indie brand polish for you guys today.

Smitten Polish The One On The Right is a periwinkle blue base polish with a mix of blue and purple glitter.

This is 2-3 coats of The One On The Right to full opacity. Application was really good on this polish. The glitter is evening distributed throughout the polish so you don't have to worry about fishing or putting more coats on for better glitter coverage.

I really liked this polish. You can purchase Smitten Polish from her Etsy shop.

Until next time~ :)

Trelly's Polish — Violet, You're Turning Violet

Today I have a new-to-the -blog indie brand. It's Trelly's Polish. I don't remember how I came across her polishes, but I saw a few and had to get them. 

Violet, You're Turning Violet is a blue/clear base with multi sized/shaped blue, purple, and white glitter.

This is 2 thin coats of Violet, You're Turning Violet over China Glaze Sweet Hook.

Overall I like this polish, but I do wish the glitter was a little more dense. It looks a lot denser in the bottle than on the nail and because the base is slightly tinted, using the dabbing method can cause the base coat to build up in darker patches and I don't like that.

I have yet to try out the other two polishes I got from her, but I'm hoping those will be denser.

You can purchase Trelly's Polish from her Etsy shop for $9.00 for a full 15ml bottle.

Until next time~ :)

Enchanted Polish — Vampire's Dessert

Not even going to bother writing a whole lot about this since it's the SECOND time I've had this publish without remembering to edit it. Lol.

This is Enchanted Polish Vampire's Dessert. It is a beautiful deep brown holographic polish.

2 coats to full opacity. This is seriously another amazing holographic from Enchanted polish.

You can purchase Enchanted Polishes from Llarowe and Harlow&Co for varying prices.

Until next time~ :)

The Spooky Bones Company — Watcher's Woods

I honestly cannot believe I never posted this before!

It's been so long since I swatched this, I don't remember much about it really.

The Spooky Bones Company Watcher's Woods. The description from the Etsy listing: "This delicious red-orange glitter is filled with a variety of orange, copper, bronze, and red extra fine glitter and holographic yellow micro glitter." 

I'm pretty sure this was 2 coats of Watcher's Woods. Natural light, no top coat.

This was a limited edition polish so I don't think it's available anymore. But there are tons of other awesome polishes from The Spooky Bones Etsy Shop.

Until next time~ :)

Rainbow Honey — The Worst Possible Thing

So I know in my last post, I showed you guys Essie Barefoot in Blue. 

I felt that it was lacking something and I was also kind of dying to try out my new Rainbow Honey polishes. So I layered The Worst Possible Thing on top of it. :) Of course, just as with Barefoot in Blue, these are not entirely color accurate. -_-

The above is 2 thin coats of Rainbow Honey The Worst Possible Thing over Essie Barefoot in Blue.

This is a gorgeous mix of glitter in a periwinkle tinted base. Application was okay. I did find the formula on TWPT to be a little thick, not sure if some thinner would help but I'm sure it would.

You can purchase Rainbow Honey polishes from their website for $10 for full size (15ml) and $5 for mini size (7ml).

Until next time~ :)

Essie — Barefoot in Blue

So we're hunkered down here at my house waiting for this hurricane to pass. Hopefully nothing bad happens in the meantime this post is scheduled to post.  

I got this little gem from Vanessa of Confessions of a Polishaholic a while back. I only just recently managed to find the chance to wear it!

Essie Barefoot in Blue is a LE collab polish with TOMS Shoes for their One Day Without Shoes campaign. 

My photos are so not color accurate, as this kept photographing way more purple than this polish is in person. It's still gorgeous though.

This is 2 coats of Barefoot in Blue. I used this in a layering combination which I will have for you in a couple of days! So I wasn't as concerned with streakiness as I normally would be. If I were worried, 3 thin coats would be perfect for this polish.

As I mentioned before, this was a Limited Edition polish and only so many were sent to fans.

Until next time~ :)

The Spooky Bones Company — The Full Moon

Oops! I completely lost track of time and didn't get around to editing this post before it published. -_-


The Spooky Bones Company is another great indie company and I got a few of their polished several months ago.

I got around to wearing this lovely color called The Full Moon not too long ago. From the listing's description: "The Full Moon is a deep rich blue with lighter blue micro glitters that color shift from pink to purple. This color will have you howling in delight!"

This is two coats of The Full Moon. Coverage is great and this has a such a beautiful shimmer and slight duochrome to it. It's definitely a stunning color.

Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be available anymore from their Etsy shop but they have a lot of really awesome other polishes to choose from!

Until next time (and hopefully the post will be ready! lol.) :D

China Glaze — I'm Not Lion

So today I have one of the only two polishes I picked up from the China Glaze On Safari Collection.

I'm Not Lion is a beige/tan holographic glitter polish. The holographic in this isn't super strong but it's still more holo in person than my pictures show.

This is 2 thin coats of I'm Not Lion over OPI Skull & Glossbones. Application was really good on this and you could probably get this opaque in 3 coats but I must prefer to layer polishes like this for when it's time to take it off, it comes off so much easier. Heh.

You can still find these where China Glaze is sold in retail stores like Ulta and Sally Beauty.

Until next time~ :)

Hard Candy — Beetle

Another week come and gone and another weekend here to (hopefully!) not go by as fast. Hehe.


Today I have a Hard Candy polish called Beetle to share with you guys. The lovely Vanessa from Confessions of a Polishaholic sent me this little beauty in one of her recent nail mails.

This is 2 thin coats of Beetle over WnW Black Creme. This is just an amazing polish. I love these color shifting shimmers. And the shift is so strong in this!


Formula on this was really good as was wear. I don't remember much else about it since this is from some time ago. Oops.


Until next time~ :)

Super Major Haul Post

Okay, so I haven't posted a haul post in a while and just so you know, this post may possibly break your computer.

I have been terrible the last few months. I don't know what got into me, but I just kept buying and buying and buying KNOWING that I needed to stop and save some money. So this month (with the Ulta spurge aside) I am on a no buy. I've been very good so far this month and I am resisting new collections and indie polish makers left and right. I will stay strong!

So on to the post. Everything is under the jump, because like I said, it's computer breaking big.

Nail'd It — Dragon Scales

What is this? A second post?! Yeah, I know. Things have been crazy so that's why I've only been having one post a week. Between work, my social life, and my mom having major surgery a couple of weeks ago, things have been crazy.  It's starting to get a little better but getting back into the swing of doing swatches or just having the time to take pictures of my manis has been really limited.

The past couple of months I have been really bad with buying polish. I keep seeing all these awesome indie brands being featured on blogs and of course have to take advantage of them, because you never know when they're going to blow up or disappear.

So when Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-venturous posted about Nail'd It polishes, I just FELL in love and bought a few of the ones that jumped out at me.  This is the first of the three that I ended up buying.

Dragon Scales is a multi colored mix of matte glitter in a clear base. It's fantastic!

This is 1 coat of Dragon Scales layered over 2-3 thin coats of Bettina Orchidea. I absolutely love this combination. I honestly think this is one of my favorite manicures ever. Wear on this was fantastic. The formula on Dragon Scales is really great, the glitter was easy to go on and there wasn't any pushing or globbing it on at all.

As much as the indie glitter polish scene is starting to get a bit old for me, I'm definitely going to keep an eye on Nail'd It's polishes.

You can purchase them from her Etsy store for $8.50 ea for a full 15ml bottle.

Until next time~ :)