12 Days of Christmas: Day Eleven - Christmas Trees

    Womp, womp, womp. This is not my best work. Actually, this is terrible. It looked so much better in my mind.

     I used tape to create the trees, a striper for the string of lights, and a dotting tool for the star. I wish I had more time to do these over again. Unfortunately, I'm too tired from work this week. After the fact, I thought about a dotticure tree. I think it would have looked worlds better.

     I can't wait to get a new camera. I wish I could have captured the holo glitter in the green polish. 

     We're almost done with the challenge! I wonder what else is in store. :)

Essie Butler Please and Glitzology Crunch Berries

     When I was headed out the door for work this morning, I saw a package sitting near my front door. (My mailman stops by super early. I know you're all jealous!) I received an awesome RAOK aka a random act of kindness from a lovely lady I met in a nail polish group. Courtney sent me Essie's Butler Please and Tart Deco along with a ton of great goodies. I couldn't wait to get home tonight to give Butler Please a try.

     Essie Butler Please is a stunning bright primary blue. This is part of the 2012 winter collection. I usually don't care for blue polish, but that's changing. I've been looking for a polish like this, and it's the perfect addition to my collection. 

     The formula was great! This is two easy coats with top coat. Dry time was quick, but it did dry a bit one the dull size. I honestly can't believe I've fallen in love with a blue polish. 

     Because we all know I can't leave well enough alone...

     I had to try out Glitzology Crunch Berries over this! As you can tell, I'm really into Glitzology polish right now. Crunch Berries is a mix of yellow, red, and blue matte and satin glitter hexes and squares. I originally ordered this for the name alone; Crunch Berries happen to be Mr. P&P's favorite cereal.

     The formula for this glitter was on point. I used two thin coats and two coats of Seche Vite to smooth it out. I'm a bit heavy handed on top coat. I really like the glassy look of floating glitters. 

      What's your favorite blue? I think might be at the top of my list right now.

12 Days of Christmas: Day Ten - Holiday Song

     Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was always my favorite Christmas song. Every child loves singing it with the funny interjections, right? This is my favorite manicure of the whole set! I'll try to top it with the remaining two days, but I know it won't be possible. I'm pretty proud of my little reindeer.

     Look at these little holo cuties! Adorable, right? Don't worry, they weren't hard to create. I started with a base coat, and then painted on the brown base using Nubar Gem. I've never had a reason to wear this brown holo, but this was perfect! I used dotting tools for all the details. Super, super simple.

         So, what's your favorite holiday song? I'm pretty partial to the Hanson Christmas album, but that's just the teen in me.

12 Days of Christmas: Day Nine - Gradient

     My, oh, my! We're so close to being done with this challenge. I honestly thought I wouldn't make it this far. Today's challenge is a gradient. I thought this was the perfect time to try out my newest China Glazes. I picked up the Holiday Charms mini set at Sally's a few weeks ago. Originally, I was going to gift it, but decided to keep it myself. Terrible, I know.

     For this look, I started with two coats of Merry Berry, a deep berry jelly with a lovely squishy feel. I was amazed by the coverage! It was fully opaque in two coats. The dry time was great. 

     For the glitter gradient, I used Glitter All The Way, a multi-sized glitter filled with purple, emerald, ruby, and gold. I started with a nearly dry polish brush and did the base of the glitter down the nail. After it dried, I added more at the base. I repeated this a few times until I got the coverage I wanted.

     I finished it off with a coat of Out the Door. The finish is nice and smooth. The glitter wasn't top coat hungry like I expected. 

     My hand looks mammoth with the China Glaze mini bottle. I have to admit, I'm not usually a fan of minis, but these are much better than others. *cough* OPI *cough* 

     Does anyone actually read my posts or do you just look at the pictures? ha

Glitzology: Stuck In The Chimney

     Hello, loves! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Today was my only day off until Christmas. Needless to say, I pretty much did nothing. I decided to spend the day lounging around the house with Winslow. He's quite okay with my decision. He's currently sleeping under my Snuggie with his head on my lap.

     Today's post is stepping away from my nail art challenge. I wanted to make sure I used Glitzology Stuck In The Chimney before Christmas. I would've hated to wait another year to pull this one out of my stash. I have far too many untrieds as it is.

     

     Stuck In The Chimney is a sheer gray shimmery base packed full of red, white, and green glitter. The glitter in this polish varies in shape and size: bar, hex, and square. (I know many of you out there don't care for bar glitter. Don't worry! Stacy, the shop owner, is willing to mix her polishes without the bar glitter included. How many indies will do that?) The variety in this polish makes it interesting to the eye. These swatches show two thin coats over China Glaze Stone Cold.

     As with the last Glitzology polish I showed you, the application was flawless. I was so excited to find a bar glitter with this type of application. The bars are unlike any I've used before. They lay flat on the nail and have no curling issues at all. I didn't have to use the dabbing method or fish around for the glitter. Easy as pie.

      To finish this look, I used a coat of Gelous and a coat of Out The Door. I wish I could have captured the shimmer of the base. This is absolutely beautiful in real life. I love how the red, white, and green glitters are true to color and aren't overpowered by the gray shimmer base. 

Check out the great customer service story under the cut!