Essie Armed and Ready

Hi everyone! I hope you guys are doing well. My nubbins are making their debut on this blog today...

A closer look at the shimmer

Kitty fur!

Base coat: 1 coat of Trind base coat
Polish: 2 coats of Armed and Ready
Top coat: 1 coat of Seche Vite

Armed and Ready is a dark olive green with a touch of gray that has golden shimmer running through it. These photos were taken with indoor lighting, so they're showing up more green. But in person, it normally pulled more dark gray on me. Penelope was right there when I was taking pictures with the lamp, which is why I used her belly fur as a background for that last picture hehehehe ;)

So yes, there are my short little nails. I'm getting used to them already. It's so weird at first not seeing any free edge hanging off my fingers. They are easier to manage though, that's for sure. And at least I don't get stuff stuck under them anymore. Gotta think positive :)

Armed and Ready was easy to work with, no formulation issues at all! I did have some major chipping after less than 2 days but that could just be because how hard work is on my hands/fingers/nails. So I don't fault this polish at all. It's too gorgeous to stay mad at! I love olive greens, even if they are this dark, but the gold shimmer is what sets it apart and makes it unique.

I bought this polish from a blog sale a few weeks ago, no regrets!

Thanks for stopping by!

Zoya Maisie and China Glaze Frostbite

Hey everyone! Today I've got blues galore for you. Let's see what I mean...

Base coat: 1 coat of Trind base coat

Polish: 2 coats of China Glaze Frostbite + 1 coat of Zoya Maisie

Top coat: 1 coat of Sally Hansen Insta-dri + 1 coat of China Glaze Matte Magic

Frostbite is an awesome electric blue shimmer. Maisie is described as "a sheer turquoise blue base with reflective Mylar flakes that shift from green to blue". I finished the look with a matte top coat.

This manicure was very bright and eye catching in person. 

Frostbite holds a special place in my heart because it's one of the first China Glaze polishes I ever bought, years ago. I won Maisie in a contest a few months ago.

Both formulas were a breeze to work with. 

Sadly, this is the last time my long nails will ever grace this blog. I've had to cut them to nubbins and they will have to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Trust me, it's not because I want this. But they have to be like this. Ah well :(

Thanks for stopping by everyone!

This Week in Nail Polish

Greetings! I hope everyone is doing ok! Let's see what I added to my collection this week...

Close-up of Sticks 'n Stones

Left to right: Sinful Colors Neon Melon, Summer Peach
Nabi Magnetic Polish Forest Green (doesn't have a name so I gave it one)
Cover Band Lacquers Sticks 'n Stones

Not some bad loot, if I say so myself. I picked up the two Sinful Colors from Walgreens. They were on sale for 99 cents. I also found the Nabi polish there too. That was really surprising cause the Walgreens in this town is crap!

And I ordered Sticks 'n Stones from Ninja Polish. It's so pretty! I'm looking forward to layering this over different colors.

Onto the cats!

That first picture is an older one of Lillith. She was a pound heavier then and had her winter coat. So she looks a lot chunkier. Ain't she a doll?!

And then there's Penelope doing what she's known for doing...getting in the way of homework >_<
No, really. Like most cats, she loves laying on open books when I'm reading.

Here's an older manicure:

This is Sally Hansen Turquoise Opal. Basically, my number one favorite polish ever. It is a STUNNING multi-chrome. It shifts from different shades of purple, blue, green and teal. It's insane. And in person it's about a million times better too. I know I layered this over black when I wore it. Paid a ridiculous amount on Ebay for it too. To date, this is the most I've ever payed for one bottle of polish. 22 bucks plus 7 for shipping from Canada. Crazy but totally worth it.

Nail news:
I had to cut my nails down last night. My new job is tough on my hands and nails and they were just getting in the way and I don't want to worry about breaking them. They were already starting to chip in some places. It's been hell on my manicures too. Honestly, it sucks...but eh...what're you gonna do...it's nubbins for me :(

Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

Nail the B.y.t.c.h. Not ya Honey! Honey!

Hey everyone. Sorry I've been so absent this week! I'll add in a blurb later in the entry about it. But polish first :D

How cool is this bottle?!?

Base coat: 1 coat of Beauty Secrets
Polish: 3 coats of Not ya Honey! Honey!
Top coat: 1 coat of Seche Vite

I would describe Not ya Honey! Honey! as a taxi cab yellow creme.

How awesome is this polish? I am not typically into yellow polish. In fact, this is only one of two yellows in my 400+ stash. That should say a lot.

At first when I put it on, I wasn't crazy about it. But I quickly adjusted and learned to like it. I think it's a yellow that works well with my skin-tone. I like the way it stands out against the color of my skin.

The formula was just a bit iffy. Not terrible but there was some bubbling and it was a bit thick. If you're careful with it, it should be just fine. I think it's worth it though.

My biology (male) teacher actually complimented me on them too. Which I was thought was funny cause guys typically don't notice that kind of thing. He was like, "Oooh, I like your nails! Yellow." Heh.

My husband made a funny comment too when I was wearing this. We were talking about something, I don't remember what, and he said, "Don't be mad cause your fingers are covered in mustard." Of course, I didn't know what he meant at first until he pointed at my nails. Then it clicked. Hah. Silly story.

Anyway, I've been super busy cause I just started a new job this past week. I'm having some struggles managing my time. I have school and work now, which is something I'm not totally used to. So I don't have as much free time as I used to. It does make me sad but I guess it's something a lot of us have to go through anyway. That's just life.

I hope you guys liked this manicure! I'm going to do my best to manage my time. I miss blogging :(

If you want to buy this polish, check out Nail the B.y.t.c.h.'s website here. Thanks for stopping by!

This Week in Nail Polish

Hi everyone! I've been a really good girl lately (hey, maybe someone should reward me...) and haven't been getting much polish. This week I only added 3 to my collection. Here they are:

Cult Nails recently had a sale, each polish was only $5 (limit 3). As you can see, I picked up Enigmatic, Iconic and Time Traveler. I love Cult Nails! They have some of my favorite bottles. And In a Trance is one of my favorite olive greens ever. It's to die for. I've only ever had good experiences with Cult Nails. They've always been sweet and helpful in emails. Not to mention, their polish is awesome ;)

Well, since I'm rambling on about Cult Nails, might as well post an old manicure featuring one of their polishes.

This is Awakening. A gorgeous, smoky blackened teal. So pretty! These photos are from last year in November. See, taking pictures of my nails is nothing new to me ;)

Let's see what the kittens are up to...

Lillith is being a loaf in the grass. Hmmm. Interesting.

And Penelope is being a total dope! Well, not really. This is an older picture of her but it's one of my favorites :D

On a positive note, my nails haven't broken yet. It's been 49 days since my last chop. Yes, I'm a weirdo and keep track. This is when it starts to get a bit dangerous and they're more likely to break....here's hoping they don't! I feel like nubbins really highlight how small and stubby my fingers are >_>

At least with long nails I can sustain the illusion that my fingers are somewhat thin and elegant.

Hmm...I think that's about it for this post. Did you pick up any new polish this week? If so, I'd love to hear what you got.

Thanks for stopping by!

NerdLacquer Cold and Calculating

Hey everyone! I've got a real beauty for you today, chock full of purple and silver glitter. It's just dreamy...

Words don't do it justice...so see for yourself :)

Close-up of my ring finger

Bottle shot!

Look at the pretty glitter :D

Base coat: 1 coat of CND Stickey
Polish: 3 coats of Cold and Calculating
Top coat: 1 coat of Seche Vite

NerdLacquer describes this polish as "a cool shimmering violet and charcoal base with silver and royal purple glitter, medium purple hexagonal glitter, and large silver hexagonal glitter."

It's just gorgeous. If the night sky were purple, this is exactly what a starry night would look like. This beauty has me all out of words!

I don't have one negative thing to say about this. The formula was easy to work with, this one didn't smell weird like my bottle of Cyance Friction did and it dried pretty quickly. Not a top coat hungry glitter either. Essentially perfection in a bottle.

I feel so lucky to have any polishes by NerdLacquer. If I could somehow (magically) own every polish from ANY brand ever, I would pick NerdLacquer in a heartbeat. She is easily my favorite brand of polish EVER. I only have three bottles but I treasure them immensely and can't wait to own more!

I purchased this the last time her Etsy shop was open. Her shop is closed right now but you can sign up for email notifications for when she opens again. You can check her out here.

Thanks for stopping by!

OPI Kiss Me on My Tulips

Hi everyone! I hope your week is going ok. Today I have a lovely creme from the OPI Holland collection.

Base coat: 1 coat of CND Stickey
Polish: 2 coats of Kiss me on my Tulips
Top coat: 1 coat of Seche Vite

I would describe Kiss me on my Tulips as a fuchsia creme. I don't typically wear pinks, so it was a nice change for me. I think it's a type of pink that could flatter a wide range of skin-tones.

The formula was lovely to work with. Perfect consistency and I had no issues at all. I guess that's what makes this shade special to me. I'm a sucker for good formulas. I just have a baby bottle of this but I might get the full-sized one sometime in the future...I think it would be a great color for toes!

I won this polish in a contest a few weeks back but you can purchase it on various websites or from stores that carry this brand. It's not hard to find :)

Thanks for stopping by!