Twinsie Tuesday - International Polish (Model's Own Aqua Violet)

Hi nail polish lovers!!

I have an exciting post to share with you.  Amanda of Amandalandish and Nory of Fierce Makeup and Nails decided to come up with Twinsie Tuesday and invited several bloggers (myself included) to join them.  I'm super excited to be a part of this, not only because Nory and Amanda are both awesome people, but because it's a great opportunity to mix things up on my blog.

For our first Twinsie Tuesday, the theme is International Polish.  I decided to share a Model's Own polish, which is made in England.  Aqua Violet is from the Beetlejuice Collection that many bloggers raved about for months.  I finally made a purchase from Harlow & Co. when they had a sale for Boxing Day (I think). 

Aqua Violet is a duochrome that shifts from blue to purple with a bit of shimmer.  I love duochromes and this one did not dissapoint.  I got a lot of compliments on it also.  Check out the pictures:

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The formula for this polish was great.  It applied smoothly and evenly.  I was surprised that it was a bit sheer, but after the third coat it was opaque.  There were some visible brush strokes upon application.  In the pictures above, I used OPI Natural Nail base coat, 3 coats of Aqua Violet, and Seche Vite fast dry top coat.

Do you own Aqua Violet?  What do you think about this polish?

Don't forget to check out the other bloggers participating in Twinsie Tuesday:
Amanda: http://amandalandish.blogspot.com/
Anne: http://grapefizz.blogspot.com/
Ashley: http://artevolve.blogspot.com/
Chelsea: http://www.nailedblog.com/
Jenn: http://allthatisgorgeous.blogspot.com/
Katherine: http://hauloffame.blogspot.com/
Meredith: http://polishandcharms.blogspot.com/
Nory: http://fiercemakeupandnails.blogspot.com/
Rachel: http://topcoatit.wordpress.com/
Sarah: http://seesarahswatch.blogspot.com/

Avon - Rave

Hi everyone!!  It's Monday again!  Where did the weekend go?  I hope you all enjoyed yours, no matter how short it felt.

I have another Avon polish to share with you today.  Rave is from the Nailwear Pro Line.    It is a pinkish/coppery metallic polish with lots of shimmer.  That's the best way I can think of describing it.  I like it a lot.  I have nothing like it in my stash.

Application was fairly easy.  There was a bit of dragging, so you do need to wait for the polish to dry between coats.  Otherwise, it went on smoothly.  In these pics, I used OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, 3 coats of Rave, and Seche Vite fast dry top coat.

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Look at that beautiful shimmer ;0)

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See the wonderful snow we had? Not!

 What do you guys think of Rave?  Are you into these types of polishes?

11 Questions Take 2

Hi again everyone!!  I was tagged by Jo at Northern Nails to answer 11 questions.  Thanks for tagging me Jo.  If you haven't checked out her blog, please do so by clicking here.  She does great manis.

Here are the questions:

1. What would I find in your refrigerator right now?

Leftovers, yogurt, water, lemonade, orange juice, and condiments.

2. Look to you left what did you see?

My dresser and mirror.

3. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?

Sign Language.  I started taking classes years ago and never followed through :(.

4. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?

This is a tough one for me.  I can't think of one.  I would definitely want the ability to fly though.

5. What are you wearing on your feet right now?

Socks.

6. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Director of Career Services in a Higher Education Institution. 

7. What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry?

I'm currently reading Courageous by Randy Alcorn.  Though I'm not finished, I've already shed a tear.

8. If you could witness any event past, present or future, what would it be?

The birth of Jesus.

9. How would you describe yourself in three words?

Thoughtful, sensitive, and cautious.

10. If you could have a drink with someone from history who would it be?

Martin Luther King, Jr.

11. If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?

Definitely Italian.

Thanks again for tagging me Jo.  These were some very thought provoking questions.

Thanks for reading guys ;0).



Avon - Mulberry

Hi everyone!!  Happy Sunday!  It's been a busy weekend for me so far, but I plan to relax today.  After church, that is.

I have an Avon polish to share with you today.  Mulberry is one of Avon's Nailwear Pro polishes.  It's a simple berry creme, very work appropriate.  While I wasn't blown away by it, I do think it's a pretty polish.  Definitely something you would want to wear if you wanted to tone it down a bit.

Mulberry's formula was pretty good.  It was slightly runny and I experienced slight flooding on a few nails, but otherwise it was great.  It was fully opaque in two coats and went on evenly.  For this mani, I used OPI Natural Nail Base Coat, 2 coats of Mulberry, and Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat.

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As my hand rested on my bag, I just had to take a pic ;0).

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What do you all think?  Is this your type of color?

Icing - Pop A Bottle

Hi everyone!!  Happy Saturday ;0).  I hope you guys are enjoying your weekend so far.

Yesterday, I shared Icing Glamorous with you, a gorgeous silver and holographic glitter.  Today, I'd like to share the second Icing glitter I picked up, Pop A Bottle.  This polish has a clear base with gold, purple, and blue microglitter.  It is glitter packed!  In the pics below, I used two coats with no base or top coat:

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Excuse the glitter on my hands.  There was a glitterfest this day, lol. 

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Application was easy with this polish.  Because it was very dense, it applied evenly.  I'm sure with a third coat, it would have been fully opaque.

What do you all think of this glitter?

Icing - Glamorous

Hi everyone!!  Happy Friday ;0). 

Today I'm sharing another polish that I picked up the day after Christmas. This was my first Icing polish purchase.  I actually picked up two glitters, but I'll share the second one with you tomorrow.  There was a sale (buy one, get one half off), so of course I couldn't pass that up ;0).

Glamorous is a clear base with silver and holographic glitter.  I really like it a lot, it's packed with such beautiful glitter goodness.  My only problem was with application.  Not because of the formula, but because of the bottle.  Here's why:

I tried re-screwing the cap and turning it again, but there was no fixing this one.  I ended up applying the polish using the stem without the cap.  Very interesting experience.  Without the cap, it was tough to control, but because it's so pretty, I'm willing to deal with it.  In the pics below, I used 2 coats of Glamorous with no base or top coat.

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I plan to use this one for layering.  Do you have Glamorous?  What do you think of this glitter?

I Love Your Blog

I received this I Love Your Blog award from Traci at www.drinkcitra.com!! Thanks so much Traci! I really appreciate that you love my blog.  You are so supportive.  You know I love your blog too ;0).

There were no rules associated with this award, but the questions below were provided.


1. What is your favorite fashion magazine?
Does SELF count?  It has a section on fashion, lol.

2. Who is your favorite singer/band?
Hmmmm.... I would say Israel & New Breed

3. Who is your favorite YouTube guru?
Definitely Colette at Mysimplelittlepleasures.

4. What is your favorite makeup product?
Lipgloss and nail polish ;0).

5. Where would you like to live?
On a Caribbean Island where the only two seasons are rain and no rain, lol!!!

6. What is your favorite film?
Oh boy, ummmm.... I'm going to say Love & Basketball for this post.  Clearly I have more than one favorite.  I just say the first thing that comes to mind, smh.

7. How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Approximately 70.  Yes, I have an obsession with shoes also.  Don't judge me!

8. What is your favorite color?
Pink


I award the following because I LOVE YOUR BLOGS! <3

Art Evolve 
Hooked!
I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous 
My Nail Polish Online 
Polish Amor
Polish and Charms
Amandalandish
Fierce Makeup & Nails
The Subtle Shimmer

Thanks for reading ;0).

Tapping Tips Polishes

Hi everyone!!

Today I have yet another purchase to share from my day after Christmas shopping.  I happened to pass by a store called Aerie by American Eagle.  I'd never heard of the store before, but decided to check if they had polish and they sure did. I picked up three of them that looked really pretty.

The first polish is called Champagne Shimmer/Champagne Brilliant.  I believe the second name is the french version.  This is a champagne shimmer.  It almost has a foil finish.  The formula was fairly good, it was a bit runny and some balding occurred.  However, it was opaque in two coats.  While I think this is a pretty polish, I'm not a big fan of it on me.  I might have to use it for designs in the future.  I used no base or top coat for any of these swatches.

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The second polish I picked up is called Paint it Red/Touche de Rouge.  This one is a gorgeous pinkish red with silver shimmer.  Unfortunately, the shimmer didn't translate on the nail.  The formula also wasn't that great, while it went on smoothly, it was thin and runny.  I had to use 3 coats to prevent VNL. Despite the formula, I really like this color and I figure you can never have too many reds ;0).

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The final polish is Pink Frost/Rose Glacé.  It is a sheer pink base with silver, light pink, and holographic microglitter.  This was my favorite of the three. Not only is it pretty and simple, it also went on smoothly and dried to a smooth finish and wasn't gritty.  Because it is a sheer polish, there was still some VNL after 3 coats, but I didn't even care.  I absolutely love the glitter in this polish and it's officially one of my favorites.

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See that holo glitter?  I love it!!!

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These polishes retail for $7.50, but 2 of them were on sale for $6 each.  The bottles are .5 fl. oz.

So what do you guys think?  Have you ever heard of this brand?

11 Questions Tag

Hi,

I was tagged by Shannara for this post.  Thanks for the tag Shannara!!  She does really great swatches, so definitely click on the link to check out her blog.

Rules:

.

Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
No tag backs.
No stuff in the tagging section about 'you are tagged if you are reading this'. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

 

11 things about me.

1. When I was a kid I wanted to be a pediatrician, however, since I can't stand the sight of blood, that dream quickly changed.
2. I love to travel and I go somewhere every year.

3. Bad grammar really annoys me, something I've inherited from my father.

4. Though I'm out of practice, I play the piano by reading notes.
5. I used to run track in high school, but you could not get me to run up the block now, lol.

6. By 10pm I'm ready to go to sleep and can barely function.

7. I earned my Master's in Industrial/Organizational Psychology last year.

8. I take a jazz dance class every week.
9. In the summer, I walk 8 miles home about 2 days each week.
10. While I love hanging out with friends, I cherish my alone time.  It's very precious to me.
11. I'm not a morning person.

The 11 questions Shannara gave the people she tagged:

 

1. What is your favorite movie?

I don't really have a favorite, but the first thing that comes to my head is My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  That movie makes me laugh every time.

2. What is your dream?

To be successful in every area of my life.

3. Do you have brothers or sisters?I have 1 brother.

4. Are you religious?

I am a Christian

5. What are your hobbies?

Dancing, blogging, painting my nails
6. What would you change in your life?

Nothing.  I believe no matter how negative, everything is the way it is for a reason.
7. Which charity would you support?

Any charity that is legitimate and helps those in need.

8. What would you do if you were a millionaire tomorrow?

I would start a non-profit that provides housing for the homeless and prepares them for the world of work.  I'd also buy a home.

9. Blind or deaf?

Eh?

10. What do you enjoy the most?

A good laugh.

11. Who would you want to be for a day?

Hmmm... A professional dancer.  Oh, to have such skill.

 

So, I know I'm cheating with this, but if you read the things about me above, I'm so tired right now.  I just wanted to answer share about myself and answer Shannara's questions because she took the time to tag me.  So this is where I end.

 

Thanks for reading ;0)

OPI - Pink Friday

Hi fellow nail polish lovers!!  It's Pink Wednesday ;0).

For this Pink Wednesday, I decided to share Pink Friday from the Nicki Minaj collection by OPI.  I picked this polish up with the other two I shared with you the day after Christmas.  When I first saw swatches of Pink Friday, it immediately went on my wish list because it looked so pretty!!  Also, pink is one of my favorite polish colors ;0). 

Unfortunately, I was disappointed with Pink Friday when I applied it.  First, the formula was so thick and difficult to work with.  It was streaky on the first coat and it took 3 coats to level it out.  For a creme, I wasn 't happy about that.  I prefer 2 coats tops.  My second gripe was with the color on me.  I didn't really like the shade with my skin tone.

Here are a few pics (no base or top coat):

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 I was ready to give up on this polish.  However, I decided to give it another try and added some polish thinner to it to see if it would make a difference.  I'm so glad I did.  This time, application was so much easier.  The pics below are of 2 coats (no base or top coat):

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Not only was the formula better, but I liked the color a little more.  I guess it grew on me, IDK.

I then decided to layer Save Me over Pink Friday.  I think they go well together.

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What do you guys think?  Have you tried Pink Friday?  Did you have any problems with the formula?