Glam Nails Challenge: Dec.17 - Christmas Wreath

Hi guys! The Dec.17 theme for Glam Nails Challenge was Christmas Wreath. I started off with red, white and black as my base colors. On my white nail, I used some round glitters and did a glitter placement to create the wreath. I only had a black/gold/white glitter mix, but I actually really liked how the colors looked all together in the end. To finish off the wreath, I picked up a bow image and made it into a decal, it actually popped up a bit because I added a second coat of top coat to it, which looked kind of cool. On my black nail, I added a gold and white glitter to complete the look. Last thing to do was apply top coat.

Close-Ups:

I really like how these turned out. I didn't use traditional colors, but I think they still look pretty Christmas-y.

Well thanks for stopping by, until next time.
-Ana

Products Used:
White: Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Black: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire"
Red: China Glaze "Ruby Pumps"
Dark Red: Serendipity Polish "Less Whine, More Wine!"
Top Coat: Seche Vite
Round Glitter Mix: Born Pretty Store item #37147 (#6)
Bow Stamping Plate: Born Pretty Store item #38219 (Celebration BPX-L013)
Medium Clear Jelly Stamper: Born Pretty Store item #26498
Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool: Born Pretty Store item #32220

*Giveaway Prizes: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire", "Less Whine, More Wine!".
*Past Press Samples: Born Pretty Store Round Glitter Mix, Bow Stamping Plate, Medium Clear Jelly Stamper, Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool.

Glam Nails Challenge: Oct.28 - Frankenstein

Woohoo! I finished the challenge you guys, I feel so accomplished, lol. Anyway, I hope you're all having a great day. Today's Glam Nails Challenge for Oct.28 is Frankenstein, and I took inspiration from some images on Google. To create the stitches, I put down some tape and made long lines of polish, then I cut them up when they were dry. For the eyes I used some round white glitter and painted on the iris and pupil, I even added a little highlight. The mouth was actually from a jack o'lantern image, and the stitch on his face is from a net image which I just took away from. This was the end result.

Close-Ups:

I wasn't completely pleased with the result, but it's not horrible. I would've liked the stitches to be thinner, and for the face nail not to have all those bubbles. But oh well.

As always, thank you for stopping by. Until next time.
-Ana

Products Used:
Green: Sinful Colors "Innocent"
Black: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire"
Orange: Covergirl "#ElectroGlow"
White Stamping Polish: Born Pretty Store item #18136
Top Coat: Seche Vite
Medium Clear Jelly Stamper: Born Pretty Store item #26498
Mouth Stamping Plate: Born Pretty Store item #35742 (BP-L057)
Net Stamping Plate: Born Pretty Store item #33742 (BP-109)
Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool: Born Pretty Store item #32220
White Round Glitter: Born Pretty Store item #37147 (#6)
Chevron Vinyls: Twinkled T Kylie's Chevron Vinyls
Mat: Twinkled T Glamour Mat

*Giveaway Prize: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire"; Twinkled T Glamour Mat/Vinyls.
*Past Press Samples: Born Pretty Store White Stamping Polish, Medium Clear Jelly Stamper, Mouth/Net Stamping Plates, Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool, White Round Glitter.

Lavish Polish: Vacation Collection

 Press Sample 

Hi guys, I hope you're ready because I have swatches of the Vacation Collection by Lavish Polish. This is their Summer collection which consists of 4 crellies, and let me just tell you, they're gorgeous! They all dry pretty quick, and the formulas are easy to work with. The only one that gave me a bit of trouble formula-wise was Bahamas, it did pool on the side of my nails at times, so just be careful when applying it.

First up we have Maui. It's described as a hot pink base polish with silver holo micro glitter, as well as gold shimmer. The color reminded me of Barbie when I had it on. My swatches show 2 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on my ring finger.

2 coats plus top coat/matte top coat:

Glossy Close-Up:

Matte Close-Up:

I also did some nail art using each polish, here's the nail art I did using Maui. I based the mani around the image of the hula dancer, but I actually didn't mean for the mani to have a Hawaiian theme because of the name of the polish. It just worked out perfectly that way, lol.

Close-Ups:

Up next is Bahamas. It's described as a sky blue base polish with silver holo micro glitter and blue shimmer. This polish reminds me of Cinderella, it's so pretty! My swatches show 3 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on my ring finger.

3 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on ring finger:

Glossy Close-Up:

Matte Close-Up:

Here's the nail art I did using Bahamas. I tried to base my mani on what I imagine the beaches there are like.

Close-Ups:

Next is Bora Bora. It's described as a sea foam green base polish with gold and silver holo micro glitter, as well as some gold shimmer. The gold shimmer makes it that much more special and beachy. My swatches show 2 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on my ring finger.

2 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on ring finger:

Glossy Close-Up:

Matte Close-Up:

The nail art I did using Bora Bora was a bit different. I chose a water decal that pretty much matched the polish, and then used black (also in the decal) to complete the look.

Close-Ups:

Last but not least, we have Jamaica. It's described as a peachy orange base polish with silver holo micro glitter, and some gold shimmer. It's stunning! My swatches show 2 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on my ring finger.

2 coats plus top coat/matte top coat on ring finger:

Glossy Close-Up:

Matte Close-Up:

The nail art I did using Jamaica is kind of like the last one. I chose a water decal that resembled the polish, and then added some white round glitters to complete the mani.

Close-Ups:

Aren't they beautiful? I can't even pick a favorite, I love them all.

The Vacation Collection by Lavish Polish is now available for purchase as a set or individually.

Well I hope you all enjoyed the swatches and nail art. As always, thank you for stopping by, and until next time.
-Ana

Products Used:
Swatches
Glossy Top Coat: Seche Vite
Matte Top Coat: Wet N Wild "Matte Top Coat"

Maui Mani
Pink: Lavish Polish "Maui"
Black: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire"
Green: Serendipity Polish "Cash Flow Queen"
White: Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Top Coat: Seche Vite
Stamping Plates: Bundle Monster BM-507, BM-508, BM-510
Medium Clear Jelly Stamper: Born Pretty Store item #26498
Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool: Born Pretty Store item #32220
Cuticle Guard Peel-Off Latex: Born Pretty Store item #36614

Bahamas Mani
Blue: Lavish Polish "Bahamas"
White: Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Yellow: Bonita Colors "Creaaamson"
Orange: Bonita Colors "Cutiepie"
Green: Serendipity Polish "Cash Flow Queen"
Pastel Green: Bonita Colors "Wild Guess"
Black: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire"
Top Coat: Seche Vite
Stamping Plates: Bundle Monster BM-502, BM-503, BM-504, BM-505, BM-507, BM-508
Medium Clear Jelly Stamper: Born Pretty Store item #26498
Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool: Born Pretty Store item #32220
Cuticle Guard Peel-Off Latex: Born Pretty Store item #36614

Bora Bora Mani
Sea foam Green: Lavish Polish "Bora Bora"
White: Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Black: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire"
Top Coat: Seche Vite
Water Decal: Born Pretty Store item #20699 (BP-W12)
Black Rhinestone Wheel: Born Pretty Store item #12412

Jamaica Mani
Peachy Orange: Lavish Polish "Jamaica"
White: Sinful Colors "Snow Me White"
Top Coat: Seche Vite
Water Decals: Born Pretty Store item #20699 (BP-W12)
White Round Glitter Mix: Born Pretty Store item #37147 (#6)

*Giveaway Prize: Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire" & "Cash Flow Queen"; Bundle Monster stamping plates BM-502, BM-503, BM-504, BM-505, BM-507, BM-508 & BM-510.
*Past Press Samples: Born Pretty Store Medium Clear Jelly Stamper, Manicure Saver Cotton Claw Tool, Black Rhinestone Wheel & White Round Glitter Mix.

Born Pretty Store Review: Glitter Mixes, Stamping Plates & Glass Files

 Press Sample / Giveaway Prize / Gift / Purchased By Me 

Hi guys! Today I have a review of some Born Pretty Store items to share with you. So let's get to it.

First up, we have this Silver Holo Glitter Mix (item #36993, #1). The glitter comes in a small container in a variety of shapes and sizes. The shapes include: stars, moons, hexagons, mickeys, clovers, hearts, diamonds, circles, triangles, butterflies, turtles, and something that looks like dinosaur footprints to me, or maybe they're flowers. Lol. All of the glitters are holo except for the turtles.

I wanted to do a starry sky mani using the glitter mix, so I chose a dark polish with flakies to resemble the night sky. While the polish was still wet, I began placing the glitters. I allowed the polish to dry and then finished with top coat. It ended up looking ok in pictures, but it looked much better in real life.

Close-Ups:

Next up is this gorgeous Gold, Black & White Round Glitter Mix (item #37147, #6). The glitters come in 3 different sizes each. The gold glitters are actually holo, and the black/white glitters are matte. I loved this mix so much, it kind of reminded me of New Year's for some reason. Oh, I must say that when I was working with the glitter I did it over my TwinkledT Glamour Mat. Boy was that a mistake, lol. I accidentally ended up spilling nearly half of the glitter mix onto the mat, and it took me quite a while to get them off. They stuck pretty well to the mat, so I recommend you work over a piece of paper so you can return the extra glitter into the container with ease. To pick up the glitters for both manis, I simply wet the end of my orange stick and was able to pick up and place the glitter without any problems. You might need 2 coats of top coat if you want a smooth surface since the glitters might be a bit bulky. I used 2 coats for both glitter manis.

So for this mani I chose a color I thought would work with the colors of the glitter mix. I think this dark green creme helped the glitters stand out.

Close-Ups:

Okay, now it's time for the stamping plates. The first plate is this Holiday Celebration Rectangular Stamping Plate BPX-L013 (item #38219). It not only has Christmas images, but other images that can be used for New Year's, 4th of July, Spring and even Birthday manis.

I decided to do a colorful Christmas mani. As you can see, I tried to make a decal for my accent nail, and it did come out pretty good but I wasn't able to place it successfully. You can kind of see the wrinkles in there which I didn't like, but that was my fault. I obviously need more practice in making and placing decals. Anyways, I'm really glad I ended up using bright colors because I think the mani ended up looking so cheerful and neat.

Close-Ups:

The second plate was this Christmas Rectangular Stamping Plate BP-L056 (item #37097). This plate mostly has Christmas images, but there was an image on it that looked more galaxy to me, and I knew I had to use it.

I did a gradient with flakie polishes since I thought they'd be best for a beautiful galaxy sky. Once I had that, I went ahead and stamped on the starry image. It came out looking so amazing, I loved it. This plate was my favorite of the 2, it has so many gorgeous Christmas images. Yes, I know the holidays are over, but I still recommend having it in your collection.

Close-Ups:

Extra Mani Shot:

The last items I received were these beautiful Glass Files (item #37588), the listing says it's a pack of 4 files. I actually received 5 by accident, but Cynthia from Born Pretty Store said it was fine. So the files currently don't come in different colors, and that's something I hope they change in the future. That being said, they work great which is the most important thing. I've been using a regular nail file ever since I got into nail art, and when I first heard of glass files I wanted to give them a try. You use them like you would any other nail file, but they are definitely much more gentle on your nails. I did feel like it took me a bit longer than usual to file my nails, and it felt a bit odd, but it didn't feel as harsh on my nails as it usually does. I was very impressed. Also, if you've ever filed your nails, then you've most likely seen that some nail residue (I guess you can call it that) is left behind after you file your nails. I noticed when using the glass file that not much residue was left over.

This picture is after using the glass file. Although I feel like I will have to get used to using the glass file, I did love how gentle it was on my nails.

Overall, I was very pleased with all the items, especially the glass files. I recommend you give them a try.

I hope you guys liked the manis and review. Remember that you can get 10% off any regular priced items from Born Pretty Store by using my code ANNYW10.

As always, thank you for stopping by. Until next time.
-Ana

Products Used:
Black Creme Polish: Serendipity Nail Polish "Building My Empire"
Black Flakie Polish: Covergirl "Diva After Dark"
Green Creme Polish: Serendipity Nail Polish "Cash Flow Queen"
Sheer Nude Polish: Wet N Wild "2% Milk"
Yellow Creme Polish: Covergirl "#GetGlowing"
Pink Creme Polish: Fantasy Makers "Ghouls Rush In"
Green Jelly Polish: Fantasy Makers "Queen of Envy"
Red Creme Polish: Fantasy Makers "Bloody Marie"
Blue Creme Polish: Elf Nail Polish "Skinny Jeans"
Gold Polish: Elf Nail Polish "Pot of Gold"
Silver Polish: Elf Nail Polish "Liquid Metal"
Fuchsia Flakie Polish: Glam Polish "Go Eat Worms!"
Red Flakie Polish: Glam Polish "Vampire Breath"
Blue Flakie Polish: Glam Polish "Night of the Living Dummy"
Dark Teal Flakie Polish: Glam Polish "Werewolf of Fever Swamp"
Green Flakie Polish: Glam Polish "Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes"
Black Stamping Polish: Born Pretty Store item #18135
White Stamping Polish: Born Pretty Store item #18136
Clear Jelly Stamper: Born Pretty Store item #26498
Top Coats: LACC Beauty "2013 Top Coat" & Serendipity Nail Polish "Finishing Touch"

*Glitter Mixes, Stamping Plates and Glass Files I reviewed in this post were Press Samples. Serendipity Polish "Building My Empire", "Cash Flow Queen", "Finishing Touch"; LACC Beauty "2013 Top Coat"; and Glam Polish "Go Eat Worms!", "Vampire Breath", "Night of the Living Dummy", "Werewolf of Fever Swamp", "Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes" were giveaway prizes. Elf Nail Polish "Skinny Jeans", "Pot if Gold", "Liquid Metal" were a gift. Born Pretty Store Black/White Stamping Polishes and Clear Jelly Stamper were past Press Samples.