Crazy and Loud

Again, sorry for the lack of posts this last week...life just keeps draining me of all energy and I get my nails painted and then lack the will to actually post them. Gotta love my job >.> I have been spending a lot more time at the boyfriend's house because he officially asked me to move in ^^ I haven't moved in yet, but hopefully soon. Just working out the details ;)

So, I was thinking of doing something crazy and loud to my nails...something I haven't done before since I am trying to find new ideas, and I stumbled across a design that I thought was fun.

Without Flash

With Flash

Sunlight

*1 Coat China Glaze - Strong Adhesion Base Coat

* 2 Coats Pure Ice - Super Star (White)

*2 Coats Revlon - Mon Cherry 

*Stripe Rite - Black for Zebra Print stripes

* 2 Coats Sally Hansen Gem Crush - Showgirl Chic (Glitter Stripe)

I wore it to work and posted it on my Facebook and had quite a few comments of how it reminded people of the Red Queen's dress from Alice in Wonderland. I quite loved it. It is the loudest design I have done yet. I love Zebra print a lot and I want to try more designs using that element. I am also going to attempt a Cheetah print soon. 

Well, that's all I have for today. What is your favorite animal print? Are you tired of seeing animal print in general? Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions :) Until next time, keep on polishing!

-Jacqueline, Polished To Obsession

Oh to find the time...

Wow, have I ever been busier than these last few days? I think not. I have been running back and forth between the boyfriend's place and mine and going to my cousin's 17th birthday party... its been a mess, or more to the point, my nails have been a mess. I haven't had the time to sit down and do them properly in the past four days. It has been driving me crazy. I managed to finally swatch Essie - Bahama Mama. It is a gorgeous color! Like a raisin-ish crimson jelly. I love beautiful deep reds like this, but I was a bit upset with the application. It was very streaky and I used 3 coats and still saw light areas that didn't get covered well. I layered the accent finger with Essie - A Cut Above from the Luxeffects line (loooove it!).

Normal lighting

Bright lighting

I am sorry for the lack of a natural lighting picture, but it has been snowing like crazy lately and I really don't want to freeze to death trying to get a picture that will satisfy my awful obsessive mind with the need for perfection lol

I will try to get a mani done and try something I haven't tried before ^^ Until then, have fun painting!

- Jacqueline, Polished To Obsession

Marble-icious

I love this technique so much! It takes forever to do, but the outcome is always gorgeous! I think it took even longer today because this cold is really kicking my butt. In between coughing and getting drops of nail polish everywhere, and the smell of the nail polish making me sneeze...it was a real task.  Really, I just wanted an excuse to use my new favorite blue again ^^ The colors I used were Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Blue Me Away! and Coral Reef, and China Glaze - Liquid Leather, topped of with SV.

Flashy

No Flashy

In sunlight

Please forgive my terribly dry cuticles. I am planning to get some cuticle oil/cream soon to help them out. My skin isn't quite used to the dry weather here and my skin is screaming for moisture. 

What is your favorite type of design for your nails? I love this one because it is so forgiving and its a fun and different design on each nail :) By the way... tax refund just came in. I am thinking some new nail polish goodies. What colors/brands would you recommend? 

That's all for today, lovely nail-philes! 

-Jacqueline, Polished To Obsession

Goodbye Winter!

Hey polish lovers!

First off, I am sorry for the lack of posting... I have not been feeling 100% the past few days. I am still under the weather but I have decided to force myself to upload the pictures, so might as well get a post out. My newest mani was an idea to say goodbye to winter and try to usher in spring. The mountains look beautiful covered in snow, but I am personally tired of the cold and the ice. So in response to a song I enjoy singing with my daycare kiddos:

Base color: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Mellow Yellow, bumble bee: Stripe Rite, topped off with SV

I really hope this warm weather continues and we can really welcome in spring ^^. So I found an amazingly beautiful blue! The swatches don't do it nearly enough justice. I fell in love with this color instantly after the first nail. Its Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Blue Me Away! I got so many compliments at work about how gorgeous the color is. 

Inside without flash

Outside in indirect sunlight

I wish it hadn't been cloudy outside so the color would be a bit more true to form but  I am definitely going to have to create manis specifically to include this color. I would suggest adding this gem to your polish collections. 

Ok well as it is now 2:30 in the AM, I am going to say goodnight and end this post. As always, feel free to leave comments, suggestions or ideas ^^ 

-Jacqueline, Polished To Obsession

*Le Sigh* Disappointment...

I was super excited to try out CG - Oxidized Aqua crackle polish, and as much as I hate to say it, it was a great disappointment. I did a few trials on one of my nail wheels, to see which polish it would look best on top of, and I noticed that it just didn't crackle nicely. I tried it over polish w/o a top coat, and then with one, I tried it with a thick coat of crackle and with a thin coat...it just didn't want to do it. I hoped it would crackle correctly whenever I applied it to my nails, so after applying Pure Ice - China Girl (a beautiful shimmery peach-pink) and a coat of SV, I applied Oxidized Aqua and it just didn't turn out attractively.

I am going to have to say this one is a no go. It made me very sad because I love China Glaze. Has anyone else had a similar problem with this polish?

Well onto a happier note, I had a good time doing another mani on someone other than myself lol. I was requested to do a design I haven't tried yet, and I gave it my best. I attempted to use a nail art pen first, but it just beaded up over the top coat so I brought out the trusty Stripe Rite ^^

I used Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear - Violet Voltage as the base color over CG - Strong Adhesion Base Coat. I think it turned out pretty well. I still need to practice my striping technique but I think its improving lol As long as she was happy, then I guess they turned out great ;)

As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome ^^ I'd love to hear from you.

- Jacqueline, Polished To Obsession

New Crackle Polish!

So, I received an e-mail from Sally's stating that I only had to spend $3.74 more this month to get my 15% coupon for next month, and me being me... I just had to rush over during my lunch break. I went in just to get China Glaze - Strong Adhesion Base Coat, but I caught a glimpse of some clearance crackles that I just couldn't pass up, seeing as I am crazy for CG. I picked up CG - Crushed Candy and CG - Oxidized Aqua. I was ecstatic over Crushed Candy because it reminded me of CG - For Audrey (which, I sadly passed on again... spending quite a lot on polish lately. I will have you one day, my pretty!)

After spending the rest of the day antsy to get home to try my new polish, I spent a good 30 minutes trying to decide which color I wanted for my base coat and finally settled on one of my new Essie steals. I chose Essie - Over the Edge. It took 2 coats to get rid of the VNL (visible nail line) but it is a gorgeous shimmery gray.

I definitely have to remember my camera. I love my iPhone but it doesn't do these colors justice, nor does the lighting in this room. I applied some SV (Seche Vite) on top. Now, I have heard both sides of the argument: Top coat or no top coat before applying the crackle. What do you think? I personally like the crackle over SV, and haven't really noticed a difference when applied over polish.

Once I applied the CG - Crushed Candy, I noticed that my nails sort of resembled a turquoise gemstone, which was unintentional, but I really like it. I topped it off with another coat of SV and voila! Sent a picture of the finished mani to the boyfriend who replied with "That's sexy." lol I do love him so. He puts up with my madness quite well.

I will be back tomorrow with another crackle mani, since I cannot seem to keep the same polish on for more than a day or two. I'd like to blame it on chips due to working in a daycare (which is extraordinarily hard on polished nails!!! Too much hand washing and tickling children) but really its because I cannot wait to see what new craziness my polish obsessed brain can come up with ^^ So goodnight for now, polish fiends.

By the way, what brand do you adore the most when it comes to crackle polish?

-Jacqueline, Polished To Obsession

Essie!

Valentine's day has come and gone, and left behind a great many new goodies for me ^^ I had a wonderful two days with the boyfriend who had to put up with a quite a bit of nail talk. I got some Sally Hansen Gel Cutitle Remover and now my cuticles are looking much better.

I became insanely giddy when my Wal-Mart had specific colors of Essie on clearance for $5.00. I grabbed some and begged my boyfriend to get me some others. It is quite exciting to get a deal on your favorite brands ;) I plan on getting some swatches done asap. I think its very apparent that China Glaze is my favorite brand, but Essie is definitely second. It would probably be tied for first if it were a bit more affordable. I still have my eyes set on CG - For Audrey and some CG holos. I love some sparkle ^^

For now, here is another of my favorite manicures. I think this may be in my top 3.

Base: Pure Ice - Super Star, tips: China Glaze - Liquid Leather, and Stripe Rite for the zebra print

Also, feel free to leave any comments or suggestions! I want to learn all I can and share the knowledge. What is your favorite polish? Brand and color :)