ABC Challenge: Q - Claire's Queen Bee + Revlon Celestial FX

Self-purchased

Claire's Queen Bee is a blue-toned lilac creme that's great for spring. I used 3 coats. The formula was creamy, but thin and slightly runny so I had to apply the polish carefully. It surprisingly dried to a satin finish and didn't level well so I used top coat to smooth it out and add some shine.

Revlon Celestial FX has silver star, moon, and diamond holo glitter, along with iridescent glitter, in a clear base. It's a whimsical polish that reminds me of fairytales! I used 1 coat over Claire's Queen Bee. The formula was not very good, but workable. Even though I set the bottle upside-down for a while, I still wasn't able to get the silver holo glitter out unless I swirled my brush and fished for them. Also, I could only get the iridescent glitter if I dabbed it. The polish had a lot of clear base that got a bit thick and gloopy so I recommend sponging this polish onto the nail instead of applying it normally. The large glitters weren't flexible so I couldn't bend them to match the curve of my nails. With top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ROY G. BIV Favorites: White

Today is the last post of the ROY G. BIV Favorites series in its initial run*! :( I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did. It was really fun hunting through my collection for my favorites! (Taking and editing pictures of each and every polish that made it to this series much less so...)

Essie Marshmallow

Wet 'n Wild French White Creme

Orly Peaceful Opposition

Nails Inc. Sweets Way

The Hungry Asian Belle

Jindie Nails Candy Land

Jindie Nails Candy Land Remixed

365 Days of Color One Colorful Year

Wing Dust Collections Hope

White Owl Lacquers Dwelling on Dreams

Gloss 'n Sparkle Unicorn Spawn

Pop Culture Cosmetics Dreaming of a Pink Christmas

Color Club For You

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

*Inevitably, my collection will grow... And with that, so will the number of my favorites! I plan to post my additional favorites periodically.

Julep Shelly

Self-purchased

Shelly is a darling mint creme with a touch of blue. I used 2 coats. The formula was wonderful because it was creamy and easy to apply. No cleanup required! It dried shiny, but I still used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ABC Challenge: P - Orly Pixie Dust

Self-purchased

Orly Pixie Dust is a sheer, light grey with microflakie-shimmer. I bought it as an alternative to Illamasqua Raindrops, and I'm not in the least disappointed! Pixie Dust is super pretty and calming. I used 4 coats. The formula was great and applied nicely even though it was sheer. It dried with a nice shine, but I still used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ROY G. BIV Favorites: Black

Sally Hansen In a Flurry

Wet 'n Wild Blackmail

Wet 'n Wild Black Creme

L'Oreal Hidden Gems

Claire's Bright Lights Big City

Sally Hansen Smoky

Orly Androgynie

Nails Inc. Noho

Butter London The Black Knight

Cult Nails I Got Distracted

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Confessions of a Nail Polish Addict Tag

I found this tag on Lacquered Lori and Kellie Gonzo. It seemed really fun so I decided to do it too!

Confessions of a Nail Polish Addict Questions:

1. What color are you wearing right now?
Julep Shelly, a really pretty mint creme with a touch of blue. A review is coming soon! ;)

2. What nail product can’t you live without?
Definitely fast-dry top coats! I really wonder how I got by without them before I found out about them.

3. What is your favorite nail brand?

Mainstream: Essie. Packaging, colors (fabulous greens and blues), and improving formula. Indie: Starrily. Amazing glitter bombs and full-coverage glitters, though she also makes other finishes.

4. What shape nail do you wear?
Squoval. I constantly switch between rounds and squovals, but only the latter makes me truly happy. It's too bad I have to actively maintain the shape since it's not my natural nail shape. But, my nails don't break or feel weak. :) 

5. What’s your go-to red, pink and neutral nail polish?
I have tons of unswatched polishes so my go-to's are subject to change.
Red: Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby. Beautiful crelly formula.
Pink: Essie Sugar Daddy. I cheated with this one since I actually prefer nude-y pinks.
Neutral: OPI Samoan Sand. "Always." (RIP Snape.)

6. Short or long Nails?
Short! When my nails are long, they don't keep their shape well because they curve. :(

7. What nail polish colors are on your nail wish list?
I have several... But the ones I want the most are Chanel Frenzy and Ballerina, Guerlain Gemma, Essie Petal Pushers, Formula X Moon Glow, Zoya Leah, and OPI Act Your Beige! and You're a Doll! Yup, I LOVE nudes.

8. When do you paint your nails? Morning, afternoon or evening?
I like to paint them in the afternoon because I get the perfect amount of sunlight for swatching.

9. What’s your top nail tip that you swear by?

Hmm... I guess painting my nails using Lacquerized's method. It really prevents messes so I don't have to cleanup!

10. What nail polish do you regret buying?
Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty. I bought it during the beginning of my growing love for nail polish. It's a pretty yellow, but so sheer yellow that it takes FOUR coats to become opaque. I only keep it because of nostalgia.

11. Neon or pastel?
Why not both?

12. What’s your favorite color right now/you wear all the time?

Right now, my favorite color is mint (re: Julep Shelly), but I don't wear it all the time. I don't have one I wear all the time, actually. However, the polish I've worn several times now is either OPI Tickle My France-y, OPI Samoan Sand, or L'Oreal Walk on the Beach.

I tag anyone and everyone! But especially you, Millie the Nail Smith.

Thanks for reading! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Les Nail Smiths: April 2015 - Korean Nail Art Inspired or Recreation

For this month's LNS, I wanted us to create a mani that was inspired by or a recreation of some Korean nail art. I was inspired by this mani from 0219_s2 on instagram. Instead of doing polka dots on my accent nails, I decided to keep them simple with a creme polish because I thought the sunny side-up eggs were elaborate enough. I really enjoyed wearing this mani, although it did make me really hungry when I finished painting it!

This was a really simple mani to do! All I did was drag my largest dotting tool to create the undulating membrane of the egg whites and then dot on the yolk.

Egg white: Julep Eileen
Yolk: Julep Catrina
Accent nails: Revlon Buttercup

Make sure to check out Millie's LNS mani as well!

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ABC Challenge: O - KLEANCOLOR On-Off Relationship + OPI Don't Touch My Tutu!

Self-purchased

KLEANCOLOR On-Off Relationship has pastel, bluish mint matte hex glitter in a clear base. I used 1 coat over OPI Don't Touch My Tutu! The formula was just okay. I had to set the bottle upside-down a bit before application and dab on the glitter. It had a lot of clear base, though, so I recommend sponging on the glitter to soak up the base instead of applying the polish normally. Despite all the issues, the polish was still easy to work with. KLEANCOLOR polishes are known for having a terrible smell, but I think they smell loads better than Nabi polishes and ammonia-free latex. It dried a teensy bit bumpy because of the large hexes so I used top coat.

One coat

Four coats

OPI Don't Touch My Tutu! is a very sheer white, like it was marketed to be. I used 4 coats to get it semi-opaque, though I LOVE how it looks at just one coat! At one coat, it is seriously PERFECT if you want just a hint of color, a "my nails, but better" shade, or need an appropriate polish for work. Something tells me this polish will also be great for jelly sandwiches. ;) The formula was amazing as it applied very easily with no cleanup required, though it was thin. It dried shiny. No top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ROY G. BIV Favorites: Grey/Silver

My Ten Friends Mr. Universe

Black Cat Lacquer Celestica

Zoya Caitlin

Orly Pixie Dust

Sephora It's Time to Rock!

Essence Grey-t to be Here

Lynnderella Gotta Have Brains

Sally Hansen Celeb City

Sephora by OPI So Totally Enchanted

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

ABC Challenge: N - Orly Nite Owl

Self-purchased

Orly Nite Owl is a medium taupe creme packed with silver shimmer. It's quite pretty, but I don't like the color on me as much as I thought I would. :( While it's more opaque than I thought it would be, I still had to use 3 coats. The formula was great - so easy to apply and control! I really think Orly should get more love for its consistent formula. I used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle