Showing posts with label Diamond Cosmetics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Diamond Cosmetics. Show all posts
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Koi Manicure
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Mint Green Jewels
I was in the mood to do something fun so I decided to try this mani:
I simplified it a little bit because my nails are so much shorter than the ones in the picture, but I like the results!
First, I painted my nails with Revlon Minted as the base. Then, I used a small brush to paint an outline with Diamond Cosmetics Party Hearty. It's a rose gold as opposed to the regular gold in the picture, but I think it works well enough. Lastly, I added the rhinestones and bullion beads. It's actually not as complicated as it looks! Gluing on the beads/stones takes a little bit of time but it's so much easier and faster than, say, painting a floral print. I love the placement of the stones but I think my favorite part is actually the gold outline, I like the way it frames the mint green. As I've said before, I love doing manis with lots of rhinestones because it looks ornate but isn't a lot of work. You can obviously experiment with different colors and placements as well of course. If you're intimidated by nail art, try something easy and sparkly!
I simplified it a little bit because my nails are so much shorter than the ones in the picture, but I like the results!
First, I painted my nails with Revlon Minted as the base. Then, I used a small brush to paint an outline with Diamond Cosmetics Party Hearty. It's a rose gold as opposed to the regular gold in the picture, but I think it works well enough. Lastly, I added the rhinestones and bullion beads. It's actually not as complicated as it looks! Gluing on the beads/stones takes a little bit of time but it's so much easier and faster than, say, painting a floral print. I love the placement of the stones but I think my favorite part is actually the gold outline, I like the way it frames the mint green. As I've said before, I love doing manis with lots of rhinestones because it looks ornate but isn't a lot of work. You can obviously experiment with different colors and placements as well of course. If you're intimidated by nail art, try something easy and sparkly!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Marble Confetti Mani
I've always thought that water marble manis looked cool but I had no idea how difficult it was! I had to experiment with a few different polishes before I got it right and also messed up a few nails before I got some decent patterns (decent, not great!).
I started with a white base, MAC Vestral White:
These are the colors I used:
L to R: Diamond Cosmetics Orange Blush, Color Club Almost Famous, Nfu-oh 553, American Apparel Office, Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau
Here is the first nail:
I couldn't find tape so I had to clean up all the polish from my skin later (didn't want to use Vaseline or something oily b/c it might leave a film in the water, preventing the drops of polish from spreading correctly).
Afterward, I added some heart-shaped glitter and colorful rhinestones. Here's the finished product:
It's not quite what I hoped for but I still think it looks fun, like birthday party decorations!
For more detailed instructions on water marbling (and better designs) check out this blog:
http://mysimplelittlepleasures.blogspot.com/
She's so pro! Hopefully I'll be just as good some day!
I started with a white base, MAC Vestral White:
These are the colors I used:
Here is the first nail:
Afterward, I added some heart-shaped glitter and colorful rhinestones. Here's the finished product:
For more detailed instructions on water marbling (and better designs) check out this blog:
http://mysimplelittlepleasures.blogspot.com/
She's so pro! Hopefully I'll be just as good some day!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Pink Nails with Jewels and Floral Accent
I was looking for a simple nail art design to try and found this one:
I thought it was really cute, I love the contrast of the navy nail against the pink nails, and that the flowers on the accent nail match the pink of the other nails. I didn't quite execute it as nicely, though; I need to work on my florals! Here's how it turned out:
I used Hello Kitty nail polish in Bubble Gum for the pink, Diamond Cosmetics Midnight Blue for the navy. The flowers were painted on with acrylic paint using a small brush and a toothpick. I attached a mix of rhinestones, bullion beads and hex glitter on the sparkly nails.
Looking at the design now, it kinda looks random, not as cohesive as I thought. I still like it though! Nail art is always fun!
I thought it was really cute, I love the contrast of the navy nail against the pink nails, and that the flowers on the accent nail match the pink of the other nails. I didn't quite execute it as nicely, though; I need to work on my florals! Here's how it turned out:
I used Hello Kitty nail polish in Bubble Gum for the pink, Diamond Cosmetics Midnight Blue for the navy. The flowers were painted on with acrylic paint using a small brush and a toothpick. I attached a mix of rhinestones, bullion beads and hex glitter on the sparkly nails.
Looking at the design now, it kinda looks random, not as cohesive as I thought. I still like it though! Nail art is always fun!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Cover Girl IceSlicks
I already swatched Anti-Freeze a while ago, but I recently bought a few more on ebay so I thought I'd do a comparison. I did these all over Diamond Cosmetics Crushed Velvet which is actually a dark purple, but it looks blue in the pictures.
All of them go on clear and the glitter is iridescent. The glitter in Arctic ranges from cerulean to teal, depending on the angle. The glitter in Krypton-Ice goes from teal to yellow-green. Orange Slush's glitter goes from red-orange to yellow-orange. Pink Ice has the same glitter as Orange Slush, plus a royal blue glitter. Anti-Freeze has the same royal blue glitter as Pink Ice, but also small specks of pale green glitter (possibly the same as the glitter in Krypton-Ice).
I really love all of these! Even though I only wore the different colors on each finger for this comparison, I loved wearing them so much that I did it on my other hand too. There's a good amount of glitter as a top coat, I am wearing two coats of each color. Not dense enough to wear by themselves, though. As much as I love these, I do have some complaints. First of all, they REEK! I'm sure it has to do with the chemicals (pretty sure these are not 3-free) but whatever the reason, they smell like rotting garlic or something. I don't even mind the smell of most nail polishes that much but these smell gross. The other big complaint I have is that they do not seem to mesh well with 3-free polishes. I put Seche Vite over my mani, but it was still dent-able for at least two days, maybe more. Also, I'm not sure if this is a well-known fact that I am just discovering, but it seems like when you put SV over polishes that take a very long time to dry, small cracks eventually form in the polish. Weird. Still, I love these glitters so much that I am willing to deal with it all; I don't think there is anything similar out there right now.
I know people have been able to find these at their local Dollar Tree locations, but I bought these on ebay. If you are lucky enough to find some, pick them up!
All of them go on clear and the glitter is iridescent. The glitter in Arctic ranges from cerulean to teal, depending on the angle. The glitter in Krypton-Ice goes from teal to yellow-green. Orange Slush's glitter goes from red-orange to yellow-orange. Pink Ice has the same glitter as Orange Slush, plus a royal blue glitter. Anti-Freeze has the same royal blue glitter as Pink Ice, but also small specks of pale green glitter (possibly the same as the glitter in Krypton-Ice).
I really love all of these! Even though I only wore the different colors on each finger for this comparison, I loved wearing them so much that I did it on my other hand too. There's a good amount of glitter as a top coat, I am wearing two coats of each color. Not dense enough to wear by themselves, though. As much as I love these, I do have some complaints. First of all, they REEK! I'm sure it has to do with the chemicals (pretty sure these are not 3-free) but whatever the reason, they smell like rotting garlic or something. I don't even mind the smell of most nail polishes that much but these smell gross. The other big complaint I have is that they do not seem to mesh well with 3-free polishes. I put Seche Vite over my mani, but it was still dent-able for at least two days, maybe more. Also, I'm not sure if this is a well-known fact that I am just discovering, but it seems like when you put SV over polishes that take a very long time to dry, small cracks eventually form in the polish. Weird. Still, I love these glitters so much that I am willing to deal with it all; I don't think there is anything similar out there right now.
I know people have been able to find these at their local Dollar Tree locations, but I bought these on ebay. If you are lucky enough to find some, pick them up!
Monday, March 14, 2011
St. Patrick's Day Mani
I actually forgot that St. Patrick's Day was coming up, I just wanted to wear a green polish. Once I pulled the polish out, though, it occurred to me that I could finally try an idea that I'd been wanting to do for some time.
My first 3D acrylic sculpture! This was inspired by one of Asami's pictures. Mine didn't come out quite as perfect, but I'm proud of it anyway (my right hand did not fare as well...). I know the heart is kind of random, haha. I just really wanted to do a heart! I originally had this over just green polish, but it looked so plain and the color of the shamrock was too close to the color of the polish:
I added a little glitter to make the shamrock stand out more and to make it more interesting overall.
The green polish is Diamond Cosmetics Froggy, a bright grass green. This is actually a neon. I was so excited about this, but ended up being kind of annoyed with it. I think the color is nice, but it's really sheer! In the last picture you can see that after four coats there was still visible nail line, and it took a pretty long time to dry. I added one very thin coat of Color Club Under The Mistletoe and it made it all better! Helps to hide VNL. It's one of my favorite glitters out of the many that I own! The glitter is actually made of small gold flakes so it covers well and isn't gritty (full review here). Next time I wear Froggy I am definitely using something opaque underneath it.
My first 3D acrylic sculpture! This was inspired by one of Asami's pictures. Mine didn't come out quite as perfect, but I'm proud of it anyway (my right hand did not fare as well...). I know the heart is kind of random, haha. I just really wanted to do a heart! I originally had this over just green polish, but it looked so plain and the color of the shamrock was too close to the color of the polish:
I added a little glitter to make the shamrock stand out more and to make it more interesting overall.
The green polish is Diamond Cosmetics Froggy, a bright grass green. This is actually a neon. I was so excited about this, but ended up being kind of annoyed with it. I think the color is nice, but it's really sheer! In the last picture you can see that after four coats there was still visible nail line, and it took a pretty long time to dry. I added one very thin coat of Color Club Under The Mistletoe and it made it all better! Helps to hide VNL. It's one of my favorite glitters out of the many that I own! The glitter is actually made of small gold flakes so it covers well and isn't gritty (full review here). Next time I wear Froggy I am definitely using something opaque underneath it.
Monday, February 28, 2011
OPI Last Friday Night over Diamond Cosmetics It's Electrifying!
I did this mani a couple of weeks ago but didn't have a chance to post it until now! I really wanted to try LFN over a color that kind of matched the base, so that it would look like the glitter was embedded in the polish rather than just painted on top. I think I found a pretty good match!
For a while I wasn't that into the idea of glittery topcoats, I preferred polishes that were more opaque. I'm really having fun with this one, though! Can't wait to try it with some other blues.
I also recently got a Bergdorf Goodman gift card and used it to buy some Chanel polishes:
I want to try these out soon. Honestly I probably wouldn't have purchased them with my own money but I didn't mind "splurging" with a gift card.
For a while I wasn't that into the idea of glittery topcoats, I preferred polishes that were more opaque. I'm really having fun with this one, though! Can't wait to try it with some other blues.
I also recently got a Bergdorf Goodman gift card and used it to buy some Chanel polishes:
I want to try these out soon. Honestly I probably wouldn't have purchased them with my own money but I didn't mind "splurging" with a gift card.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Pink Lace Nails
I love lace and super feminine manis, so it's no surprise that this could be my favorite so far! This is a super easy mani to do with stickers. Enlarge to see details. (Excuse my sweatshirt in the background.)
I was inspired by the intricate gel nail creations that are so popular these days. To mimic the look of gel nails, I used a pink jelly as the base, Diamond Cosmetics Sugar Coat Me. It was a bit paler than what I was hoping for, so I did a coat of Essie Petal Pink (a sheer pink) over it to deepen it just a shade. Also, on gel nails, the lace is usually acrylic sculpture but I used stickers. If you want them to look even more gel-like, do a thick coat of topcoat on top, so that the lace looks almost suspended in the nail. I thought the rhinestone was a nice added touch, gives the mani just a little bit of sparkle!
These are the stickers I used:
These are very cheap and easy to find on ebay, just do a search for "lace nail stickers." They are thin and don't stick very well, so I would recommend doing this while the nails are still wet. Remove the lace strip from the backing with a pair of tweezers. Carefully place it on your nail, then use small manicure scissors to trim away excess. Once the nail is a bit more dry, carefully press the sticker onto the nail so it's secure. Once it's dry, go over the entire thing with top coat. If there are parts of the sticker that are lifting up, glue them down with a bit of top coat and then go over that area again. If you want to do rhinestones, my set came with stickers with rhinestones already glued on, but if yours does not, I would recommend gluing the rhinestones onto the sticker before applying to the nail. I placed my lace in kind of a random pattern, but obviously you can be as precise as you'd like.
Close-up:
I can't stop looking at my nails! I've ordered some more lace stickers and will definitely be doing more of these!
I was inspired by the intricate gel nail creations that are so popular these days. To mimic the look of gel nails, I used a pink jelly as the base, Diamond Cosmetics Sugar Coat Me. It was a bit paler than what I was hoping for, so I did a coat of Essie Petal Pink (a sheer pink) over it to deepen it just a shade. Also, on gel nails, the lace is usually acrylic sculpture but I used stickers. If you want them to look even more gel-like, do a thick coat of topcoat on top, so that the lace looks almost suspended in the nail. I thought the rhinestone was a nice added touch, gives the mani just a little bit of sparkle!
These are the stickers I used:
These are very cheap and easy to find on ebay, just do a search for "lace nail stickers." They are thin and don't stick very well, so I would recommend doing this while the nails are still wet. Remove the lace strip from the backing with a pair of tweezers. Carefully place it on your nail, then use small manicure scissors to trim away excess. Once the nail is a bit more dry, carefully press the sticker onto the nail so it's secure. Once it's dry, go over the entire thing with top coat. If there are parts of the sticker that are lifting up, glue them down with a bit of top coat and then go over that area again. If you want to do rhinestones, my set came with stickers with rhinestones already glued on, but if yours does not, I would recommend gluing the rhinestones onto the sticker before applying to the nail. I placed my lace in kind of a random pattern, but obviously you can be as precise as you'd like.
Close-up:
I can't stop looking at my nails! I've ordered some more lace stickers and will definitely be doing more of these!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Punk Hello Kitty Mani
Who doesn't love Hello Kitty? I sure do!
Very simple mani made with HK water decals on a base of Diamond Cosmetics Starry Night, a black with subtle silver glass flecks. I wasn't quite sure at first what base color would be appropriate, but with the punk theme, black seems like the obvious choice. I thought it would look too cheesy, but I actually really like it! The decals were too big for my nails, so I carefully cut them up. I accidentally put the HK head upside-down, though, D'oh!
Now that I've tried them, I prefer water decals to stickers because they are thinner. It makes it easier to mold them to the nail and cover them with top coat. Stickers sometimes stick out at the edges because they don't bend as easily, but they can be more 3D than decals. Water decals are also easier to cut into pieces if they are too big (or you just prefer them that way).
You can buy the decals from this ebay seller: hello2happiness
Very simple mani made with HK water decals on a base of Diamond Cosmetics Starry Night, a black with subtle silver glass flecks. I wasn't quite sure at first what base color would be appropriate, but with the punk theme, black seems like the obvious choice. I thought it would look too cheesy, but I actually really like it! The decals were too big for my nails, so I carefully cut them up. I accidentally put the HK head upside-down, though, D'oh!
Now that I've tried them, I prefer water decals to stickers because they are thinner. It makes it easier to mold them to the nail and cover them with top coat. Stickers sometimes stick out at the edges because they don't bend as easily, but they can be more 3D than decals. Water decals are also easier to cut into pieces if they are too big (or you just prefer them that way).
You can buy the decals from this ebay seller: hello2happiness
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Diamond Cosmetics Winter 2010
Sorry it took so long, but here are the swatches!
Moonsand, a pewter-silver foil. I love foils, and Diamond does some great ones. In the bottle I thought it had a slight bluish tinge, but it's really just a dark silver. The fact that it's more of a patina-ed silver color rather than a super shiny one makes it perfect for fall/winter. The formula was great, very easy to work with and they were dry to the touch quickly (as with most foils), but it took a few minutes for each layer to dry completely. I am wearing three coats in the picture.
Hypnotic. This is an intriguing green that leans toward teal, reminds me a dark green jade. It has a more yellow-toned emerald green shimmer, and maybe some gold? Understated, pretty, unique, reminds me of a peacock feather. Formula on this one was great to work with, opaque in two coats. I wonder how it compares to OPI's Here Today Aragon Tomorrow?
Starshine. I thought it was black in the bottle, but to my delight it is actually a dark, metallic, blue-toned anthracite with blue micro glitter. At first it just looks like the perfect dark metallic, kind of like one of Christian Louboutin's metal patent colors, but the blue glitter gives it even more depth and interest. The formula on this one was a bit watery, but not hard to work with (just be careful not to let it flood your cuticles). The first two coats were streaky but it evened out nicely with the third.
It's Electrifying is my favorite of the bunch (well, if I absolutely had to pick one)! It's an electric blue neon (yay!) with blue shimmer. Because it's a neon it dries to a satin finish, so you definitely need top coat to bring out the shimmer. It's bright and saturated at the same time and the shimmer gives it an extra dimension. This one applied nicely. You could actually get away with two coats if you don't mind visible nail line, but it turns out looking more teal than blue. Three coats are necessary to show the true color, and that is what I am wearing here.
Here are some comparisons.
Starshine next to Zoya Kotori:
Kotori has a darker base (that's not metallic) and a much more apparent blue shimmer. Kotori is also much sheerer.
Here's Orly Shine next to Moonsand:
As you can see, Shine is definitely brighter and it has closer to a chrome finish. Moonsand shows a little more texture because of the dark base.
Don't Teal My Heart Away next to Hypnotic:
Clearly, DTMHA is lighter in color and lacks the shimmer that Hypnotic has.
All of these colors are beautiful and unique, I have yet to be disappointed by Diamond Cosmetics! Part of the reason why I am posting this so late is because I really enjoyed wearing each color; I wasn't just swatching quickly like I do with some others (not that I don't love them too). For every color I can honestly say that I don't have anything else like it in my collection (although I don't have as many colors as some others). It's so refreshing as a winter collection, too; I love the mix of dark, bright, and metallic colors. It seems so appropriate for winter without being obvious (no holiday colors, no wintry whites). Drying time on these was a bit long; I would definitely recommend waiting a full 10-15 minutes between coats. Overall, though, I highly recommend all of them!
Moonsand, a pewter-silver foil. I love foils, and Diamond does some great ones. In the bottle I thought it had a slight bluish tinge, but it's really just a dark silver. The fact that it's more of a patina-ed silver color rather than a super shiny one makes it perfect for fall/winter. The formula was great, very easy to work with and they were dry to the touch quickly (as with most foils), but it took a few minutes for each layer to dry completely. I am wearing three coats in the picture.
Hypnotic. This is an intriguing green that leans toward teal, reminds me a dark green jade. It has a more yellow-toned emerald green shimmer, and maybe some gold? Understated, pretty, unique, reminds me of a peacock feather. Formula on this one was great to work with, opaque in two coats. I wonder how it compares to OPI's Here Today Aragon Tomorrow?
Starshine. I thought it was black in the bottle, but to my delight it is actually a dark, metallic, blue-toned anthracite with blue micro glitter. At first it just looks like the perfect dark metallic, kind of like one of Christian Louboutin's metal patent colors, but the blue glitter gives it even more depth and interest. The formula on this one was a bit watery, but not hard to work with (just be careful not to let it flood your cuticles). The first two coats were streaky but it evened out nicely with the third.
It's Electrifying is my favorite of the bunch (well, if I absolutely had to pick one)! It's an electric blue neon (yay!) with blue shimmer. Because it's a neon it dries to a satin finish, so you definitely need top coat to bring out the shimmer. It's bright and saturated at the same time and the shimmer gives it an extra dimension. This one applied nicely. You could actually get away with two coats if you don't mind visible nail line, but it turns out looking more teal than blue. Three coats are necessary to show the true color, and that is what I am wearing here.
Here are some comparisons.
Starshine next to Zoya Kotori:
Kotori has a darker base (that's not metallic) and a much more apparent blue shimmer. Kotori is also much sheerer.
Here's Orly Shine next to Moonsand:
As you can see, Shine is definitely brighter and it has closer to a chrome finish. Moonsand shows a little more texture because of the dark base.
Don't Teal My Heart Away next to Hypnotic:
Clearly, DTMHA is lighter in color and lacks the shimmer that Hypnotic has.
All of these colors are beautiful and unique, I have yet to be disappointed by Diamond Cosmetics! Part of the reason why I am posting this so late is because I really enjoyed wearing each color; I wasn't just swatching quickly like I do with some others (not that I don't love them too). For every color I can honestly say that I don't have anything else like it in my collection (although I don't have as many colors as some others). It's so refreshing as a winter collection, too; I love the mix of dark, bright, and metallic colors. It seems so appropriate for winter without being obvious (no holiday colors, no wintry whites). Drying time on these was a bit long; I would definitely recommend waiting a full 10-15 minutes between coats. Overall, though, I highly recommend all of them!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Diamond Cosmetics Haul (Plus Gifts)
I received my DC package a few days ago, the FedEx guy got me just as I was leaving. I will swatch these ASAP!
L to R: (top row) Moonsand, Starshine, It's Electrifying, Hypnotic (these four are the Winter 2010 collection), Essie Matte About You (this was a gift from my sister), (bottom row) Turquoise Glitter, Red Glitter, Decadence, Orange Blush, Sugar Coat Me
My friend Katie also sent me a very nice gift!
L to R: (top row) Absolutely Alice, Dazzle Me, Marquis d'Mauve, (bottom row) Revlon Minted, Essie Mint Candy Apple, China Glaze Fairy Dust
She also included these adorable little Le Creuset magnets!
Here is the red one next to my 5.5-qt. Le Creuset Dutch oven:
Happy holidays, hope you all got what you wanted!
L to R: (top row) Moonsand, Starshine, It's Electrifying, Hypnotic (these four are the Winter 2010 collection), Essie Matte About You (this was a gift from my sister), (bottom row) Turquoise Glitter, Red Glitter, Decadence, Orange Blush, Sugar Coat Me
My friend Katie also sent me a very nice gift!
L to R: (top row) Absolutely Alice, Dazzle Me, Marquis d'Mauve, (bottom row) Revlon Minted, Essie Mint Candy Apple, China Glaze Fairy Dust
She also included these adorable little Le Creuset magnets!
Here is the red one next to my 5.5-qt. Le Creuset Dutch oven:
Happy holidays, hope you all got what you wanted!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Diamond Cosmetics Rubies and Diamonds with Konad M71
Another Christmas mani! I was a little lazy about fixing the middle finger so it's a bit off to the side. The red base is Rubies and Diamonds from Diamond Cosmetics and the gold stamps were done with Diamond Cosmetics Party Hearty, a rose gold foil. I topped off the bows with some yellow-orange resin rhinestones. Rubies and Diamonds is really beautiful on its own, bright red jelly with red and gold microglitter. I am wearing four coats in the picture. Party Hearty worked perfectly with the Konad plate, as I'm sure most foils do. The bow is from the M71 plate.
Just a few more days until Christmas, hope everyone gets some great gifts!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Diamond Cosmetics Midnight Blue with Hidden Treasure
I ordered a couple of Nfu-oh polishes and hopefully they get here soon. I didn't get all the ones I wanted, but for now I will satisfy my flakey craving with this:
(Excuse the tip wear, I messed around with my nails before they were full dry.) Midnight blue is a blacked blurple, mostly navy but leans purple. I'm sure you all know about Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure by now. I always see it over black and while it does look good that combo does not appeal to me much. I think it looks a lot more interesting over colors, especially dark colors. This one is dark enough to offer contrast but the fact that it's a blurple instead of black makes it more interesting. Obviously not a holiday mani but I still have time to get a couple in before Christmas!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Diamond Cosmetics Code!
Diamond Cosmetics is offering free shipping until 5 a.m. (Eastern time, I assume) Sunday (Dec. 19)! Code is HOLIDAY. I have to admit that I have not swatched even half of the polishes I have purchased from them, but so far I have been very impressed. They have a lot of beautiful, unique colors and they are only $2.25-$2.75 each! Here are some quick and dirty bottle pics of my DC collection:
L to R: Cherry Tobacco, Rubies and Diamonds, Sparkling Sherry, Cotton Candy, Don't Teal My Heart Away, Froggy, Seafoam Spray, Oh Tiff!, Tranquility, Serendipity
L to R: Blue Diamonds, Midnight Blue, Crushed Velvet, Monarch Masquerade, Matte Black, Starry Night, Chainmail Charm, Never So Evergreen, Concrete Jungle, Party Hearty, Like Satin, Pink Flaminglo
I ordered the winter 2010 collection (Moonsand, Starshine, It's Electrifying, Hypnotic), Red Chunky Glitter, Turquoise Glitter, Sugar Coat Me, Decadence, and Orange Blush. I want them all! The only ones I would advise against are the glow-in-the-dark polishes. Maybe the others are better, but Pink Flaminglo is very sheer and didn't glow all that much. A friend of mine bought all four and said they were pretty sheer so even if you do decide to try the glow-in-the-dark polishes, it probably isn't worth it to buy more than one. Also, the shipping will show as part of your total but I called CS and they said that once the order actually goes through the shipping charge will be taken off. Happy shopping!
L to R: Cherry Tobacco, Rubies and Diamonds, Sparkling Sherry, Cotton Candy, Don't Teal My Heart Away, Froggy, Seafoam Spray, Oh Tiff!, Tranquility, Serendipity
L to R: Blue Diamonds, Midnight Blue, Crushed Velvet, Monarch Masquerade, Matte Black, Starry Night, Chainmail Charm, Never So Evergreen, Concrete Jungle, Party Hearty, Like Satin, Pink Flaminglo
I ordered the winter 2010 collection (Moonsand, Starshine, It's Electrifying, Hypnotic), Red Chunky Glitter, Turquoise Glitter, Sugar Coat Me, Decadence, and Orange Blush. I want them all! The only ones I would advise against are the glow-in-the-dark polishes. Maybe the others are better, but Pink Flaminglo is very sheer and didn't glow all that much. A friend of mine bought all four and said they were pretty sheer so even if you do decide to try the glow-in-the-dark polishes, it probably isn't worth it to buy more than one. Also, the shipping will show as part of your total but I called CS and they said that once the order actually goes through the shipping charge will be taken off. Happy shopping!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Halloween Nails!
This post is a bit late (since Halloween is in a few days), but both designs are super easy to do!
Here's the super simple one:
Just some stickers over a sparkly orange polish, Zoya Sienna. I like using all black stickers so it looks more cohesive, even though each sticker is different. I also alternated words with pictures so that there was a good mix of both; too many words looks too busy and all pictures looks too simple in my opinion. This one was inspired by one of Asami's designs.
This one takes a bit more time, but is still pretty easy:
I used Sinful Colors Nail Art polish in Time Off for the stripes. This time I used white/gold stickers so they'd stand out against both background colors. I also alternated stars with the words instead of random pictures because I thought the stars would look a little less busy.
Hope this gives you some ideas!
Here's the super simple one:
Just some stickers over a sparkly orange polish, Zoya Sienna. I like using all black stickers so it looks more cohesive, even though each sticker is different. I also alternated words with pictures so that there was a good mix of both; too many words looks too busy and all pictures looks too simple in my opinion. This one was inspired by one of Asami's designs.
This one takes a bit more time, but is still pretty easy:
I used Sinful Colors Nail Art polish in Time Off for the stripes. This time I used white/gold stickers so they'd stand out against both background colors. I also alternated stars with the words instead of random pictures because I thought the stars would look a little less busy.
Hope this gives you some ideas!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Diamond Cosmetics Cotton Candy
In hone of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am wearing Diamond Cosmetics Cotton Candy:
(Yikes, excuse my dry cuticles, I had just soaked them to remove a glitter polish.) I'm not usually one for pinks, but I really like this one! It's a bit on the salmon side, a Barbie pink. I kind of feel like a little kid when I wear it, it reminds me of one of the first polishes I loved. It's a cream with very subtle shimmer which you can see in the enlarged version of the picture. Application was pretty streaky, I am wearing three coats and you can still kind of see some streaks. I think next time I might try adding a drop of thinner. Still, another pretty color from Diamond! Not quite your average pink. I suppose it's not much of a fall color, but I think that you should wear whatever color makes you happy, regardless of seasonal trends.
Can't wait to see everyone's pink and/or Halloween manis!
(Yikes, excuse my dry cuticles, I had just soaked them to remove a glitter polish.) I'm not usually one for pinks, but I really like this one! It's a bit on the salmon side, a Barbie pink. I kind of feel like a little kid when I wear it, it reminds me of one of the first polishes I loved. It's a cream with very subtle shimmer which you can see in the enlarged version of the picture. Application was pretty streaky, I am wearing three coats and you can still kind of see some streaks. I think next time I might try adding a drop of thinner. Still, another pretty color from Diamond! Not quite your average pink. I suppose it's not much of a fall color, but I think that you should wear whatever color makes you happy, regardless of seasonal trends.
Can't wait to see everyone's pink and/or Halloween manis!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Diamond Cosmetics Sparkling Sherry
Hooray for Thursdays! Less than two weeks until I leave for Chicago (well, actually Milwaukee).
Today's color is a beautiful magenta foil:
I really wish my photography skills were better, or that I had a better camera, or both. This color is really just gorgeous, more purplish than in the picture. Application was a dream! Perfect consistency, very easy to work with, and I'm only wearing one coat in the picture.
It's a bit early, but hope everyone has a good weekend!
Today's color is a beautiful magenta foil:
I really wish my photography skills were better, or that I had a better camera, or both. This color is really just gorgeous, more purplish than in the picture. Application was a dream! Perfect consistency, very easy to work with, and I'm only wearing one coat in the picture.
It's a bit early, but hope everyone has a good weekend!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Light Blue Comparison
I love blues and I love pastels! I have a fair number of pastel blues in my collection so I thought I'd do a comparison.
In the bottles:
L to R: Diamond Cosmetics Oh Tiff!, DC Tranquility, OPI What's With The Cattitude? (my doggy chewed the cap!), Studio M Whose That Girl/Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau (same company, same polish, different bottles), Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dive Deeper (I believe this is from the limited-edition Tracy Reese collection, the one that included Hidden Treasure)
On the fingers:
Thumb to pinky (same as the order of the bottles): Diamond Cosmetics Oh Tiff!, DC Tranquility, OPI What's With The Cattitude?, Studio M Whose That Girl/Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dive Deeper
With Dive Deeper on top;
Too bad you can't really see the shimmer effect!
Oh Tiff! is a true Tiffany blue, kind of a pastel blue-green or aqua. In fact, I put my thumb against a Tiffany box and it really looks like the exact shade to me, although the lighting here isn't that great right now. There's some kind of secret shimmer in it but it's pretty much impossible to see, even in the sun. I've mentioned this one in a previous post already but the application is good. A tiny bit streaky, but in two coats it was perfect.
Tranquility is bluer than Oh Tiff!, closer to a robin's egg blue but still a bit greenish compared to Cattitude. Application was similar to OT, but better. Two coats in the picture.
What's With The Cattitude? is a true robin's egg blue. This one is more of a jelly than a cream, I'd say. It was more sheer than the others (except Dive Deeper) and a bit more watery. Two coats was fine for me, though.
Take Me To Your Chateau is my favorite of the five right now, I think. It's a stark, mod pale blue with absolutely no shimmer or anything. I've been looking for something like this for a while, something similar to Hard Candy Sky, and I think this is it! Application on this one was perfect! I actually only used one coat of this one, and it dried very quickly. The finish was almost satin, so it definitely could use a top coat, although I did apply all of these alone without base or top coat.
Dive Deeper is a sheer, pearlescent pale blue with iridescent microglitter. I was excited to try it because it's so pretty in the bottle, but I was really disappointed. I used two coats in the picture but it could have used a third (nail line was still visible). Also, it never dried! I did put it on my pinky so maybe I painted it on a bit thick, but even when I put on a thin coat over the other colors it took quite a while.
Oh Tiff against a Tiffany box:
Very similar, no? It's kind of hard to compare because the box is textured while the nail polish is glossy. Oh Tiff! dries darker on the nail than it shows in the bottle. I believe China Glaze For Audrey is similar but a bit darker.
Hope this helped!
In the bottles:
L to R: Diamond Cosmetics Oh Tiff!, DC Tranquility, OPI What's With The Cattitude? (my doggy chewed the cap!), Studio M Whose That Girl/Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau (same company, same polish, different bottles), Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dive Deeper (I believe this is from the limited-edition Tracy Reese collection, the one that included Hidden Treasure)
On the fingers:
Thumb to pinky (same as the order of the bottles): Diamond Cosmetics Oh Tiff!, DC Tranquility, OPI What's With The Cattitude?, Studio M Whose That Girl/Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dive Deeper
With Dive Deeper on top;
Too bad you can't really see the shimmer effect!
Oh Tiff! is a true Tiffany blue, kind of a pastel blue-green or aqua. In fact, I put my thumb against a Tiffany box and it really looks like the exact shade to me, although the lighting here isn't that great right now. There's some kind of secret shimmer in it but it's pretty much impossible to see, even in the sun. I've mentioned this one in a previous post already but the application is good. A tiny bit streaky, but in two coats it was perfect.
Tranquility is bluer than Oh Tiff!, closer to a robin's egg blue but still a bit greenish compared to Cattitude. Application was similar to OT, but better. Two coats in the picture.
What's With The Cattitude? is a true robin's egg blue. This one is more of a jelly than a cream, I'd say. It was more sheer than the others (except Dive Deeper) and a bit more watery. Two coats was fine for me, though.
Take Me To Your Chateau is my favorite of the five right now, I think. It's a stark, mod pale blue with absolutely no shimmer or anything. I've been looking for something like this for a while, something similar to Hard Candy Sky, and I think this is it! Application on this one was perfect! I actually only used one coat of this one, and it dried very quickly. The finish was almost satin, so it definitely could use a top coat, although I did apply all of these alone without base or top coat.
Dive Deeper is a sheer, pearlescent pale blue with iridescent microglitter. I was excited to try it because it's so pretty in the bottle, but I was really disappointed. I used two coats in the picture but it could have used a third (nail line was still visible). Also, it never dried! I did put it on my pinky so maybe I painted it on a bit thick, but even when I put on a thin coat over the other colors it took quite a while.
Oh Tiff against a Tiffany box:
Very similar, no? It's kind of hard to compare because the box is textured while the nail polish is glossy. Oh Tiff! dries darker on the nail than it shows in the bottle. I believe China Glaze For Audrey is similar but a bit darker.
Hope this helped!
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