Twinsie Tuesday: Anniversary Mani

Yes, I know it's Thursday. But seeing as today is the one-year anniversary of Twinsie Tuesday, us gals thought a special anniversary post was in order! I can't believe it's been a whole year since Twinsie Tuesday began! I've loved getting to know all of these ladies and seeing our little nail polish family grow. To celebrate our anniversary, each of us is recreating our manis from our first TT posts.

Our very first TT theme was an international polish. You can check out my post for the first ever Twinsie Tuesday HERE, if you like. I chose the gorgeous a-England Tristam, a deep blue scattered holo, as my international polish. This is still one of my absolute favorite a-Englands!

Tristam, along with its equally beautiful purple counterpart Lady of the Lake, is what started my love affair with a-England. I absolutely adore this polish! The pairing of such a richly colored base with the scattered holo creates a stunning effect, like stars in the night sky. Tristam is not only amazingly gorgeous, but the formula is top-notch too; very glossy and smooth. I used two coats here.

If you've never tried a-England, I cannot recommend the brand highly enough, especially their holos! Their polishes never disappoint!

I really hope all of you enjoy these TT posts as much as I do. While some of our challenges made me want to cut my hand off, (*cough* funky french, color blocked mani *cough*) it's always fun to experiment with new themes and challenge myself to do manicures I otherwise would never attempt. Of course, I've also made some amazing friends along the way! :)

As always, be sure to check out what the girls are wearing for their anniversary manis too!

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jamie at Polish, Please!
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Twinsie Tuesday: Vintage Mani

I love vintage, especially when it comes to clothes. Whenever I go home to visit my folks, I try to make it over to my favorite little vintage shop to see what new treasures may be hiding there. I bought a vintage Lanvin dress there on my last trip--score!

While I love vintage clothes, I know considerably less about vintage nail trends. Our Twinsie Tuesday theme this week was to recreate a vintage manicure, like one we might have found in an old photo or ad. So I did a bit of browsing on Google for some ideas and came across this super cute Cutex ad.

I like this ad a lot and I figure you really can't go wrong with red. As much as us polish addicts him and haw sometimes over the abundance of red nail polish out there, it's a polish color that has stood the test of time and is always in style--no matter what year!

I also drew some inspiration from the original celebrity nail diva, actress Rita Hayworth. One of her trademarks was her long red nails. Check out this close-up of her mani in the 1941 film "Blood and Sand." Gorgeous, right?

I know what you're thinking: "Chelsea, this all sounds like a long-winded attempt to cover up that you didn't want to try any nail art or design." To which my answer is yes, you're absolutely right. ;) But let me try my best to distract you with my tomato red nails! Check out Zoya Tamsen!

Obviously my nails are nowhere near as long and glamorous as Rita's. I had to cut them down to nubbins after I got a nasty break on my middle finger. But I think at least Tamsen is a perfect tomato red, much like the one in the Cutex ad. It has a great formula that covers in two coats. Tamsen is one of my favorite reds I've tried in a long time!

I can't wait to see what my (much more creative) Twinsies came up with for their vintage manis!

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jamie at Polish, Please!
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

Wet N Wild Teal Or No Teal

Wet N Wild Teal Or No Teal (ugh, that name pains me) is a teal shimmer. This is not to be confused with another WnW polish, the similarly named Teal of Fortune. Yes, the teal/TV pun idea was such a goldmine that they did it twice. *sigh* Name aside, this really is a lovely teal. It's part of WnW's permanent line, so no roving from drugstore to drugstore to hunt this baby down.

The formula is on the runny side and can get brushstroke-y if you're not careful. I used three coats here. Teal Or No Teal has this gorgeous glow to it. It's a very mermaid-esque kind of teal, if you know what I mean. Any teal lover is sure to enjoy this one!

Happy Hands Mayonegg

I've got another Arrested Development-themed Happy Hands polish to show you today! This time we'll be checking out Mayonegg. If you haven't seen the show (which I suggest correcting at the earliest possible opportunity), then allow me to explain: This polish's name is inspired by...well, I think this will explain it better than I can.

Source

Still got an appetite? Great, let's look at some polish! ;) Happy Hands Mayonegg has a shimmering white base with yellow hex glitter. It's much prettier than its inspiration might suggest.

I'm a fan of how unique this polish is, but unfortunately, I was less than pleased with the formula. I had originally tried wearing Mayonegg on its own, but the polish was so thick and the glitter went on so goopy that by the time I was on the second coat, my nails were looking like a hot, lumpy mess. So I decided to scrap that idea and layer one coat of Mayonegg over Sally Hansen White On, a white creme. The final result is what you see in these pictures. Layering Mayonegg helped the lumpiness. It just does not have a workable texture, at least from what I experienced.

I really can't decide how I feel about this polish. I love the end result, but getting there was a bit of a trial. It hasn't deterred me from my quest to eventually own all of Happy Hands' AD-themed polishes though--not by a long shot! Are you willing to overlook a problematic formula if you like the finished mani?

Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick: Review & Swatches

I love me some crazy lipstick. If it's bright and it's bold, I'll wear it. But sadly for my wallet, lipsticks that are unique colors and good quality tend to come at a higher price point. So I was very excited when I heard Maybelline would be releasing a new set of Color Sensational lipsticks called Vivids, which promised bright, pigmented lip colors at a drugstore price!

I immediately began stalking my local beauty haunts for these and was thrilled to finally find them at Target. I tried to avoid shades that were potentially similar to lipsticks already in my stash, so I wound up with four lipsticks in all. Do they deliver? Read on!

 L to R: Vivid Rose, Vibrant Mandarin, Hot Plum, Brazen Berry

The packaging on these is very similar to the regular Color Sensational lipsticks, except the tube color is, appropriately, a more vibrant red than the core lipsticks. I must say though that I don't like how these are sold without any type of seal or casing. I saw two women flat out putting these on their lips while I was browsing the rest of the make-up aisle--not cute and the exact reason why I think all lip colors should come with some type of sanitation protection. Make sure to check inside the tube before you buy so you don't wind up with one that's already been "sampled." :-/

Packaging woes aside, in the pigmentation department, these are extremely impressive. They deliver bold, opaque color in just one or two strokes. They do leave a stain behind, even after the minute or two they were on my hand. Personally I don't mind it but I know some are not a fan of lip color that hangs around, so whether the stain is a good or bad thing depends on you.

 Vivid Rose

 Vibrant Mandarin

 Hot Plum

 Brazen Berry

 L to R: Vivid Rose, Vibrant Mandarin, Hot Plum, Brazen Berry

The formula is glossy smooth, almost like more of a balm than a lipstick, which makes the opacity all the more impressive considering how softly these glide across the lips. There is a light vanilla scent to these. It's not as noticeable as, say, MAC lipsticks but it is there. Once on, these lipsticks feel comfortably lightweight, never thick or drying.

Overall, I am absolutely loving these and highly recommend them! They deliver fabulous pigmentation with a surprisingly lightweight formula and you can't beat the price. I bought these for $5.99 each at Target and it was money very well spent. Vivid Rose and Vibrant Mandarin are my two favorites of the four I tried, but now I am dying to go out and get more!  If you are a bold lip lover, then you owe it to yourself to give these a shot!

Have you tried any of the lipsticks from this line yet? Do you love them as much as I do?

Deborah Lippmann Spring/Summer 2013 Preview

Deborah Lippmann will be launching a slew of new polishes this spring and summer. With all the buzz surrounding DL polishes like Mermaid's Dream and Ray of Light last summer, it looks like this will be another hot collection!

 L to R: Moon Rendezvous, Careless Whisper, Groove Is In The Heart

 L To R: I'm Not Edible, Polka Dots and Moon Beams, Rockin' Robin

L to R: Million Dollar Mermaid, Do The Mermaid, Mermaid's Kiss, Mermaid's Eyes

The top row are already available on Deborah Lippmann's website. No word yet on when the rest of the polishes will launch. But since I'm such a huge fan of Mermaid's Dream, I am very excited to see that we'll be getting some new Mermaid polishes!

My Ten Friends 42

Hello everyone! I hope you are having a good week so far. We are pretty much snowed in here, which means plenty of lazing around and trash TV. I love me some "Maury" though, I can't lie. It's so shameful but so hilarious. What's your TV guilty pleasure?

But the bad weather also means extra time for nails and I've got a real beauty to share with you today! My Ten Friends 42 has a shimmering sky blue base with gold, blue and light green glitters in a variety of sizes and finishes. There's a good dash of holo pieces in there for extra shine and sparkles. :) This is two coats over Sally Hansen Model Behavior, a bright blue creme.

I snapped a quick pic of the bottle to share with you too, just because I think it's so beautiful! Look at all that glittery goodness!

Although I know My Ten Friends polishes follow an intergalactic theme, 42 really reminds me of the ocean. I love this polish! It has all of my favorite polish colors all in one and the formula is fabulous. The glitter spreads very evenly and is well-mixed, so there's no placing or fishing required.

If you're looking for a new indie brand to try out, I highly recommend My Ten Friends! They make some gorgeous polishes with excellent customer service. I love the brand's sci-fi theme too--helps it stand out from the sea of other indie makers out there. You can purchase My Ten Friends at the brand's Etsy shop.

Zoya Astra

Zoya only has a handful of true glitter polishes in their line, so as a glitter fanatic, I'd been curious to try one out. I got Astra, a sheer red polish with pink and red glitter, as a birthday present from my friend Jenna last year. This is an older Zoya that came out in 2009 in the Ultra Glitter Collection.

This polish reminds me a lot of Dorothy's ruby slippers. It's very pretty and the addition of the pink glitter gives it some extra texture and dimension, which I always love. It sets it apart a bit from all the other red glitters out there.

While I like the way Astra looks, I wasn't impressed with its thin and runny formula. I had to be very careful with how much polish I got on the brush and keep wiping the brush down, otherwise the polish would slide right off my nail and make a mess. The iffy formula was more of an annoyance than a deal breaker though.

Have you ever tried any Zoya glitters? If so, what did you think?

Twinsie Tuesday: Cervical Cancer Awareness Mani

I believe this is our first time doing any type of awareness mani for TT, but as women, cervical cancer has the potential to impact all of our lives. I know many women who have fought against cervical cancer, PCOS and other related conditions. I think it's so important for all of us to remain educated about prevention, screening methods and the many different resources out there that offer information and support. There's a bit more information included at the end of this post if you are interested.

As for my mani, teal is the color for cervical cancer awareness, so I layered two coats of Shimmer Jasmine over Wet N Wild Teal Or No Teal. Jasmine is a teal glitterbomb with multicolored glitter pieces interspersed throughout and Teal Or No Teal is teal (unsurprisingly) with gold microshimmer. Their shades of teal actually wound up being an almost exact match for one another.

As the month of January brings cervical cancer into focus, it’s time to increase public understanding of the disease, including its prevalence, approaches to screening and prevention, treatment options, and resources that offer updated cervical cancer information throughout the year.

Each year in the United States, more than 11,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and approximately 4,000 die of the disease. While certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to cervical cancer, vaccines such as Gardasil® and Cervarix™ are designed to prevent infection with high-risk types of HPV and have the potential to greatly reduce the occurrence of cervical cancer.

For more information on cervical cancer, its treatment, and support, please visit Cancer Connect by clicking here.

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jamie at Polish, Please!
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth 

Lynnderella Pentimento

Lynnderella Pentimento has a little bit of everything. I believe Lynn once claimed this polish has over 100 types of glitter in it and I'm certainly not going to dispute that or even begin to catalogue everything that's going on in this amazing polish. There's just about every shape, size and color imaginable. You've got bars, hexes, round glitter, microglitter and squares in red, pink, yellow, green, blue, purple, orange...you get the idea!

Since Pentimento has so many different elements, I wanted a base that wouldn't compete with it so all of the colors and shapes could really pop. But I also wanted something that had a little bit more character than, say, a nude base would. Painting nails is a very cerebral process, you know. ;) I ultimately went with Deborah Lippmann Waking Up In Vegas, which I think was a great compromise and goes very well with Pentimento, if I am allowed to say so myself! I used two coats of Pentimento here.

I found Pentimento's formula surprisingly workable. Even those notoriously pesky bars stayed flat without any trouble. I did have to do a bit of placing here and there to cover blank spots, but other than that, application went off without a hitch.

I think anyone who loves glitter will find something that appeals to them in Pentimento. Although there are a ton of different colors and shapes, Pentimento somehow manages to never look sloppy or overwhelming. I think the white pieces do a brilliant job of breaking up all of the other colors in this polish and I really like the abstract effect Pentimento creates on the nail!

China Glaze Avant Garden Preview

I have been very excited for China Glaze's spring collection, Avant Garden, ever since some sneak peeks from Cosmoprof popped up on the web last year. It looks like an amazing group of colors for spring and I'm excited to check these out, especially the pastels!

 L to R: Budding Romance, Sunday Funday, Fancy Pants, Snap My Dragon, Passion For Petals, Mimosas Before Manis

L to R: Life Is Rosy, Pink-ie Promise, Tart-y For The Party, Fade Into Hue, Keep Calm Paint On, Dandy Lying Around

The collection will officially launch in February, although I've read about a few scattered sightings already. Are there any polishes in this collection that you'll be keeping your eyes peeled for?

Shimmer Nichole

Shimmer Nichole is a red, blue and silver holographic glitterbomb. With its patriotic colors, Nichole would make for a perfect 4th of July mani, but I think it has a lot of versatility to it too, depending on what base you pair it with. I went for Rainbow Honey Gilded Angel, a warm-toned gold chrome with scattered holo. I feel like this combo has kind of a Wonder Woman vibe, which the nerd in me totally loves.

 *sings* Wonder Woman!

Nichole's formula is extremely easy to work with. I used two coats here. I enjoy Shimmer polishes a lot and Nichole is no exception. I love how each polish has several different colors in it, which makes the layering possibilities virtually limitless! You can purchase Shimmer from the brand's Etsy shop. 

SnailZ Mysterium Avalanche

Mysterium Avalanche is a polish made by my lovely friend Ash. I received it as part of my Secret Santa gift from her this Christmas! It has a clear base filled with various shapes and sizes of matte black and white glitter, large pearly white hexes and a sprinkling of iridescent microglitter to top it all off. This is two coats over Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy from last year's spring collection.

I love the interplay of different shapes and finishes here. This is a polish you could wear over absolutely any color!

Twinsie Tuesday: Happy Hands Illusions, Michael

Red polish: eternal classic or playing-it-safe snoozefest? I can go either way, but I can certainly appreciate a standout red when it's done right. When I saw that this week's Twinsie Tuesday theme was red, I wanted to jazz things up a bit. Since nail art is out of the question for me, the immediate solution was, of course, glitter!

Enter Happy Hands Illusions, Michael! Illusions, Michael is a red glitterbomb complete with orange hexes, gold squares and holographic gold stars. It's part of Happy Hands' I've Made a Huge Mistake Collection, inspired by one of my all-time favorite shows, Arrested Development. If you're a fan of the show, or just awesome nail polish in general, then you should definitely check out Happy Hands' Etsy shop!

If I could change one thing about this mani, I'd opt to layer it over a base rather than wear it alone. The formula got hard to spread by the last of the three coats I did of Illusions, Michael and I think the holographic stars would pop out more when worn over a base. They get swallowed up a bit by all of the other glitter going on when this polish is worn alone.

But hey, live and learn. I still enjoy this polish a lot. It may be red, but it certainly isn't boring! I am eager to try more of the Happy Hands polishes waiting in my stash!

In the mood for more red? Check out the other Twinsie Tuesday blogs below! Also, I want to point out that our TT family got a little smaller this week, as the lovely Jenna has chosen to step down. Us TT gals are a close group that's bonded over so much more than just polish. Jenna, if you're reading this, it's been a delight getting to know you! <3

Amanda at Amandalandish
Anna at Going to the Showing
Anne at Grape Fizz Nails
Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched
Elizabeth at Did My Nails
Jamie at Polish, Please!
Jenn at All That Is Gorgeous
Katherine at Haul of Fame
Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Meredith at Polish and Charms
Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails
Rachel at Top Coat It
Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth