Born Pretty Marilyn Monroe Water Decals: Review & Swatches

I'm a huge Marilyn Monroe fan, so I was super excited to create some Marilyn nails with these Born Pretty Store water decals! They've actually got several different Marilyn-themed decal sets, all of which you can see HERE. The set I chose looks like this:

The decals are opaque enough that you can wear them over just about any base color. I tend to favor more neutral colors with water decals, so that they are the star of the show. My base here is Butter Trallop.

Water decals are crazy easy to use and they work just like a temporary tattoo: cut, soak, peel and set. If you've failed at traditional nail art before, then give some water decals a try. I seriously believe anyone can use them!

I've used many Born Pretty water decals in my day and I have to say that this set is one of my absolute favorites. I love the fact that you can layer them over any color you choose and the decals themselves are lovely. If you're a Marilyn/old Hollywood fan, definitely give these a look!

And as always, if you would like to purchase anything from Born Pretty, they offer 10% off for Nailed readers:

Disclosure: This product was provided for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Butter London Trallop

First off, I want to thank everyone for their well wishes for my big day at work yesterday. My boss' boss' boss was supposed to visit, but then they wound up having to re-schedule at the last minute. I was all ready to go but I can't say I don't welcome the extra prep time!

Anywho, enough real life! Let's do what we all came here for: talk polish! I was pretty sure Butter London Trallop was going to be a disaster on me, but I'm trying to open myself up more to nude polish--and a camel-colored nude like Trallop is not something I'd normally try. I will rock a crazy bright without batting an eyelash but I'm way less confident with nudes for some reason. But once I got over all that and tried Trallop on? Well, I kinda love it! I was shocked how well it matches my skintone!

It's been a while since I wore a creme from Butter London (I tend to be drawn more to their shimmers and glitters) and I'd forgotton how nicely they apply. The formula was very smooth and...well, buttery. This is two coats. 

I am beyond surprised how much I fell in love with Trallop. I wore it alone for a bit, but then I did some really fun nail art on it that I'm super excited to show you guys later this week! :)

Twinsie Tuesday: Mattify

I am not the biggest matte fan, but it's still a fun finish to play around with every now and again. For today's mattify theme, I thought it'd be fun to do something with a bright shade. So I paired Sally Hansen Poppin' Paprika (another beauty from the Amanda files) with my favorite matte top coat, Jamberry Matte Top Coat.

Welp, I gotta run. My boss' boss' boss is coming to my work today, and guess who gets to oversee the visit? Think good thoughts for me!

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

​Lisa at The Polish Playground

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Zoya Vega

I want to apologize that I haven't been around as much this past week or so. In fairness, I've been watching my boyfriend's cat while his family is out of town and really, how can I be expected to concentrate when this adorable face wants to cuddle and play?

But I did manage to tear myself away for some nail time. I was in the mood for some serious glitter and they don't come much glitzier than Zoya's Magic PixieDusts! It's been a while since I wore a textured polish but I was itching to wear one again.

Vega is an icy blue textured polish with chunky silver holo glitter. I know a lot of people were divided on the Magic PixieDusts but I really like them! Amanda was kind enough to hook me up with the first batch of them for my birthday last year and Vega might just be my favorite of the trio. The base color is beautiful and all that extra glitter and holo on top certainly doesn't hurt! It's like an uber version of one of my other favorite textures, OPI Tiffany Case.

Vega is more opaque than most of the other Magic PixieDusts. I probably could have stopped at two coats but I applied three for good measure. I find thinner coats work best with PixieDust polishes, as some of them can be a little slow to dry.

I know textured polish isn't "on trend" anymore, but I still like to bust out my favorite textures. They're pretty, so that's all I care about. :) Do you still wear textures or have they gone the way of crackle?

Lumina Lacquer Soleil

I love me some Lumina Lacquer and I've got an awesome one to share with you guys today: Soleil, a gold holo glitterbomb. Yes, holo and glitter! Sometimes we really can have it all, ladies. ;) That's one of the best things about indie polish; there's no limit to the crazy awesome combinations out there!

This is a polish that really transforms with different lighting, so I wanted to try and show off all the different sides of Soleil. I took pictures of it in direct sunlight...

...in the shade...

...and indoors, under a hot lamp.

Since Soleil has a clear base, I was worried this was gonna take a zillion coats or a ton of dabbling to make it completely opaque, but it was actually super easy! All it took was three coats--no special application methods needed.

I love the blinged out effect this polish creates. I couldn't stop staring at it! You can't beat solid gold nails, lemme tell ya. But if for whatever reason, gold isn't your thing, Lumina makes this type of polish in several different colors. I really want the purple version, Maleficient!

You can purchase Lumina Lacquer from their website.

OPI Can't Hear Myself Pink!

It's really rare for me to only purchase a pink polish from a new collection, but that's exactly what happened with OPI Brights. Can't Hear Myself Pink! (I hate unnecessary exclamation points in polish names) is a warm-toned pink shimmer with a slight orange duochrome and small golden flecks. With summer fast approaching, I can't help but think this polish is totally something Malibu Barbie would rock.

The formula is fantastic here. This was three easy coats.

This strikes me as pretty unique as far as pinks go and I'm glad I picked it up! It's very pretty, although I would love it even more if the duochrome was stronger. Still, it's got a beautiful gleam to it and it truly pops in the sunlight, just like any good summer polish should!

Did you get anything from the OPI Brights Collection?

Twinsie Tuesday: Inspired By Your Favorite Cup/Mug

I am a tea fanatic, so I own quite a few mugs. Most of them are superhero/pop culture-themed, but not all. One of my favorites is this cute balloon mug:

The inside of the mug is painted a creamy shade of turquoise, so using that as my inspiration, I started with Essie In The Cab-ana. Then to play off the colors of the balloons, I layered Rainbow Honey 20% Cooler, a flurry of rainbow hexes with a sprinkling of iridescent blue microshimmer, over top. They play off each other perfectly!

I'm super happy with how this combo turned out. It's very fun and colorful, plus I think it represents my mug pretty darn well.

What's your favorite drink? I used to drink a TON (like, probably majorly unhealthy quantities) of Coca-Cola, but tea has really helped me cut back a lot.

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Lisa at The Polish Playground

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amanda at Amandalandish

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Seche Not Easily Swept Away

Seche Vite top coat is legendary, but did you know Seche makes polish too? I was gifted a bottle a while back: a pink-based lavender creme called Not Easily Swept Away. The name is kinda weird, but the polish itself is a nice spring pastel.

Sorry if my edges are a little messy. I used this polish as a glitter base, so I didn't do any real clean-up.

The formula here is pretty much your typical pastel: a little patchy, but ultimately opaque in three coats. There was some noticeable drag with this one too. The brush is virtually identical to Seche Vite's.

Is this a unique color? Nope. Most of the major polish lines will have something close, if not exactly like Not Easily Swept Away. But it's pretty enough and it's a good go-to type of shade to have in your arsenal if you don't have something like it already. I'm kind of a whore for lavender polish, so I personally can never have too many (admittedly subtle) variations of it!

Orly Color Blast Disney's Belle Collection Preview

On the heels of their Elsa-themed collection earlier this year, Orly's Color Blast line is launching another Disney princess collab. This time, it features Belle from Beauty and the Beast.

Top row, L to R: Enchanted Rose, Break The Spell, Crazy Old Maurice

Bottom row, L to R: Tea With Mrs. Potts, Positively Primeval Gaston, Nose In A Book

 

I'm biased because Belle (along with Jasmine) was my favorite Disney princess as a little girl, but I really like this collection. The colors look so cute and I definitely want at least one of those blues!

These launch this Month, exclusively at Walgreen's. Have you seen them near you yet?

Essie Neons 2015 Preview

I posted preview pics of this collection a while back, but since there weren't any color names and I didn't have any official release information, I figured it couldn't hurt to share the latest with you all.

Source

I feel like we've seen all of these colors (or at least, one's very close to them) from Essie before...and they don't really look like true neons, either. OPI just calls their summer collection "Brights" and I feel like these would fit better under that type of label.

There are some pretty colors here, to be sure, but I feel like I already have these from Essie, so I don't know if I'll be picking anything up from this collection. I might get Vibrant Vibes, because I have exceptionally poor impulse control when it comes to green polish, but we'll see. 

Do you plan on getting anything from this collection? Does the lack of true neons here bother you?

Twinsie Tuesday: Born Pretty Starry Night Nail Wraps

This week, we're doing nails inspired by artwork. I swear this wasn't pre-planned but when I saw this theme, I knew there was something in my "to review" pile that I just had to use: these Van Gogh "Starry Night" nail wraps from Born Pretty Store!

I was a bit unsure about whether I'd like these wraps, as I've found the sticker-style wraps can be kinda stuff, making them trickier to apply smoothly than the ones with little silver tabs. But thankfully, these were a sinch. I didn't have any issues with creasing or bubbling.

The glitter on these wraps does obscure some of the details of the design, but it also adds some extra depth and I think a dash of glitter is appropriate for a starry sky design.

If you would like to purchase anything from Born Pretty, they offer 10% off for Nailed readers:

And I do hope you'll check out what my fellow Twinsies are up to today as well!

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Amanda at Amandalandish

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

​Lisa at The Polish Playground

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Disclosure: This product was provided for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

China Glaze Desert Escape Preview

One summer collection per brand just isn't enough these days. Us polish addicts are always on the prowl for MORE! Luckily, China Glaze has got it covered this summer with a nice little June booster collection to keep us going until the big fall collections. Desert Escape features six new shades. Let's take a look!

L to R: Don't Desert Me, Meet Me In The Mirage, What's She Dune?, Rain Dance The Night Away, Don't Mesa With My Heart, The Heat Is On

 

Source 

Looks like a great summer-to-fall transitional collection. Nothing stands out as an instant must-buy for me, but I'll have my eye on Don't Desert Me and Meet Me In The Mirage. 

Will you be picking any of these up? Do you like the increased amount of collections we're seeing from the big brands this year?  

Essie Hubby For Dessert

The name of this polish irks me so much. I don't even know why, but it does. I felt like I had to get that out of the way before I say anything else about Essie Hubby For Dessert. (*shudders*) As for the polish itself, it's a lovely pale lavender jelly from this year's bridal collection.

As expected with jellies--especially a pastel jelly like this one--Hubby For Dessert is on the sheer side, but overall it's not too bad. I started with a coat of Barielle Natural Nail Camouflage underneath to help disguise any VNL and I was able to get away with just three coats of polish! The consistency is nice and this is a polish that also self-levels very well. It's also super shiny! I used Hubby For Dessert as a base for a jelly sandwich for this week's Twinsie Tuesday, so what you see here is just Hubby For Dessert by itself, sans topcoat. Just look how sleek it is!

I wasn't planning on picking up anything from Essie's 2015 bridal collection, but something about this polish called to me when I saw it in person. I'm really glad I did decide to get it, because it's adorable! I'd even consider wearing it on my own wedding day. :)

Yazbukey for shu uemura Daring Burgundy

This summer, shu uemura is teaming up with fashion designer Yazbukey to create a limited edition collection of cosmetics, skincare and--of course, the reason we're all here--nail polish. I really love Yazbukey's pop culture-inspired aesthetic. It's very irreverent and fun. So I was super excited to get my hands on one of the polishes from this collection: Daring Burgundy.

Burgundy might seem an odd choice for a summer collection, but Daring Burgundy is more of a rich magenta than one of the dark, vampy shades we tend to associate with fall/winter collections. It's one of those wonderfully versatile polishes that works all year round and goes from dressy to casual as fast as you can change your outfit.

Also, the packaging is super cute, so I wanted to be sure to include a shot of that:

I've never tried any of shu uemura's polishes before, so I didn't know what to expect going in. But Daring Burgundy has a wonderful formula. It's the perfect consistency and the brush is nicely sized too--similar to Essie's. The above is two coats.

Also, might I add that this polish photographs completely color-accurate. Purples and berries can be soooooo difficult to capture on camera, so I just wanted to note that what you see here is totally whatcha get. Yay!

Yazbukey for shu uemura is available exclusively through shu uemura's website.


Disclosure: This polish was sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Twinsie Tuesday: Jelly Sandwich

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is easy enough: a jelly sandwich. Yet I still screwed something up with it, which I'll get to in a minute. Let's start with the basics here. My base was Essie Hubby For Dessert, a light lavender jelly from this year's bridal collection. Then in the middle part of my sandwich, I used Butter London Doily, a milky pink base filled with matte white bar and hex glitters.

So I dunno if it was the fault of Doily or my OPI Infinite Shine top coat, but I had some pretty noticeable bubbling here. It's not as visible in pictures, but it's there. So I think I put one of those two on a little too thick, but what can ya do?

Other than the bubbling issues, I'm pretty pleased with this mani. It looks light and airy--perfect for spring! I know it's supposed to be summer, but with the rainy weather we have here in Michigan today it sure doesn't feel like it!

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Savannah at Addicted to Polish

Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Lisa at The Polish Playground

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished

Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amanda at Amandalandish

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Born Pretty Rainbow Lips Water Decals: Review & Swatches

I've reviewed a lot of cool products for Born Pretty Store over the years and if you've been following Nailed for a while, then it shouldn't come as a surprise to you that I'm kinda obsessed with their water decals. Nail art n00bs like me need all the cheats we can get and water decals are one of the best!

If you've never used water decals before, they're super easy! They work like a temporary tattoo: cut them out, submerge them in water for about 30 seconds, peel off the paper backing and then stick the decals wherever and however you like on your nail. They look really impressive on the nail and they seriously could not be any simpler to use, which I why I adore them so much!

These particular decals are only 99 cents(!) and they come in all kinds of awesome patterns, which you can see on Born Pretty's site HERE. The design I chose, QJ-028, features some lip designs in a neon rainbow of colors!

 I keep thinking of the video for Meghan Trainor's "Lips Are Movin" whenever I look at my nails now.

Anywho, my base here is Jessica Banana Peel, which is the cutest shade of pastel yellow. I wanted something that wasn't as plain as white, but that wouldn't be so pigmented it would distort the color of the decals and Banana Peel was the perfect "in-between" shade.

I used a ton of decals for this mani and still had plenty left over afterwards. So you can easily stretch this one sheet out into multiple manis--gotta make the most of that 99 cents! ;) That price definitely can't be beat and the decals themselves are great quality. They're a fun way to bring a pop of color to my nails for summer!

If you would like to purchase anything from Born Pretty, they offer 10% off for Nailed readers:

Disclosure: This product was sent for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

OPI Infinite Shine Soft Shades Preview

2015 has gotta be OPI's busiest year EVER! If you weren't already blowing your polish budget trying to buy your picks from their ten zillion other recent collections (not that I'm complaining--one can never have too much OPI), here's yet another collection to look out for: Soft Shades, the first shade extension of the Infinite Shine line. These puppies are slated for a May release, so they should be hitting shelves any day now, if they're not already!

If you're unfamiliar with Infinite Shine, I did a detailed review HERE. As for the new colors, Soft Shades is annual staple of OPI's regular line, so I'm sure you know the general idea of what to expect here.

Eternally Turquoise

 

Go To Grayt Lengths

 

Beyond The Pale Pink

 

Pearl Of Wisdom

 

Non-Stop White

 

The Beige Of Reason

Nothing really grabs me here--too many neutrals and pearly shimmers for my taste. But I'll admit I very rarely get excited for any of the Soft Shades collections; they're just not my thing.

So that's good news for my wallet! What about yours? See anything you'll be needing?