NOTD: Revlon Bubble Gum + Fauxnad

       I'm not wearing Grape Icy today, like I originally planned. I had two finals scheduled for today, so I opted to jazz up Bubble Gum instead of trying to put on an entire new color. 

I used the necklace-like pattern on the M30 fauxnad plate. This one came from Hong Kong.

I stamped on the pattern with Brucci TJ's Blue Suede Shoes, and then I added a pale pink rhinestone to each nail, to hide the fact that some of the flowers looked more like little blobs. I really love the combination of navy blue and hot pink. It's a fun twist on the old pink and blue color pair.

 Sorry for the bubble and the busted spot near the gem. My Poshe is starting to thicken up and act a fool. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash. This picture is truest to color, in regards to Bubble Gum.

      Lol, some of the patterns are crooked (especially the pinky, which is completely doing its own thing), but I've accepted the fact that I will probably never position a Konad pattern straight on my nail. And despite the crookedness, I've gotten a few compliments on this look already. I almost don't want to take it off, but due to my nail ADD, it'll be gone by tonight. 

     That's all for today, so I'm going to go study for my other final today. I can't wait for this week to be ovah. :(

More Fauxnads!!

           lol, yes...I ordered more fauxnads. I can't help it...I like to have options. ^_^
           This set came from Hawaii, and I got it from the ebay seller BundleMonster. Ebay has since yanked the listing, but they can still be found on Amazon, here. It's a good deal, $17.99 for 21 plates, and even though I haven't tried them, the quality appears to be higher than the other fauxnads that I've bought from Hong Kong. And by that, I mean that the patterns appear crisper, and the plates feel a little sturdier too. Not as sturdy as legit Konad, nor as crisp. But still. 

These are some of the full nail designs. I'm an overjoyed camper, because I love them all! Especially the houndstooth! I like full nail designs because they give maximum impact with minimal work, provided that there's no double stamping needed to cover the nail.

I got an extra BM04 plate. I don't know if that was an accident or what.

Some more bigger patterns.

The dreaded french tip plates. I do like the patterns on BM17 though.

Look at the peacock!!

    When I opened this package up, my face was like the Kool Aid man's. I was so happy! lol! The shipping time was almost scary fast too. I guess they knew the popo was coming to shut them down. I ordered around 3 am on the 29th, after a long and hard deliberation. They shipped it the same day, and it arrived today. I'm really happy with the service that I received, so I'm sad that I can't leave feedback about it on ebay.

   I also won't be buying any more fauxnads for a long time. I have more than enough to play with at the moment. Instead, I have to figure out how in the world I'm going to store these things, because these did not come individually wrapped either. I'm not upset about that because heyy, less plastic being used. But now I have to find some kind of...wallet or mini-disc book that will hold all my plates and protect them from scratches or from being bent. Hm.

Revlon Bubble Gum

           Even though there isn't a drop of sunlight outside, it's sweltering hot. So I suppose it's fitting that I'm wearing Bubble Gum, from the Scents of Summer Collection today. It's a perfect color for warm weather, and a great antidote to a gloomy day. And luckily for me, today is both. *rolls eyes*

Bubble Gum is a deep, saturated hot pink creme. I'd consider it a grown up Barbie pink.

Natural light, no flash. 

Natural light, no flash.

     Pictures are extra crap-tastic today, because of the light. or lack thereof. I'll probably be retaking these on a brighter, sunnier day, because none of these are quite as vibrant as Bubble Gum looks on the nail. As far as the color of the polish goes, I like it! It's cheery and bright. And it doesn't make me feel like I'm twelve. While I'll never be too old for glitter, I do feel like a little kid in certain shades of pink. Thankfully, this one manages to miss that mark.
  Also, I like the smell on this one.It reminds me of the summer when I was eight and had just finished reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For some inexplicable reason, I wanted to be like Violet Beauregarde, so for the rest of the summer, I used up all my allowance on bubble gum flavored bubble gum. I lived in a bubble gum-scented cloud for three straight months, until I fell asleep on the couch with a huge ball of gum in my mouth. It fell out, and I'm a wild sleeper, so I rolled all over it. When I woke up from my nap, I had gum in my hair, on my face, on my clothes, on the couch....just everywhere. My mom had to use half a jar of Vaseline to get it off, and she was so pissed that she stopped giving me allowance. And I couldn't have any gum for the rest of the year. Not even a Chiclet or stick of Juicy Fruit. I was so sad, lmao! So basically, sniffing this polish makes me laugh right out loud.
   And the application of this is much easier than Peach Smoothie. I didn't have trouble with streaks or dragging. I wouldn't say that my nails painted themselves, but it wasn't bad. The pictures are all with three coats, and one layer of Poshe. 

Revlon Peach Smoothie

            Today, I'm wearing Revlon Peach Smoothie, from the Scents of Summer Collection. I'd like to get these documented and out of the way, so I plan on wearing all the ones that I own consecutively. I decided to start with Peach Smoothie, because I was really curious about what it looked like on the nail, and because it's a nude, which I wouldn't be caught dead in unless there was no other choice. Today is Sunday, and I'm staying in all day to study and pack, so no one will ever know. No offense to nude lovers, but man....I don't like most nudes. Naked Ambition was cool beans though. Okay, enough rambling.

Peach Shimmer is a pale peach creme, with subtle gold micro-shimmer. The color here isn't accurate...this is too dark. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash. This picture is more true to color, in my opinion. In the bottle, it was a pretty even-keel peach...equal parts white, orange, and pink. But on me, it starts to tilt just a little more to the pink side, which I don't mind.

Natural light, no flash. The lack of sun really washes it out.

Sunlight, no flash. This shows more of the sparkle.

This is what made me so excited to wear this. At the top of the bottle, there's lots of shimmer, and then in the bottom, there are all these little iridescent flakes. They don't show up so well on the nail though.

       Peach Smoothie is an okay color. It's not ugly, but it is very...middle of the road. There's nothing very special about it, except for the fact that it smells like peaches. The smell itself is pretty good! Of course, it's going to smell artificial (it's nail polish), but it lasts a long time, and is recognizable as peach.

      But while the color is nice, the application was sad. It was fairly opaque in two coats, but it went on streaky and gross. Some of my nails have three coats, and some have four, just because I was trying to get the finish even and smooth. The topcoat helped smooth it out alot, but when I look at my right hand, there are still spots where brushstrokes and bald spots are visible. No bueno.

    So while I like Peach Smoothie, and think that it may come in handy for situations when I can't have fun with my nails, I'm glad that I didn't have to trouble myself to get it. My Walgreens is in easy walking distance from my school, and it's right on my way to work, so it was easy to get this. If I had to get on the bus or train to get to the Walgreens, I would have been too mad. Because Peach Smoothie is nice, but in all honesty, it's not really worth the fare or the trouble. 

    

   

China Glaze Atlantis + Konad (Last Time, I Promise)

           Before I talk some MORE about Atlantis, I just wanted to spread the word about Nubar's Mother's Day Sale. I just got the email about it, and they are offering 20% off on orders of $30 or more. And of course, if you get up to $75 dollars worth of goodies after discounts, you get free shipping! I know I said no more haulage, but I may take them up on this offer. Mother's Day is coming, and Momma Chaos needs a gift. Watashi mo. I won't be buying up to $75 dollars worth of stuff, but I would like to try out the 10th Anniversary color, very creatively named Nubar 2010. I'm just going to pray that it's not the exact same thing as Opulent Pearl, because I'd be mad as hell!
            Anywho, I ended up konading over my matte Atlantis. Anything to avoid studying. I used the big cat print pattern on Konad plate M57. I like that pattern. I know people think it's tacky, but bleh upon them.

That one.

Natural light, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Indoors, with flash.

    I put another coat of Matte About You to act as a buffer in case of emergency, and then I used Wet n Wild Black Creme to stamp on the pattern. I didn't put on a topcoat, because I liked how the spots were shiny and the background was matte. It's not visible in the pictures, but it does lend a 3-D(ish) look to the mani. But the only sad thing was that by the time I got back here to post this, almost all the spots had rubbed off. Apparently, the topcoat is necessary to keep them on. Who would have thought it? 

   And even though I really did think it would be ugly, I like this. It's quite busy, with the glitter and the pattern and the matteness and the shininess, but something about it reminds me of sea turtles. I'm not sure why, because the pattern is not really like what turtles have on their backs. But it does, and I love sea turtles, so I love this too. 

    

China Glaze Atlantis (Part Trois)

Happy May Day!! ^_^
     Between looking frantically for a Merry Midnight dupe or an affordable bottle of the stuff since VNS took their stock down (thanks a bunch OPI azzclowns) and studying last night, I didn't have any time to change my mani. So I put on a coat of Essie Matte About You, and left it at that. 

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

   I got a little tip pull when I woke up this morning, but that's okay. This will be coming off after class. Yes, I have class (and a quiz) on a Saturday, courtesy of Snowmaggeddon. And then finals start on Monday...I don't know who thought it would be okay to give students only one full day to study for finals, when normally, we get five. But I digress.

  About Atlantis, I prefer it shiny. When it's matte, it loses some of the depth that makes it so beautiful for me. Plus the glitter can't really do what it does, which is a shame. I'm going to study, and then I may try to konad over this. I think it'll be ugly, but since it'll be gone in a few hours, it doesn't really matter.

China Glaze Atlantis (Part Deux)

           Today, I'm in a good mood, because it's Friday. And also cuz I'm wearing my favorite China Glaze polish! Or at least my favorite one that I own. There are some running around in the world that I love more. And yeah, I have a post on this already, but the pictures are crappy in that one. Also, my nails are longer now, so I think it looks better. Anyway, this. is. ATLANTIS!!! *say it Leonidas style*  

Atlantis is made of mid-size, holographic hex glitter suspended in a teal green jelly base. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Indoors, flash.

Sunlight, no flash. And I blurred it to show some of the sparkliness.

     As usual, my camera is not so secretly obsessed with blue. This is a smidge more green than it looks here, but I didn't think the difference was so much that I had to manipulate the images. And also as usual, my camera is lazeh, because the pictures don't convey the gorgeousness of Atlantis. It's effin beautiful. Gems at the bottom of a Mediterranean sea and all that.

   These pictures are four coats (which is a little much, but it's totally worth the work) and two layers of Poshe for maximum smoothness and sparkle. I have to go to work now (last day, woot!) so I don't have time to matte-ify this. I'll try to do it when I get off.