All About Nail Polish Tag

Hello there! Today I wanted to do a tag that was started by a few of my favorite YouTube ladies, Lindsay, Holly, Zenorah, Jess, and Amy. I haven't done one of these in forever and my friend Paola did it on her blog & youtube and tagged me, so I decided it would be fun to do finally! Plus, I've had almost zero sun lately so it's been hard for me to swatch new polish :P

Press Sample | Purchased by Me

1. What is your favorite nail polish finish (eg. Crème, crelly, glitter, etc.)?
This is a hard question for me because while I like them all, my affection for them usually comes in phases haha. Like for a while I'll be into holographics exclusively, then I only want to wear jellies, then it's all about the glitters. It seems like I'm wearing crème shades more often than the other finishes lately though, so I'll go with that haha. But it seriously varies all the time.

2. What is your favorite “ugly pretty” shade?
I have a great fondness for polish colors that people say are "ugly pretty". I love things that are not typically beautiful. Hands down, my favorite of these has to be China Glaze Zombie Zest. It came out in the China Glaze Awakening collection for Halloween in 2010 (best Halloween trio ever?) and I've loved and worn it every year since. I even managed to score a back-up bottle from my friend who went to IMATS this year, yay! It's a swampy olivey green jelly with gallons of golden shimmer/glass flecks that shift to a turquoise blue in certain lights. Insane. (I'm pretty sure this made it on a few of the original tag creators' lists too!)

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3. Which polish in your collection is the most sentimental to you?
It has to be Rescue Beauty Lounge Kellie Gonzo. This is the polish I created with the, now retired, Rescue Beauty brand. It was such an exciting event and milestone in my blogging career to create a polish, especially with such a prestige brand. This is a bright sunny coral with orange and silver glitter bits. It's also the polish I've gone through the most of, luckily I have a back-up bottle or three!

4. If you could go back in time to buy any collection, what would it be?
If we're going for a full collection, hands down has to be China Glaze OMG. These were kind of the first ultra linear holographic collection seen from a mainstream brand and boy do they impress! I have managed to track down a lot of them, but I don't have the full collection (or full bottles of the ones I do have!). But my all time biggest polish lemming has to be Urban Decay ID. It's a sheer jelly polish that shifts from orange to pink fire. I don't know if I'll ever get a hold of it, but if I do I would cherish it forever! Also, Chanel Jade because I can't pick just one thing.

image via china glaze

Image via Scrangie.com

Image via Lextard @ Flickr.com

5. What is your go-to “all occasion” polish?
Sally Hansen Pacific Blue original. This polish is a bright but slightly dusty cobalt blue crème with a perfect one-coat formula. I love this color and think it's very wearable, but the biggest reason it's my all occasion polish is because it's so damn easy and fast to put on! I will never understand why Sally Hansen chose to reformulate this polish and completely change it. I know some might think a blue isn't appropriate for "all occasions", but since I'm a simple kind of girl, there aren't many times I would feel inappropriate wearing a blue nail polish.

6. What items are essential to your nail care routine?
The most important part of my nail care routine is cuticle oil. I am NEVER without it. I've spoken at length about my cuticle woes before, if you're interested you can read some of the posts here, here, and here. Next is a great base coat, I basically always have a base coat on. Keeping my nails "sealed" with some kind of polish, especially when my hands are in water, has just about 95% fixed my peeling edges. Top coat is also a necessity, I don't remember the last time I wore a full manicure without it.

7. What is your favorite “newly discovered” brand (indie or mainstream)?
This was also a tough question because I have found so many great ones recently, but I have to choose Nine Zero Lacquer. This is the brand created by Jess of JessFACE90 (one of the collaborators of this tag too). I have been lucky enough to be able to swatch for her and I haven't disliked one of her shades yet! Being a nail vlogger/swatcher herself, she knows what's good so she uses that experience to create beautiful shades with great formulas.

8. What is your go-to “bad ass” color (the color that makes you feel sexiest or most badass)?
I love a mega bright, in your face, unapologetic neon shade. It makes me feel like I'm a tough betch who can wear whatever I want, damn all who might be offended haha. Maybe that seems silly, but it's seriously how I feel when I wear neons. An example is Formula X Danger Zone. How hot is that??

9. Indie or mainstream?
Usually I have a good mix of both that I pick to wear from, but these days I've been wearing (and blogging about) waaay more indies. I just find their selection to be so much more varied and unique than mainstream, which is kind of understandable, but still. And with the sheer number of indie brands out there that are producing such good products, it's hard not to want to buy everything in sight!

10. Which brand’s collections do you look forward to the most?
It has always been China Glaze for me. Out of the mainstream world, they have always been the ones to take chances instead of playing it safe when it comes to color and finish. They don't always get it 100% perfect, but who does? I've loved them since I started blogging and I don't see that changing any time soon.

Please please do this tag if you want, it's so fun! And if you don't have a blog or YouTube channel, let me know your answers in the comments! See ya again soon!

❤ Kellie

Some of the products mentioned were provided for an honest review.

A Few Comparisons - Cobalt Blues and Sage Greens

What's up friends? I had a few requests to do some comparisons on a couple polishes I've reviewed recently so I thought I'd throw 'em at ya today!

Press Sample | Purchased by Me

First is a comparison of some cobalt blue crèmes, motivated by my latest Rescue Beauty Lounge post. On my pointer finger is two coats of Nails Inc. Baker Street, on my middle finger is one coat of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Pacific Blue (original formula), on my ring finger is two coats of Rescue Beauty Lounge All About Yves, and on my pinky is two coats of KBShimmer Low and Be Bold. If I was smart I should've switched my pointer and middle so this would've been an ombre ;) The closest color to All About Yves is probably Baker Street, but it's more of a crème and AAY is more jellyish. These all have amazing formulas. I can't pick one, I am glad I have them all.

Next is comparisons of some sage green shimmery/glittery polishes, prompted by my post on Illamasqua Melange. It's harder to get in the US now so people were asking about possible dupes. Sadly, there are none to be found here. On my pointer and pinky nails I have two coats of Illamasqua Melange, on my middle finger is two coats of discontinued Rescue Beauty Lounge Halcyon, and on my ring finger is two coats of Butter London Two Fingered Salute. I was actually surprised by how different these all are! I, again, love them all and can't pick a favorite.

If you were wondering about dupe possibilities or how these polishes compared to each other, I hope these helped you out! Love ya and we'll be together again soon :)

❤ Kellie

Some of the products mentioned were provided for an honest review, some were purchased by me.

Nail Art with Megan - Simple Steampunk

Today I have a real treat for you, some nail art! I have never been able to make nail art work for me, I end up getting frustrated and wiping all of it off every time I attempt something. However, my older sister Megan is a fellow nail polish lover but her ambition with it has always been nail art and she is quite good at it! So to fill the nail art void on my blog, she will be guest posting every so often with a nail art manicure, yay! Here is her first post, I hope you love it!

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First off, I'm really excited to be a guest on my sister's blog. I love reading her posts and feel very special. :) This blog is actually what inspired me to start doing nail art, with access to so many of her pretty polishes, who couldn't help but let their imagination run wild?

Before I start a new design, I do a ton of searches on Google and YouTube for inspiration. My favorite channels are Young Wild and Polished and SimpleNailArtDesigns. Tip: don't try to duplicate another's design exactly, you'll just end up frustrated. Take their look and tweak it into your own cute style!

For this post I decided to go with a steampunk design, I'm obsessed with the fashion and it's a goal of mine to be able to rock that style on a daily basis! I started with two coats of Petites Bronze Baby, then used a small disposable eyeshadow sponge to dab on Petites Blackberry in alternating corners on each nail. Most tutorials advise using a makeup sponge for the gradient look, but I've found the eyeshadow sponge gives me more control. For the wheels and cogs I used Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Pumping Iron and Milani Good Morning Sunshine. I use a small bristled paintbrush and a mini dotting tool for the designs. The top coat I used is KBShimmer Clearly On Top.

I must confess that with all my designs, I always manage to mess up on at least one nail and have to redo it from scratch. Don't get discouraged if this happens to you, trust me it's always worth taking the extra time! I'm so happy I got to do this, please leave lots of positive comments so my super sister will let me do more! ;) Big thanks and lots of love!

Megan

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Let us know what you think about this awesome steampunk mani! Do you like the steampunk style? Would you rock these nails? Thanks for coming by and have a great rest of your weekend!

❤ Kellie

Sally Hansen Satin Glam - Crystalline & Silk Onyx

I have two polishes from the Sally Hansen Satin Glam line to show you today. These polishes combine sparkle with a soft satin matte finish, a unique and beautiful combination. The bottles are long and tapered, they remind me a bit of genie bottles or something. It always annoys me a bit that SH puts out so many bottle shapes/different product lines with their polish, but that's just a personal issue haha. I got these in a swap I participated in around Easter time in Facebook group and I really love them.

Crystalline is a gorgeously stunning white pearl shade with shimmer bits that gleam purple, blue and pink. It's a touch on the sheer side, but that makes it usable as a topper which is nice. Without top coat, the natural satin finish is really lovely and understated. With top coat it positively beams! I could almost mistake this stunner for a holo polish, it's that blingy in the sun! I don't know if you can really tell the difference in the photos with the top coat, but there's a noticeable difference in real life. This is three coats.

without top coat

with top coat

Silk Onyx is a charcoal black shade with little shimmer flecks that appear mostly silver to me but some purple and blue bits are in there also. Without top coat it's sexy and mysterious and with top coat it's very flashy and makes me think of a galaxy! This is two coats. The label on my bottle is wonky and off-center and it makes my OCD tendencies explode :/

without top coat

with top coat

I had a little trouble with the brush on these, it is a medium flat shape but the bristles were a little uneven and mop-like. I am not a big fan of most brushes on Sally Hansen polishes so this wasn't a surprise. However it wasn't really a big deal and wouldn't stop me from buying more of these, but I figured I'd mention it. These cost around $6 and are sold in stores like CVS and Walmart. What do you think of this soft satin finish? Have you tried these or something similar? See you next time :)

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Sally Hansen - Pacific Blue

Greetings gorgeous! It's my birthday today and I am officially 28 years old! Yikes! I wonder when I'll start feeling like a "real" adult and not like I'm perpetually 19 anymore... Anyway, I decided to put this polish on today, Pacific Blue from Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear line. It's really beautiful and a cult classic. I haven't owned it until the other day and I can't believe I waited this long to get it.

Pacific Blue is a stunning slightly dusty cobalt blue crème with a perfect formula. It's a one coater but I used two here, per my usual routine. Creamy, dreamy and buttery. I love it!

This beauty has unfortunately been the source of much controversy in the beauty world recently, as SH is reformulating a lot of their Xtreme Wear line and this was one of the first to go. The weird thing is that they are keeping the same names for the colors, which is really the only reason I have a problem with the whole thing. I hear the new formula of Pacific Blue is gummy and thin and generally unwearable. Great polishes get discontinued/retired all the time, but the fact that SH is trying to pass it off with the same name is basically deceitful and unnecessary. It's a "first world problem" but hey, the nail polish community is made up of some very passionate folks! If you're interested, you can read more about it on Nouveau Cheap and watch this YouTube video from YoungWildandPolished.

What do you think of this polish? Do you own it? If you don't yet and you want the original formula in all its glory, be sure to hurry to your local drugstore and pick up a bottle or two. The new formula is darker and has a shimmer to it, you can see pics online I'm sure. Have a great day and cheers to another year for the life of Kellie :D Thanks for coming by!

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My Nail & Hand Care Essentials

Hey guys and gals! Today I wanted to put together a post with all my essentials that I use to keep my nails and hands in tip top shape. These are my favorites right now but I seem to add or take something out every few months as I find new things that work better. This is just what is working for me at the moment.

Duri Rejuvacote - This has been my favorite nail treatment for a little over a year. I use it on bare nails for every manicure. I like this better than any other treatment I've tried. I still get peels on a few of my nails occasionally but no where near what I used to. And my nails grow faster and longer using this than ever before!

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Orly Primetime - I use this as a primer for my nails before I put on my base coat, it removes all traces of oil and residue so my products can adhere to my nail cleanly and completely.

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Orly Bonder - I have used this base coat for years and no matter what others I try, I always come back to this one. It is rubberized which helps the polish adhere to it better. It helps my polish go on well and resists chips. I believe everyone's body chemistry is different and what works for me might not work for you, you just have to experiment with different base and top coats to figure out the best combo.

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Glisten & Glow HK Topcoat - I wrote a review for this top coat not too long ago, you can see this post if you haven't read it. This is my favorite because it dries super fast and shiny. It also doesn't have any of the unfortunate side effects of other quick dry top coats, it doesn't get thick and goopey, it doesn't shrink the polish when it dries, and the surface doesn't get scratchy looking over time.

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Bliss Kiss Pure Nail Oil - This stuff is so amazing, it is practically liquid gold to me! I mentioned above how I occasionally have peeling nails and I have always had issues with dry and overgrown cuticles. I have been searching for something to supplement my nail care routine to hopefully help these concerns outside of my usual products. I found rave reviews of this nail oil, how it hydrates your nails and makes them more flexible, so I decided to try some and have fallen in love. I use this multiple times daily and it's made my cuticles nicer than ever! I'll do a more in depth review on this soon, it deserves it!

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Acetone and  Acetone/Glycerin/Water Mix - I have a hard time tolerating most scents and a lot of the nail polish removers out there have some kind of scent I can't handle. So I use pure acetone, it works the best and has no added scent. It can be drying though, so I add glycerin and water to make it more moisturizing. You can learn about this from Loodie Loodie Loodie, she explains it better than I could. I do use straight acetone to do clean up around the edges of my nail after painting. You can read about that process here from Lacquerized.

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Dappen Dish - I use this small glass dish to pour the acetone in that I use to clean up around my nails. It's super cheap and really helps my manicure routine.

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Small brush - This is my preferred brush to use for clean up with acetone around the edges of my nail. It's the e.l.f. concealer brush that I got for $1 at Kmart. It works well and is easy to replace when needed.

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Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover - This is my most used cuticle remover, though I have a few kinds. It's a gel formula that is easy to apply with the squeeze bottle. I used it at least weekly.

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Julep Hand & Cuticle Stick - This product is newer to my routine. I tried it on recommendation from Young, Wild & Polished (she's hilarious in her videos!). It is a balm that melts with the warmth of your skin. It smells amazing, like clean laundry, and it is easy to carry in my purse for quick applications on the go. It doesn't make my skin shiny either, which is helpful for taking photos of my nails.

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Hempz Original Herbal Body Moisturizer - This has to be my favorite lotion ever, hands down (hehe). I used to use it in high school after I went tanning, which I don't do anymore, but I always loved the clean scent and moisturizing effects. I recently got another bottle for a gift and it's quickly become my favorite and most used lotion. It is a little on the pricey side but I just love it.

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I'd love to hear about your nail care essentials! Tell me about your favorites in the comments :) Also let me know if you have any questions about my nail routine, I'd be happy to answer!

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Guest Post by Tales About Nails: Pyjama Dotticure

Howdy there :) Today's guest post comes from a gal all the way in Australia! I know there is a huge Australian beauty blogger base, the nail bloggers even have a group they call the Gumleaf Mafia (so cute). I first noticed Lauren's awesome nails on Instagram and found she had a blog as well called Tales About Nails. Her lovely and beautifully symmetrical nails caught my eye and I hope they catch yours as well. Be sure to follow her to check out all her great nail art designs and color reviews! Thanks Lauren!

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Hey there everyone! I'm Lauren from Tales About Nails, or you may know me as @xxlovelauren on Instagram. Kellie's awesome blog was one of the very first nail blogs I started reading back when I didn't know a holographic from a shimmer or a creme from a jelly, and I never imagined I'd be on here one day! It's such an honour!

This dotticure was inspired by a pair of pyjama shorts I spotted (ha! pun intended) in a store the other day and I just loved the colour scheme. I even stood there in the store for a while thinking up the polishes that would match up with the colours haha. Dotticures are a great form of nail art for even the most beginner person. I used a small dotting tool from a nail art tool set but toothpicks or bobbypins work just fine!

Polishes used: Sinful Colors 'Cool Gray' for the base, and Sally Hansen 'Pacific Blue', China Glaze 'Flip Flop Fantasy', Ulta3 'Lily White' and Lime Crime 'Once In A Blue Mousse' for the dots.

Hope you guys like it!

Thank you so much for the opportunity to guest post for you Kellie! xx

Where to find Tales About Nails

Blog - Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

Cute As A Button vs. Temptation

A few of yous guys mentioned you'd like to see a comparison between a polish I showed you the other day, Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Temptation, and Essie Cute As A Button. Welp here ya go luvs!

Cute As A Button is one of my favorite Essie's ever and I really liked Temptation when I wore it but didn't make the connection to their similarity until it was pointed out to me by some readers. They actually are super similar, but not quite dupes.

The Essie is a smidge warmer/more coral and the Sally Hansen is a bit more opaque and is a total crème where the Essie has almost more of a jelly-crème finish. Both are excellent polishes. If you're having trouble finding Cute As A Button, try Temptation. You should be able to find it in stores wherever Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure is sold.

Some of the products mentioned were provided for review.

Pink, Berry, and Coral Red

It's no secret that I love pinks. There's something about that salmon hue that I just adore. Dark pink, neon, corals, berry tints, I don't know, those blush colored lacquers just call to me. Out of my four helmers, my pink drawers carry the most polishes. Here is one of the newest pinks I have, Temptation from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure line. It's a shade from the Spring Tracy Reese line. I would describe it as salmony coral pink crème. This is two coats.

A variation of pink is berry. This is Torrid Bloom, an older Sally Hansen polish also designed by Tracy Reese. This came out in Fall 2008. I saw a swatch of this on a blog back when I first started blogging, but for the life of me I can't remember which one it was, and I've wanted it ever since. I scored it in a swap a while ago :D This is two coats. The formula is thin and kind of a weird texture, almost like vinyl. Oh well, I freaking love this.

This isn't necessarily a pink shade, it's more in the red family. However, if you asked me my favorite shade of polish EVER? It would be coral. This is Eyeko Coral Polish "For Resort Nails". I love this orangey red crème. It really flatters my skintone and applies like a dream. This is two coats. I know Eyeko doesn't have nail polish on their website for purchase right now, but I hope they get back in the lacquer game one day.

What is your favorite shade of polish? The one (or three haha) colors that you find yourself buying over and over. Le sigh. I hope I get some sunshine here soon for swatching. I have lots of new polishes to show you! Stay tuned for the China Glaze On Safari collection, BB Couture's 6 Shades of Grey collection, and lots of indie glitters :)

Some of the products in this post were provided for review.

Lush Lacquer - Party Rockin

Today I have an indie brand, Lush Lacquer, polish to show you. I honestly have been kind of swept up in the whole indie polish scene lately and have been stalking multiple sellers on etsy and elsewhere like crazy to be able to snap up some homemade glitters. However, a good chunk of the ones I've purchased on whims have been disappointments. This one is not one of them, luckily.

Lush Lacquer is a mother daughter team that produces lots of fun glitter polishes. This one is called Party Rockin. It's a "a whimsical mix of vibrant colors with a bluish jelly base and a whole lot of glitter... fuchsia, gold, blue, purple and iridescent small glitters are used throughout... blue bar glitter for some twinkle... and bright blue larger hex glitter" I have to say, I think I would like this a little more without the giant blue hex glitters. And the description doesn't say anything about orange glitter but there is plenty in there and part of why I like this mix so much. This is two coats over a reddish purple from Sally Hansen called Cherry, Cherry, Bang, Bang!

Macro, courtesy of my new iphone lens (thanks Evonne!)

You can get this on their website, http://www.etsy.com/shop/lushlacquer. The minis are $4.75 and the full sizes are $8.75. Have you tried Lush Lacquer? I bought three minis from them they're all awesome. Will show you the others soon. The only gripe I have about LL is the shipping time was kind of ridiculous. Had I known it would've taken almost a month to get these I might've waited/not ordered. *shrug* Have a great rest of the weekend!

Sally Hansen Magical - Fairy Dust Pink

Hi there, hello. Today I wanted to show you another polish I got from my Southern Luvie, Ange. This is a vintage circa 2002 polish from Sally Hansen, the Magical collection, called Fairy Dust Pink. I can't believe holo polishes came out back then, very cool. The holographic quality to this pale pink polish is really stunning, linear. I also love the gold bottle, though it makes it hard to see how much is left in the bottle, natch.

I love how these are called "nail makeup", so true :) You can find these on ebay every once in a while I think. I'm la la loving this and it's now in my top 5 holo polishes ever! Thanks again Scandalous!!

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Spring 2011

Here are three polishes from the Tracey Reese collection for Sally Hansen that came out in the Complete Salon Manicure polish line this Spring. The collection was heavily pastel but there were a few brighter shades thrown in.

First is my favorite, Casting Call. It's a melon coral crème that was opaque in one coat. I used two because I normally do and it makes the color look nicer on most polishes. The formula was superb. Flowed nicely and wasn't thick or thin, but in that nice polish sweet spot.

Next is Eel Skin, a very gorgeous cool toned grey crème. I really adore this polish and wore it as a pedicure color for a while. I was surprised to see this in a Spring collection, but I don't care I love it! This is two coats.

And last to show you today is Barracuda, a pastel baby blue crème with that mod day-glo look, almost as if you painted a coat over white. This one was slightly thicker than the others, but still relatively easy to work with. This is three coats.

I'm impressed with these Salon Complete polishes, they have great formulas and pigmentation. I don't think I'll ever love the bottle design or the brush totally, it's just too much. The brush stem is way too wide for the opening of the bottle. Otherwise, I give these polishes a thumbs up.

Products provided for review.