An Easter Manicure: Skittles and Jelly Beans

Happy Easter everyone! I'm posting this a day early since I won't be around tomorrow, as I'm sure is the case for many people. The past few holidays I've just been going with theme colors, but never any nail art. This Easter I was on a mission to do some nail art, which included me buying a yellow specifically for this mani.

I went with a skittles mani with alternating designs. The polka dots are supposed to be decorated eggs and I used the Zoya Fleck Effect collection for the other nails as the plastic grass that's in Easter baskets. 

Above is my left hand and below is my right hand. My right came out better, since I'm a lefty, so I wanted to show both. Not bad for my first attempt at using a dotting tool, right? 

Above are some of the nail polish colors I used. From left to right: Zoya Chloe, Wet n Wild Blazed (mixed with white), Brucci Sheri's Pistachio Creme, Zoya Opal, Zoya Maisie, Essie Barefoot in Blue, Revlon Buttercup. Not shown, but also used were Brucci Snow White and I mixed LA Girl Indigo with Kiss Bikini Pink and Snow White to make the purple on my pinkies. (How do I not own any light purple cremes? )

What do you think of my Easter nail art? Did you do anything special with your manicure for Easter? If you did, share the link in the comments section! I'd love to see your Easter nail art!

Wet n Wild: Chrome Limited Edition Collection

Today is an exciting post! I was checking out Rite Aid, as I am wont to do, and saw a full display of a collection I had never seen or heard of before! It was a new Wet n Wild display, right next to the Be Jeweled collection. This collection is another Limited Edition called Chrome. I was so excited, I stood in front of the display for a good few minutes while I tried to decide which to take home with me. 

I decided on the above two colors, Precious Petals and Stay Outta My Bismuth. The display also had a silver, gold, purple, turquoise, and an light orange-ish color. It took me forever to decide, but I figured I couldn't go wrong with pink and blue. I also think the bottles themselves are adorable and a nice change for Wet n Wild. 

Precious Petals is a bright pink foil with a silver shimmer throughout. While foils are not my favorite finish, I do love that they dry really quickly! I would say the dry time on these is about 2 minutes. I used a top coat anyway to make the polish shine a bit more. The application was a little difficult, mostly due to the foil finish. The brush on my bottle of Precious Petals was also a little wonky. However, the polish does cover very well in two coats. 

Precious Petals is a lot more vibrant in real life. It's a perfect spring and summer color!

The second polish from the Chrome collection is Stay Outta My Bismuth. It's a bright blue foil with a golden shimmer. The application on this was better overall because the brush was better. However, be sure to wait for each coat to dry before adding another so you avoid dragging and clumping. Stay Outta My Bismuth is a fun color as well. I actually swatched these two colors at the same time, one on each hand and I really like the combination. 

I found the Wet n Wild Chrome collection at Rite Aid and the bottles retail for $3.99 each. I also received 50 cents off when I used my Rite Aid Wellness+ card. They're a bit expensive for the 8.5 ml size bottles, especially since they're higher priced than most Wet n Wild collections, but I think they're worth it if you really love foils or just want some fun new colors for the warmer weather. 

What do you think of these two from the Chrome collection? Have you seen these in stores yet? 

Wet n Wild: Speak When Spoken To

Wet n Wild recently released a collection of duo-chrome glitters called Be Jeweled as part of their Coloricon line. They're similar to the China Glaze Prismatic collection, from what I've been seeing and reading, but at $2.99 a bottle, way more affordable. They are Limited Edition though, so if you really like them, better pick them up when you see them!

I wanted to do some swatches of Speak When Spoken To since it's part of my Spring Fling giveaway! This polish has so much going on. It's duo-chrome AND glitter! To show you all the full effect, I layered Speak When  Spoken To over 2 coats of China Glaze Liquid Leather.

Look at that gorgeousness! Speak When Spoken To shifts from blue to a pink purple. I like the intensity that the polish gets with black under it. I used two coats of SWST. I could have just used one, but I like doing 2 coats of glitter to even it out. I usually really dislike the Coloricon polish brushes, and while this one wasn't my favorite, I didn't have a problem with it. It's actually a brush that works well with this type of glitter polish.

I also used two coats of Seche Vite top coat to get the mani nice and smooth. The only downside of Seche is that it definitely caused shrinkage within 24 hours. I did order some Cult Nails Wicked Fast, so hopefully that won't be a problem anymore once that arrives!

So there you have it! Do you own any of the Be Jeweled collection? Which are your favorite? Do you also own any of the China Glaze Prismatic collection? If you do, which do you prefer?

Someone will be the lucky winner of this polish, so be sure to enter my giveaway!

Spring Fling Giveaway!

Hey lovely readers! Since Spring is my favorite season and today is the first official day of Spring, I decided to do a giveaway! I've also reached over 700+ views on my blog and that is awesome, so why not celebrate?

There will be one winner of the Spring Fling Giveaway and they will win these fabulous prizes! (pictured below)

• Revlon Whimsical
• Revlon Popular
• Revlon Carbonite
• Wet n Wild Speak When Spoken To from the Be Jeweled collection
• And I couldn't help myself, a mini bottle of Super Grover from KelBel Cosmetics!

Just use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. This giveaway ends on April 1st, so you have plenty of time to get entries in. Good luck!

Layering: I Need a Refresh-Mint and KelBel Cosmetics Flora

Today I have a store bought and home made nail polish combo!

I recently purchased Wet n Wild I Need a Refresh-Mint because I had been seeing it everywhere and for $1.99, I felt I HAD to own it. Of course right after I bought it, G from Nouveau Cheap (one of my favorite blogs) made this post comparing Refresh-Mint to China Glaze For Audrey. Apparently, they're dead-on dupes. Despite this, I'm still happy to own both. This is one of my favorite nail polish colors and the more versions of it I own, the better.

Please pardon the smudge on my middle finger. I really need to realize the difference between quick dry and instant dry. Just because I use Seche Vite, does not mean it is immediately dry to the touch after 5 seconds. Luckily I knew I'd be layering over this, so the smudge was no big deal. Overall, I like I Need a Refresh-Mint a lot. The color is beautiful and classic. I didn't have too much of the problem with the new, wider brush. The formula is better on For Audrey, but the formula on Refresh-mint was nice as well.

Next, I layered Flora over Refresh-mint. Flora is actually a color shifting top coat that I made and is now available in my Etsy shop! My shop is called KelBel Cosmetics and you can visit the shop here. All of the polish in the shop is made by me using clear 3 free lacquer base mixed with micas, pigments and glitters. I'll be adding more to the shop and making frequent updates in the next few months.

Flora shifts from pink to gold and has some shades in between depending on what you layer it over. The effect is a lot more subtle over a light color, but I love the combination it makes with Refresh-mint.

These pictures don't really do this combination justice. I love this in person (and not just because I made the top coat). I used two coats of Refresh-mint and two coats of Flora and topped it all off with Seche Vite of course. 

I hope you enjoy this combination. Let me know what you think in the comments!

My Funny Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone has enjoyed their day. I always like to think that Valentine's Day isn't just for couples. It's a day to spend with whomever you love, no matter if it's a significant other, family member, or friend. While I understand why many people dislike the holiday, it's a nice day to fill with love.

Anyways, today I have a Valentine's themed mani. I didn't have time to do any nail art, but I like my results none the less.

These are the two polishes I used for my Valentine's Day layering. On the left is China Glaze Princess Grace and Wet n Wild Sparked.  I had a few different combinations of Sparked (pink and silver glitter) on a nail wheel and actually let the hubby decide which he liked best. I was surprised that he picked this one, I was sure it would be Sparked over China Glaze Liquid Leather (which looks awesome by the way).

I used two coats of each polish. Princess Grace is the perfect light pink and applied very nicely. If I were wearing it on it's own, I probably would use three coats, but for layering two is perfect. Sparked also applied well for a glitter polish and provided good coverage in two coats as well. I think the combination is perfect for Valentine's Day. It's subtle, but not too subtle. I love it so much I'll probably keep it on all week. It's already been three days and no chips!

I hope you all enjoyed my Valentine's Day layering!

What did you wear on your nails for Valentine's Day? Did you have any special plans? Anyone out there get engaged? Let me know in the comments section!

Purple People Eater

Today I have a comparison post for you lovely readers! I don't really have any polishes that are dead-on dupes of each other, but I have some that are similar. Last night I put some on a color wheel and here are some of the results. If you couldn't tell from the title of this post, I went with a purple theme!

First, I have another picture of my Party on my Yacht and Galactus manicure, this time with my iPod, which is also purple. I've realized I own A LOT of purple stuff. My iPod and wallet are both purple, along with a hoodie (a la Gabe Saporta of Cobra Starship) and a bunch of tops. I also picked out purple post-its this week at work. So yeah, I love purple and apparently it shows. Also, anyone remember the movie Purple People Eater? I loved that movie!

Credit

The first comparison is between two purples, Pretty & Polished Galactus and Sinful Colors Fiji, which I wore a while back. As I was writing this post and editing photos, my husband made me Google Galactus. Apparently, Galactus is a Marvel character who goes around the universe destroying planets after Silver Surfer finds the planets for him. Needless to say, he wears purple. So that's my fun tidbit for the day!

On the left is Galactus and on the right is Fiji, each is three coats on the nail wheel. Clearly they are not dupes of each other. They fall in the same general purple family, but Galactus has the holographic shimmer, while frenzy does not. 

Out of the two, Galactus is my favorite. It is a lot more opaque in fewer layers and it has the holo shimmer.

Next are two polishes that are black bases with purple glitter. Wet n Wild Night Prowl vs. Revlon Scandalous (formerly Facets of Fuchsia). Again, clearly not dupes, but they fall in the same family.

On the left is Revlon Scandalous and on the right is Wet n Wild Night Prowl, 3 coats of each. Scandalous is a bit harder to work with than Night Prowl, but has the better payoff. If you want a black polish with purple glitter, Scandalous is the way to go.

I still have yet to use Revlon Scandalous, but I think when I do I'll layer it over a black creme to make it nice and opaque. Night Prowl is pretty good as a stand-alone polish. 

So there you have it, some purple comparisons! 

Which are your favorites out of these? What's the one color that dominates your nail polish collection and your wardrobe? Does anyone else remember the Purple People Eater movie? Let me know in the comments section! 

Big Lots Haul!

After Friday night date-night, I had the hubby stop at Big Lots so I could see if they had glass jars I could use for making nail polish once my materials come in. And let's be honest, in the hopes of finding some good polish deals.

Lo and behold, I was right. Hidden in a bowl with other nail polishes were two bottles of Revlon Carbonite! Some claim it's a close enough dupe of Chanel Graphite especially considering price. I don't own any Chanel nail polishes, but I figured Revlon Carbonite is a good find anyway, especially for $1.50 a bottle. I love a good sale.

I also picked up Wet n Wild Black Creme and two Sally Hansen Color Quick nail color pens, one in Silver Chrome and one in Red Chrome. They had a whole two boxes worth of the nail color pens, but I limited myself to two. I'm planning on using these with my Bundle Monster stamping plates (I'll discuss my first attempt in the next week.) The pens were also $1.50 each and the Wet n Wild was $1.00. It was a great find, even if they're not new products, and I just had to share it. So check out your local Big Lots,  you may luck out!

Where's your favorite place to find discounted nail polish? Do you own Revlon Carbonite? Tell me about it in the comments section!

Welcome and First Mani!

Welcome to my nail blog, Nail'd It! I have always enjoyed nail polish and doing my own manicures and pedicures. My motto is why pay someone when I can do it myself and spend that money on a good bottle of nail polish.

Most of my manicures in the past have been simple; just a plain mani with one type of nail polish and no designs. Little did I know I was missing out on amazing nail designs. Thanks to the blog HelloGiggles, I was exposed to the world of DIY nail art and numerous other nail blogs and Etsy shops. There are some very talented ladies out there and it inspired in me a new appreciation for nail art and nail polish.

This blog will contain my nailventures, if you will, into the world of nail art and my journey from nail n00b to hopefully nail pro. I hope you'll enjoy the ride and my trials and tribulations.

My first featured mani is one I will call "Vanilla Funfetti".

For the base I used Brucci Nail Hardener in "Snow White". I haven't worn white nail polish, with the exception of french tips, in years. I thought white would be a welcome change from the typical mani. The white didn't apply as well as I would have liked, but it may be due to the lack of a base coat. (I know, I know, I should use a base coat, but I have a bad habit of never using one. I'll change that soon.)

On top of two coats of Snow White, I used "Party of Five Glitters" from the Wet n Wild Fast Dry collection. It's a polish with assorted sizes of blue, green, silver, red and fuchsia glitter with a clear base. The glitter was a bit more sparse than I would have liked. I had to play around with the coats before I found a good balance, but also had to be cautious about not ruining the white base. 

To top it off I used an Acrylic Top Coat by Brucci. And there you have it, the Vanilla Funfetti design! I've had the mani on about a week now and there has been hardly any chipping. For my wear and tear on nails, this is great. The pictures were taken on day two. 

 The products:

Brucci "Snow White"

Wet n Wild's "Party of Five Glitters"

So there you have it! I've really enjoyed this design all week. Snow White stands out nicely and the Party of Five Glitters adds a pop of fun to the whole thing. What do you think, is this a Nail'd It! or a Fail'd It? Also, do you consider a Franken to be layering polishes or strictly mixing in a bottle? I'm curious and have a lot to learn, so leave some comments. Until next time!