31 Day Challenge, Day 3: Yellow nails featuring Orly Melodious Utopia

Orly Melodious Utopia skittle nails, sun

Hi, guys! I hope you're okay with my skittle pastel nails.  I tried to brainstorm for something different for my yellow day, but I had a manicure that  I just kept coming back to. I hadn't photographed it very well when I did it a few weeks ago, and it was such a pretty look that I didn't think any of my other ideas with yellow could compare. 

Orly Melodious Utopia skittle nails, shade

See more pictures after the jump!

31 Day Challenge, Day 2: Orange Nails, featuring neon flames

Neon flame nails, featuring Orly Mayhem Mentality

Yikes! Even on a once a week schedule, I'm having a hard time getting my posts in on time. I had already delayed this post because I spent all day Saturday at a family event. Then, I ended up spending half of today looking for my missing camera! It wasn't until late in the day that-duh- I realized I should just take pictures with my cell camera. So without further ado, here are my neon flame nails!

I was a bit stuck when it came to the theme for this week's orange manicure. I knew I wanted to do a neon orange look, but I couldn't figure out how to do something unique. It wasn't until I browsed Youtube that I realized that orange flames would make for a great manicure. I took a bit of a different approach to this look. You can find out what polishes I used, what my technique was, and see more pictures after the jump!

Pounce on Cougar Attack while you can!

Spoiled Cougar Attack, 3 coats, sunlight

Right now the CVS clearance sale is going on, and one of the items on clearance is Spoiled Cougar Attack. I wanted to post about this polish before it goes away forever. I really like it, and think a lot of you might enjoy seeing swatches of it. It's a brown jelly polish with copper glitter in it, and it's a dupe of a Deborah Lippmann polish named Superstar. I first learned about its dupishness in this post from Vampy Varnish, which does a thorough comparison of the two polishes.

Spoiled Cougar Attack, 3 coats, sunlight

I wore this polish on its own and also tried it layered over polish. Join me after the jump to see pictures of it over another polish.

Sensitive to texture featuring Orly Sweet Peacock

Orly Sweet Peacock skittle nails, sun

Even though I've already described how I don't like texture polishes, I decided to take some advice from Mary over at Swatch and Learn. She suggested that I try OPI Get Your Number, which is featured in this post and in my prior one. I can appreciate the beautiful color and gorgeous glitters in Get Your Number, but I still didn't like the matte texture finish.  That's why I added topcoat to my previous look. Once I had the topcoat on, I decided that Orly Sweet Peacock  and OPI Get Your Number worked so well together that I should do a skittle look with the 2.

Orly Sweet Peacock skittle nails featuring OPI Get Your Number on the pinky, sun

It's actually pretty appropriate that my first couple of posts about autism this year feature texture polish. Obviously, it's on trend with nail polish right now, but texture is also something those on the autism spectrum are very sensitive to.

People with autism can be very bothered by the sensation of things others would not notice at all, such as their socks or undershirt. They can also be particularly drawn to certain textures.  In early autism education, there is a good deal of emphasis on sensory activities. Teachers often use materials like shaving cream, rice, beans, or water to help satisfy the sensory needs of autistic children.

Join me after the jump to find out what this look included besides a textured polish!

April is Autism Awareness Month!

OPI Lights of Emerald City and Get Your Number layered over  Orly Sweet Peacock, sun

I'm going to wear only blue nails during April in support of those whose lives are touched by autism. Like last year, it kind of snuck up on me, so for now I have this manicure to share with you:

 

OPI Lights of Emerald City and Get Your Number layered over  Orly Sweet Peacock, shade

I started with 2 coats of Orly Sweet Peacock on all my nails. Then I added 2 coats of Get Your Number, the OPI Liquid Sand, over my ring and index finger. I added 1 coat of Lights of Emerald city on the other 2 fingers. The OPI glitter features white square glitter and smaller holo squares in a clear base. I think both of these worked really well with Sweet Peacock, gorgeous turquoise foil polish. 

OPI Lights of Emerald City and Get Your Number layered over  Orly Sweet Peacock, sun

Running in Circles in metallics

China Glaze Running in Circles with gold and silver polish splattered on, sunlight

 When I happened to put my bottle of China Glaze Running in Circles next to my bottle of  Orly Dazzle, I knew immediately that those 2 colors would really compliment each other. Running in Circles is the awesome bright green foil from the China Glaze Cirque du Soleil collection. I decided to do a manicure using Running in Circles as a base and then splatter it with gold and silver.  I used Orly Dazzle as the silver and Kleancolor Metallic Yellow as the gold.  I think the resulting manicure is really a breathtaking one.  I stopped and admired my nails every time the sun caught it the right way.  What do you think of it?

Running in Circles splatter manicure with Kleancolor Metallic Yellow and Orly Dazzle, natural light lamp

 

 

Christmas (Salad) Days- green glitterbomb featuring Orly Mermaid Tale

Orly Mermaid Tale over China Glaze Glittering Garland and Sinful Colors Cal You Later, sun

Here's a fun combination I wore after I decided I better get into the Christmas spirit and start doing some Christmas themed manis before it's too late. Unfortunately, I couldn't actually find any actual holiday stamps in my tiny collection of plates. The closest I came is this poinsettia stamp. I didn't want to get too complicated so I just stamped my middle finger. On the other fingers, I decided glitter was the solution. I started with 2 coats of China Glaze Glittering Garland, then added 1 coat of Sinful Colors Call You Later and 1 coat of Orly Mermaid Tale. I think the resulting manicure is blingy enough for the holidays. It actually reminds me a lot of Lynderella's green glitterbombs, like I Can Afford It and Salad Days.  However, there was a specific layering look that inspired this. Join me after the jump to see the inspiration and for more pictures!

Orly Mermaid Tale over China Glaze Glittering Garland and Sinful Colors Cal You Later, shade

Lazy 15 Day 7- Feminine Nails, with Orly Decades of Dysfunction

Orly Decades of Dysfunction with stamping and Nina Holographic Topcoat

Blogger fails again! This was supposedly published last night on my smartphone.  This is the 2nd time in the 7 days of challenges that Blogger has malfunctioned on me. :(

I haven't had a lot of time to dedicate to my nails or blog recently, and these nails are no exception. The stamping is less than perfect, but I'm hoping the glitter makes up for it. For this look, I started with 2 coats of Orly Decades of Dysfunction, a neutral nearly white pink. Next, I stamped it with LA Girls Magnetized and a Bundle Monster 224 stamping plate. Finally, I added a coat of Nina Holographic Topcoat, a good dupe for Butter London Tart With a Heart. I wish it had shown up a bit better, I guess the base color is a bit too pale for this glitter.

Orly Decades of Dysfunction with LA Girl Magnetized stamping

Lazy 15 Day 6- Favorite color, with Orly Spazmatic

Orly Spazmatic over Revlon Royal with flakies

I don't think I'm going to be alone in stating "favorite color- Huh?" As in, favorite color ever, of polish, our favorite polish name-the possibilities are endless. Since my favorite color is turquoise, I went with a look featuring Orly Spazmatic,a turquoise glitter in a clear base. I also decided to include a few of my other favorites in this manicure, so I decided to use a jelly type of polish and to include some flakies, which I also love! I created a jelly sandwich featuring 1 coat of Spazmatic between 2 coats of Revlon Royal, which I recently picked up for $2 at Big Lots. I added a coat of Essie Shine of the times on top. Once all that was done, I wanted the beautiful blue color of turquoise glitter to be showcased a bit more, so I added some glitter tips to the top of my nails with more of Orly Spazmatic. Sorry these sundown pictures are a bit weird looking, I'll be adding some natural light ones later on.

Orly Spazmatic and Essie Shine of the Times over Revlon Royal

Neutral fishtail nails, featuring OPI Mermaid Tears

Fishtail braid nails, sunlight

So in my last post I shared my Dipping Dot-icure with Orly Decades of Dysfunction. That was nail art that I did on my dominant right hand. I did this fishtail design on my left, non-dominant hand. I had wanted to do a fishtail design since I first saw one on the Swatch and Learn blog, where Mary has a tutorial. I was afraid it would be too difficult for my non-dominant hand, which is why went with the dotticure for my right.

This manicure features the following polishes-Orly Decades of Dysfunction, China Glaze Foie Gras and Dress Me Up and OPI Mermaid Tears.  As I explained in my prior post, I love the color combination, and I prefer this design where all the colors play off each other equally.  I still really like the dot design as well.

I have a few more pics and notes, so join me after the jump!

"Dipping Dot"-icure with Orly Decades of Dysfunction

Dipping Dot-icure on Orly Decades of Dysfunction

Sometimes, certain colors and designs just scream out a concept. For me, the concept of this manicure was definitely Dipping Dots, those little mini ball ice creams often found at amusement parks. The colors are all reminiscent of different flavors of ice cream to me. The base color is Orly Decades of Dysfunction, which is a really light pink. Then I added dots with OPI Mermaid's Tears (mint) and China Glaze Foie Gras (chocolate) and Dress Me Up (strawberry). I really love this manicure, I think the color combination is gorgeous. I'm not actually patting myself on the back by saying that, because I came up with color combination as a total fluke. Find out what happened and check out some more pictures, after the jump!

4th of July Splatter Nails-the perils of polish

4th of July splatter, featuring OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Orly Crawford's Wine and Sally Hansen Blue Me Away, sunlight

I was visiting my friend in Los Angeles during the 4th of July, but that didn't stop me from breaking out some splatter nails. I used a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, then splattered with Orly Crawford's Wine and Sally Hansen Blue Me Away. I love the look, and the process led me to have an interesting experience! Find out the story, plus learn my splattering tip and check out more pictures, after the jump.

Orly Lucky Duck Marries a Millionaire

Orly Lucky Duck with China Glaze Marry a Millionaire accents

Since I pulled out my Orly Lucky Duck to do a comparison earlier, I figured it was time to post my pictures of the mani I did with it a while back. This was a look I sported as my nails were transitioning from long to short.  For this look, I did a used China Glaze Marry a Millionaire for the tips of my nails and for an accent nail. Because the glitter has some greenish bar glitter in the mix, I think it worked really well with the jade green of Lucky Duck.  Here's a swatch pic of Lucky Duck on its own:

Orly Lucky Duck, sunlight

To see a few more pictures, join me after the jump!

Comparison-Orly Glowstick and China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Orly Glowstick on the ring and pointer, China Glaze Yellow Polka  Dot Bikini on middle and pinky, sunlight 

My polish friend Esmeralda Pearlfinishish has very different tastes than I do. She loves reds and pinks, and those are the colors I am the least drawn to. She also loves neon colors, and a month ago I would have sworn those aren't my thing. Ah, how tastes change. I don't know if it's all the beautiful nail art or the sunshine or what, but I've been craving neons lately. So much so that when I realized that I did not have a neon yellow in my collection, I made it a point to head to my favorite dealer..uh, supplier to get China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.  Since Esmeralda has Orly Glowstick, I decided to take it and do a comparison with my China Glaze. I'm not much of a neon connaisseur, but it was hard to tell these two neons apart. To my eye, they are dupes and I would avoid one if you already have the other. Join me for some more pics, a few notes on application, and a just for fun image, after the jump!

Orly Glowstick on the ring and pointer, China Glaze Yellow Polka  Dot Bikini on middle and pinky, shade

China Glaze Exotic Encounters comparison ombre

China Glaze Exotic Encounters on middle finger, with Essie Go Overboard on index, Orly Lucky Duck on ring, and OPI Mermaid's Tears on pinky

I've already posted about China Glaze Exotic Encounters and how much I love the color. However, like The Polishaholic, I felt like this color was a little familiar. There were a few colors in my collection that come to mind, so I went ahead and dug them out of my stash to do a comparison. I'm happy to say that Exotic Encounters is definitely unique among the colors I own.

It's different enough that once I got out the other two colors that came to mind, I realized that I should do a ombre manicure with them. I really like the result, and am kicking myself for not having done more ombre style manicures in the past. For my comparison ombre, I used the following colors:

Essie Go Overboard-pointer
China Glaze Exotic Encounters-middle
Orly Lucky Duck-ring
OPI Mermaid's Tears-pinky

To see another picture, plus to find out what other color is NOT a dupe for Exotic Encounters, join me after the jump.

Unspeakable beauty-Sinful Colors Green Ocean over Orly Royal Navy

Okay, April may be long over but I still have a few blue manicures to post, so I'm continuing my Autism Awareness theme. :)

Sinful Colors Green Ocean layered over Orly Royal Navy, shade

Those with autism have a brain that works differently than ours. A big part of that is that they process things visually and not verbally.  As a result, preschoolers with autism don't start speaking until later than their typical peers, and some of them will barely speak at all, even as they get older. There are plenty of autistic people who are very verbal, but in general, an autism diagnosis means a less verbal child. Speech therapists and other educators work with all types of autistic children to improve their ability to speak and communicate with others.

Sinful Colors Green Ocean layered over Orly Royal Navy, natural light

This combo was inspired by seeing a great picture of Sinful Colors Green Ocean over a royal blue on the Icy Queen Nail Parlour blog. After having tried and being really impressed by the beautiful blue shimmer in Orly Royal Navy, I wanted to try flakies with it. Royal Navy is an awesome royal blue jelly with a bit of a turquoise shimmer. I got more shimmer out of it by keeping Royal Navy upside down until it was ready to apply. The shimmer tends to settle at the bottom so this helped.  Sinful Colors Green Ocean is the blue flakie in a green base that is typically only available around St. Patrick's day.  I'm lucky to have picked mine up and have liked it no matter what color it's over. To see a lot more more pics of Royal Navy and Green Ocean together, keep reading!

More magnetics! Orly, Sally Hansen and Deborah Lippmann magnetic polishes

Sally Hansen Magnetic polishes

I've been out shopping recently and have spotted quite a few magnetic nail polishes that were new to me. The brands featuring magnetic polish now include: Deborah Lippmann, Sally Hansen and Orly. I've included a few pics here, but be sure to keep reading for more info, links and pictures!

Swatches of Orly Magnetic FX polishes

Deborah Lippmann Steal My Kisses magnetic nail polish set

Definitely obsessed-Orly Sweet Peacock

Orly Sweet Peacock with China Glaze Cleopatra gradient, sunlight

People with autism often have a particular subject matter that they are really obsessed with. I've experienced a wide range of them, from a 6 year old who loves ocean creatures to a kindergartener who loved to talk Angry Birds to an 13 year old who did school work to get to look at pictures of trains on the internet . And in fact, Thomas the Train is very compelling to a lot of autistic children. I've worked with one preschooler that was totally obsessed and have heard specialists who was giving a talk about the autism saying something like, "there's always been a particular interest, even before Thomas." Not everyone with autism has a special topic that they love, but if you find yourself interacting with someone with autism, don't be surprised if they have a subject matter they're as knowledgeable about as we are about nail polish!

I've got Sweet Peacock back in November but it was one of my untrieds until now. It really shouldn't have been, given how much I love turquoise. I'm glad to report that this one is beautiful, and impressed me on the nail more than it did in the bottle.  I also sponged the tips to try out China Glaze Cleopatra. It's one of my friend Esmeralda Pearlfinish's favorites, and now I can see why. To see more pictures and learn how this mani came about, join me after the jump!

Lorelei's Tiara half moon mani

China Glaze Lorelei's Tiara half moon mani

I swear, you guys, my plan is not to do 30 days of the *same* blue for Autism Awareness month. But my mani once again features Orly Stone Cold, Kleancolor Shining Sea, and China Glaze Blue Year's Eve. This time they are half moons peeking out from under China Glaze Lorelei's Tiara. Lorelei's Tiara was part of the Eye Candy collection that was released around the holidays, and it's a beauty. I'll tell you the unexpected places I got complimented on it and show you more pictures, after the break!

Think visual: comparison of Orly Stone Cold vs. China Glaze Blue Year's Eve

Orly Stone Cold on index and pinky, China Glaze on ring and Kleancolor Shining Sea on middle, sunlight

April is Autism Awareness month! People on the autism spectrum think visually, often described as thinking in pictures rather than words. While other people process information through words and images (and maybe more, I'm no expert), those on the autism spectrum mainly process through images.

I think only a very visual person would be really able to notice the differences between Orly Stone Cold and China Glaze Blue Year's Eve.  They are close enough for me to call them dupes, but I'll describe the tiny differences between them, after the jump!