Neon week- zebra skittles

As a teacher's aide, I go to class "circle time" every day and am painfully aware that summer is officially drawing to an end. (Fall officially begins this coming Saturday, the 22nd.) Before it's officially over, I wanted to do some manicures featuring some of the fluorescent polishes I've sported over the summer. Here's my first one.

Neon zebra skittles

I'm sure you've seen a ton of zebra print and a ton of neons in the past, but I couldn't find many images of the type of mani I'm sporting now and I figure it can't hurt to share.

To see more pictures and find out what polishes I used, plus to see bonus pics featuring my thumbs, join me after the jump!

VIVA MEXICO! Mexican Independence Day mani

September 16th is Mexican Independence Day, and I couldn't let the day pass by without doing some Mexico themed nails. My parents are both from Mexico, and while I am proud to to call myself an American, part of me is always connected to the land of the Aztecs.  Some of my happiest childhood memories happened in Mexico, and there are many people I love who live there.

Further proof of the festivities at my house- red, white and green dessert!

See a few more pictures, plus find out why this mani is a my 2nd attempt-all after the jump!

Plastic wrap nails, featuring Sinful Colors Innocent and Amethyst

Sinful Colors Inoocent and Amethyst, natural light lamp

I am not the best at nail art, and I don't have as much free time as I would like to dedicate to my polish hobby. It's probably these facts that makes me adore plastic wrap nails so much! They have a cool, textured look and don't require any kind of special talent. You just ball up your plastic and go! I did some plastic wrap nails with 2 Sinful Colors polishes, Innocent (lime green) and Amethyst (purple creme). I think the fact that the color choice is a bit unexpected is what makes this look really fun!

Join me for my thoughts on both polishes and more (blurry) pictures after the jump!

I celebrated my birthday with Deborah Lippmann......Across the Universe

Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe with accent nail, sun

Across the Universe is the only Deborah Lippmann polish that I've seriously considered paying full retail price for. None of the other polishes the brand offers impresses me quite as much as this jelly blue glitter bomb. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of a special offer from the company and got ATU for $9. It's still way more than I usually am willing to pay for a polish, but Across the Universe was definitely worth it to me.  

Across the Universe is so special to me that I felt like I would only wear it on a special occasion. That's why I waited until my birthday last week to wear it as a full mani. I wanted to do an intersting accent nail, and that's why I wore a blue green glass fleck gradient. Find out what polishes I used for the gradient (and base) and see more pictures, after the jump!

Comparison-Salon Express Nail Art Paint vs. Konad

Salon Express Nail Art Paint on the middle and pinky fingers, Konad black on the index and pointer

I have a polish friend who's really into stamping, and she prefers special stamping polish for her stamping. Because of her influence, when I saw that Salon Express had their own stamping polishes, I went ahead and picked them up. I was able to access some Konad black polish for a comparison, which is what I have for you today. 

Find out where to find Salon Express Nail Art Paint and see more pics, after the jump!

Boy Oh Boy, do I like Wet n Wild School of Pyrotechnics!

Jordana Boy Oh Boy topped with Wet n Wild School of Pyrotechnics, with Kleancolor Teal Marble accent nail

I recently published some less than stellar pictures of Jordana Boy Oh Boy! I promised to do another mani that did the color justice, and I hope I´ve accomplished that  in this post. I recently picked up a color that I thought was a metallic version of Boy Oh Boy.  It´s Kleancolor Teal Marble, and I really wanted to do a manicure featuring both of these great colors. I came up with the combo above. Since I also really like Wet n Wild School of Pyrotechnics, I decided to add that over Jordana Boy Oh Boy. See more pictures and find out what I added to the accent nail, after the jump!

China Glaze Fast Track-shimmery good neutral

China Glaze Fast Track with Zoya Jem accent nail, sunlight

Here´s another color that I might not have picked up had it not been for the Sally´s clearance sale. I don´t usually gravitate towards neutrals, which is why I passed on this color for a while. Even though I had tried it at the sample counter and liked the shimmer, I just wasn´t sure whether I liked the polish enough to buy it. When I saw China Glaze Fast Track on clearance, I went for it and I definitely don´t regret it. It´s a great neutral color that will work with a lot of skin tones, and gold shimmer in it is just divine! I couldn´t stop staring at my nails every time the light caught the shimmer. I added a saran wrap accent nail in Zoya Jem. I knew Jem had gold undertones and after trying a series of colors with Fast Track, it was my favorite. More pics after the jump!