China Glaze Tranzitions Review

Hey guys! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. My mother-in-law got me a China Glaze Tranzition polish. Split Perso-nail-ity is the pink one. While it may seem like a cool concept, I have to be honest, this was a major fail in my opinion.

I'll start with the positive. The potential for quick and easy nail art is nice. I could see someone with great creativity doing something really cute. Here's a pic of what I did.

The "transition" on this color was pretty good, but the formulation left me so disappointed. It was so streaky, uneven and splotchy. When I say splotchy I mean, you can see the second darker pigment within the pink even before you add top coat. There was no even tone to the color even after two coats. You can also tell after you put top coat on. You might be able to see on my middle finger above,  but here's a closer shot of my thumb for emphasis.

You see the lighter streak right in the center of the dark stripe? It does seem that the more generous you are with your top coat the better the color change. But of course, without a full top coat the polish chips and wears right away.

All in all, it was a nice gift especially since it's a new product, but I wouldn't buy it now that I've tried it. For those of you who like to have complete collections, I wouldn't get this one. If you really need to try it for yourself, just get one to start. Honestly, anyone with a decent polish collection probably has a range of colors that are a couple shades different. You could do the same type of nail art with those and be able to use a top coat on the whole design.

I'll still use it, because I hate to waste, but it will probably be with a full top coat like a regular polish. I really hope this helps. I feel terrible even writing such a bad review, but it's my honest opinion.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Thanks for stopping by! ^_^

Nail FREAK Giveaway!

Go enter to win This Illamasqua Duo of Polishes from Nail FREAK!

http://dramaocelot.blogspot.com/2012/12/twelve-nails-of-christmas-day-11.html?showComment=1356635564571#c2238578181326167086

Striping Brush, Striping Tape & Pinstripes. Oh My!

Well, hello there! I know it's been an extra day since my last post but there is good reason. Well, not really, but this post will explain. Since I'm not sure I'll have time to post again before then, Merry Christmas. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

So, I have three different designs to show you today. The reason being, this first one peeled the next morning. Apparently, the set of polishes I bought that came with a base coat actually put in a topcoat instead. I didn't even feel like posting about it after that. But since I did get a couple pics first, I'll show you.

Crisscross Striped Nail Art

This was my very first attempt using my striping brush. My husband picked out the colors and originally told me to do stripes, but his explanation wasn't very clear. So, when the green stripes got all crooked because of it being my first time striping, I went with this abstract design.

As you can see, the stripes were very inconsistent. The colors are: NYC Sidewalkers (grey), Sinful Colors Innocent (green), Julep Morgan (purple) & NYC Empire State Blue. Purple, blue and green are three of my favorite colors, so I knew I had to do them justice.

Striped Nail Art

After clearing up what my husband was actually wanting, I came up with this. I alternated the colors and size of the stripes to add my own touch. I'll admit though, I probably wouldn't have picked grey as my base. Kudos to the hubs.

This was my first time using striping tape. I've used regular scotch tape before, but not striping tape. So, you can see that it's not perfect by any means. I love the modern look of this mani, though. The alternating colors and all the taping took forever and it was already late, so, I did something different on my left hand. (^_^;)

I knew that I could do better with the striping brush, so I gave it another go. I added the little star so it wasn't just stripes. I think it added just the right touch.

Pinstripe Nail Art

I was having a hard time not casting a shadow in my pics. Anyway. As you can see, I alternated the colors and space between the stripes again.

And last, a different perspective. I was very pleased with how each design turned out, considering the circumstances of each one. I don't even mind that I have two hands with a different design, because they have the same color pattern and scheme. Who knows, maybe I'll start a trend. HAHA! Yeah, as if. A girl can dream, right? ^_^

Thanks for stopping by!

NotD: Shimmery Nubbins with Spunk

So, I had to cut my nails down and now have nubbins. (-_-) But who says nubbins can't be fun too? I've been wanting to use my Vivid Lacquer - The Ragdoll's Soliloquy again, and a unique glitter is a perfect and easy way to add spunk to short nails. I used one coat over two coats of Julie G - Shimmer Island, a fun lime green shimmer. So, I'll show you that first. (^_^)

As you can see, this is a very sheer polish. I don't mind a little visible nail line, but if you do, you'll want to do 3 or more coats. Good luck taking it off, though. I'm already dreading it. Haha.

This is obviously different lighting. Sorry about that. (^_^;) So, as you can see, this glitter topper is very unique. Green moons, black hearts, small gold, matte yellow (or are they sheer white and look yellow on a green background? ::shrugs::), holo periwinkle hexes, micro green and black glitter, and a slight green shimmer. I love this polish.

Here's the other hand. I didn't try to place the hearts and moons. I like the randomness. I may try next time though. I also want to try two coats instead of one, but this was from a Halloween collection and I don't know if it will ever be released again. (-_-) Oh well, we buy polish to use it, right? Haha.

That's all for today! Only a week 'til Christmas; are you guys prepared? Finished shopping? I'm not. (^_^;) Almost...almost. Okay, toodles!

Winter Mani & a Personal Story

Hey guys. I'm finally posting my nails from Friday. I'm going to start by sharing a personal story, if you don't mind.

I lost my sister to cancer 6 days before Christmas in 2009. I remember the overwhelming sadness, grief and guilt I felt as we made the 8 hour drive to north Georgia to see her before she passed. When we used to talk on the phone, she would always say that we should come visit her. That there was plenty of room at her place and how pretty it was. Even though she would come down during Thanksgiving, my family went to Virginia to see my husband's side of the family. So, unless they came down some other time of the year, I would always miss them. I only saw her a handful of times after she moved, and only when she came to Florida. The only time I went to see her was also the last time I would see her, and I live with that guilt every day. Yet I know this is nothing compared to the families of Friday's tragedy.

I hope you all will continue to pray for the families in Connecticut as well as China. I was crying again today just imagining these parents walking into their child's room and having all the memories flood back, but not being able to hold them. I have a 2 year old daughter and she's the light of my life. I honestly can't even begin to understand the pain.

I know this may seem like a depressing way to start my post, but I believe it's important that we don't let this slip from our conscience after only a few days. Treasure you loved ones, not just during the holiday season, but every day.

So, speaking of holidays, I decided to do a winter mani even though I live in Florida, and wouldn't you know that day it got cold. I'm not saying it was because of my mani, but I'm not saying it wasn't either. ^_~ As a matter of fact, the 2 days I wore this mani it was cold and the next day it warmed up again! Of course, I don't have much practice at freehand nail art, so it's nothing special. Here it is though:

Winter Nail Art

The tree on this hand was better than my right, but the snowman needed some help. ^_^;

The snowman on this hand was cleaner until my top coat made his eyes streak, plus the tree sucks.

This was the one time we had sunshine all week. I only got a pic of one hand, that's how fleeting it was. It was a shame too, with all that beautiful holo glitter on there. ^_^

Ok, that's all for today. I hope you all are having a good weekend and that my rudimentary nail art lightened the weight of this post. 'Til next time!

NotD: Indie Christmas

Hi hi! So, everyone is doing Christmas/holiday manis, but I just haven't gotten in Christmas mode yet. So, I thought I'd show you two indies that work perfectly for a Christmas mani.

Sea Lore Arista (Red)

 Both polishes are from Sea Lore. The red is Arista and the accent nail is Ariel. These pics are 2 generous coats with no undies or topcoat.

Sea Lore Ariel (accent nail)

The dry time is really good, but you definitely need the dabbing method to get an even coverage of glitter. It was getting late so I got a little lazy on the second coat. That's why you might see some thicker spots.

I thought Ariel was perfect for an abstract Christmas tree and of course any red works. In case you can't tell, the red glitter in Arista is holographic. Love it!

Well that's all for today. Happy 12/12/12. (^_^)

Nails by Ms. Lizard Blogiversary Giveaway!

I've got another great giveaway to share with you today. Nails by Ms. Lizard is celebrating her 1-yr Blogiversary with a great giveaway. Enter here: http://nailsbymslizard.blogspot.com/2012/12/1-yr-blogiversary-giveaway.html#comment-form

Check out these fabulous prizes:

 1st Prize:

 

2nd Prize:

 

 

3rd Prize:

 

It ends 12/27 so get those entries in! Good luck!

Nail Fail: My First Water Marble

So, I said I'd share my fails as well as my successes and today I have one. I attempted my first water marble last night and bleh. I won't say it was a total fail, because I learned from the experience and got the dreaded first attempt out of the way. My left hand looks better than my right, as usual. So, enough chit-chat, let's have a look! (^_^)

I actually don't think this hand turned out that bad, but as you can see, my middle finger was a mess. I was intentionally going for a more organic, natural marble look rather than the flowery look most people do, if that helps any. (^_^;) What it doesn't help is my right hand:

The gold was too thick and didn't spread very well. Also, it was way to shimmery and made cleanup a nightmare. I couldn't even get a good pic because of all the shimmer. Note to self: NEVER use Sally Hansen Golden-I for water marbling. Haha.

I also had a hard problems with the polish bubbling once it was on my nail. I made sure my nails were dry, so I don't know what caused it. That's another reason they're such a mess. Oh well.

In the midst of cleanup, I thought to myself, "What a pain. This is so not worth it." But even as I got ready for bed, I thought, "I know I can do better with the right polish." So, I haven't sworn it off just yet. Any tips are always welcome.

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for reading and have a fabulous week!

Deuce Beauties Giveaway!

The fabulous Deuce Beauties is having an amazing giveaway. One lucky reader will win both the Zoya Designer AND Diva collections! So, what are you waiting for? Go. Follow. Enter! Ends Dec. 22nd.

NotD: Reverse Glitter Gradient

Hey hey haaay! First, I want to say thanks for stopping by to read my little ole blog. I truly appreciate it and hope you enjoy my newbie adventures in nail art. Today, I have an untried polish that I bought last month topped with a beautiful glitter that I used just last week. Have a look:

Reverse Glitter Gradient

The base is Ulta Vintage Violet with a reverse glitter gradient in Sation Band Beauty. I used Band Beauty over gold for my Christmas party mani and wanted to see it over something else. I love this combo.

This was also the first reverse glitter gradient I tried and can I say clean up was a bear! LoL. Any tips for that? Also, I love the formula of Ulta's polishes. You could get away with one coat if you really wanted to.

Sorry for the shadowy pics but it was so hard to get a good shot without obscuring the pretty colors of the glitter in their own sparkle. Does that make sense? Haha.

Ulta Vintage Violet & Sation Band Beauty

I think this would be a lovely birthday mani, but with mine only a few weeks away, I don't think I'll recreate it so soon. Well, that's all for now. Have a wonderful day!

My First Saran Wrap Mani

Ok, so I've been seeing a lot of these and love the look. I've been wanting to try my Ulta Army of 1 and I thought this would be a good way. So, here's Army of 1 on it's own. I didn't clean up because I knew I'd be making more mess once I got to the saran part.

This is under a florescent light, so it looks a little more on the grey side than it actually is. Still pretty, though! ^_^ Now for the results of my first saran wrap mani. Drum roll, please....^_~

Saran Wrap Mani

Looks more green now, right? I used WnW Ebony Hates Chris on top. I love how easy this technique is! I was thoroughly expecting to botch it up, get frustrated and end up with naked nails today. Haha. I also think both hands look pretty much the same in quality, for once.

Sorry my clean up wasn't perfect. The new brush I was using fell apart on me. The metal part that holds it to the stick was loose. I smashed it on, so hopefully it'll be fine.

My ever supportive husband asked to see the final product and said they look like granite. I thought that was cool since there's marble nail art. So, now we have marble and granite. I don't know if the term has been coined yet, but I'll give my husband the credit. Saran wrap/Granite Nail Art! ^_^

I hope you liked my first adventure with saran wrap. If you have any suggestions, tips, etc., feel free to comment. Thanks for reading!

UPDATE: I couldn't leave you with this messy cleanup. Here's a clean pic. Hehe.

Holiday Party Nails

So, I just wanted to do a quick post about what I wore to my office Christmas party. I was originally going to do some stamping, but ran out of time. I'm actually glad I did, because I love what I ended up with. Have a look:

Sorry, it's hard to see because of all the sparkle. The base is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Golden-I. I LOVE this polish. I don't usually go for bold nails, but I would wear this alone anytime. It's a super shimmery gold foil polish. I topped it with Sation Band Beauty. This is another stunner and a new favorite. It has micro gold, red, purple and blue and small purple, blue, gold and silver hexes. This is only one rushed coat. As in, I was doing a quick coat on the way to the party while my husband drove, and I had no issues with application at all. Haha.

I tried a different light, but it's just so hard to catch without glare from too much light or losing the color in low light. I guess I'm going to have to try to make a light box after the holidays. (^_^;)

That's all for now. Have a wonderful day!

Nail Mail

Whoa, two posts in one day? I'm normally one post every two days. Hehe. But we all love to share our nail mail. So, here I go:

I won Lace & Lacquers's prize from Sassy Shelly's Thanksgiving Gratitude Multi-Blogger Giveaway!
Here are some close ups:

A pot of cute pink star glitter. Hopefully I can create a mani worthy of its cuteness. (^_^)

Gold striping tape, and my first striping tape. For those of you new to my blog (by the way I just got a new follower! Yea! Thank you!) I've always loved painting my nails, but I've only recently gotten into nail art. Anyway, I've seen so many cute manis that require striping tape, so I'm really excited about this! If I'm successful, I'm sure I'll be buying tons more. hehe

Two Orly minis in Teeny Bikini and Sweet Peacock. I'll admit, these are my first Orly polishes. If there wasn't already a blog called Frugal Polish, it could easily be my blog's name. (^_^;) Oh and Teeny Bikini scares me. LoL. I'll give it a shot, but it may be a pedi polish only. It would be perfect for Summers here in Florida.

Finally, an e.l.f. concealer brush that will be perfect for cuticle cleanup.

So, that's it. Have you won any giveaways recently? Feel free to share your wins. As always, Thanks for stopping by the blog of a nail art noob. Ja ne! Later!

Stamping Mani & an Award?!

Hello you wonderful, supportive people, you. I'm going to start with my nails and then move on to the good stuff. This is kind of a long post, so only 2 pics. Today I have a stamping mani:

The base color is Color Club in Shabby Drab and the stamping is Color Club Rad Nomad. The stamping design is from Mash plate 20. I was originally going to do an accent nail, but I loved this design too much.

I tried to get a little bit of natural light for this pic, but a window is no substitute for being outside in direct light. (^_^;)

Ok, now on to the award! My wonderful friend at Kat Stays Polished has nominated me for the Liebster Award!

 She's too kind, really. I've barely begun to blog and have a lot to learn and try still. So, I'm truly flattered. Thanks, Kat!

Here are the details and rules for this award:

When you receive the award, you post 11 random facts about yourself and answer 11 questions from the person who nominated you.

Pass the award onto 11 other blogs (make sure you tell them you nominated them!) and ask them 11 questions.

You are not allowed to nominate the blog who nominated you!

Make sure the blogs you chose have 200 or LESS followers.

My 11 Random Facts:

1: I'm half Japanese but can barely speak any Japanese.

2: That just made me love my heritage even more. I LOVE Japanese movies, tv shows, music, food...etc.

3: I've only been to Japan once, but it was for 4 amazing weeks.

4: That was the only time I've ever met any of my mother's side of the family.

5: I have a cousin on my dad's side of the family who is the same age as my mother. (o_O) 6: I've never felt calling someone that much older than me by their given name. So, I always called her Cousin Sandy. hahah

7: I'm also part Italian on my father's side. Our traditional Christmas dinner is homemade lasagna rather than turkey or ham, though sometimes we'll have one of those too.

8: I'm extremely hairy. I think it's the Italian in me. I try to keep my hairy knuckles out of pics, but may not always pay attention. Sorry. (-_-) hehe.

9: My odd eyebrows don't lay flat against my face. If you look at them from an angle, you can see they stick out. haha.

10: I like to get to know people before I open up. Obviously not the case here. LOL.

11: I'm not afraid to laugh at myself...and I give myself plenty of opportunity. I'll have to share a story or two sometime. (^_^)

Questions to Answer from Kat Stays Polished:

1. Do you remember what your FIRST polish was? No. I've been into polish (on & off) since about 6 yrs old. haha

2. Milk chocolate or dark chocolate? DARK. Hands down, no competition.

3. Coffee or tea? Tea. Surprised, Kat? hehe

4. Coke or Pepsi? No preference really.

5. Do you send out Christmas cards to family? No. We all live relatively close.

6. What was the best vacation you ever went on? 4 Weeks in Okinawa, Japan!

7. Where would you love to have your ultimate dream vacation? Tokyo!

8. If you have kids, how many do you have. If you don't currently have kids, how many do you want? I have 1 beautiful (she looks like her dad, so no I'm not bragging. hahah),  smart, hilarious little girl.

9. Does your husband, boyfriend, partner have an influence on your blog? Absolutely.

10. Is polish your life? No...polish is my escape from reality. ^_^

11. What will be your New Year's resolution? Too cliche, but I NEED to lose weight.

My nominees:

1: Can't Hold My Lacquer

2: Life as Kandistar

3: Dipped in Lacquer

4: Shell Bell's Nails

5: Enchanted Nails & Fluffy Dog Tails

6: Erica's Nails and More

7: Glitter Me This

8: Glittery Fingers & Sparkling Toes

9: hellolacquer

10: Iced Lacquer

11: Lacqueriss

My 11 Questions:

1: What is your favorite polish-related memory?

2: What is your favorite sweet/dessert/candy?

3: What's the weirdest food you've tried and liked?

4: If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

5: As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

6: In your opinion, where should everyone go at least once?

7: Cats or Dogs, and why?

8: Funniest/weirdest name you've given a pet.

9: Funniest/most embarrassing pet name/nickname you've given a person.

10: Worst school memory.

11: What scent makes you nostalgic and why?

Thanks for reading!

NotD: A Blast from the Past

So you'll recognize my NotD polishes because I just posted about them. I couldn't wait to try out Julie G Kickin' It with Sation Tall, Dark and Has Some on accent fingers. 

Julie G Kickin' It

 Let me just say, as soon as I put it on I was brought back to my childhood and the first time I remember painting my nails. I had to have been 5 or 6 and was sleeping over at my best friend's house and her mom let us paint our nails. I remember that I chose a dark blue polish. While this is far from dark, it has a certain 80s feel to it...I'm giving away my age aren't I. Haha! 

Actually, it feels more 70s, dancing queen if I really think about it. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure they're a perfect match for this video I found on YouTube. (^_^) I'm not that old, but who doesn't love some ABBA?

Here it is in the sunlight. You have to see it in person to truly appreciate the color shift. It goes from a teal shimmer to the blue you see in the photos and even to a deeper blue. I love it.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful day!

Thanksgiving Vacation Haul

Home sweet home! I had a nice holiday but nothing beats home. Am I right, ladies? I've had the same mani on for seven full days but thought I'd share my haul before I get to my nails. So, for Thanksgiving my husband and I go to his family's in Virginia. Since Florida doesn't have Rite-Aid (anymore...yeah, I don't know either. haha.) I had to stop in and check out their polish, right? Right. I don't like spending too much at once plus our luggage was already at max capacity, so I kept my haul small. Here's what I got:

Scherer Chameleon Fandango

Scherer Chameleon in Fandango has a green to blue color shift. I've mentioned how I avoid purple because I love it and don't want a collection full of purple, but I have the same problem with blues. (^_^;) To prove my point:

Julie G Kickin' It

Julie G in Kickin' It. This one has a color shift as well, but it's so hard to catch. Anywho, next:

Julie G Shimmer Island

Julie G in Shimmer Island. Loved this but almost didn't get it. I was only going to get two because, like I said, space and spending; but my husband convinced me to get more. Have I mentioned how awesome he is? Yeah. (^_^)

Jesse's Girl Crush

Last one from Rite-Aid is Jesse's Girl in Crush. I needed a good orange in my collection. I don't know if any of these brands are available in Florida, but if they are, I couldn't tell you where.

I also snagged my first two Sation polishes from Marshall's. Since I never go to Marshall's and know that they won't all have the same selection, I couldn't pass these up.

Sation Tall, Dark & Has Some

Sation Tall, Dark & Has Some is a multi-glitter in a clear base. It has blue, silver and black micro glitter, small black hexes & blue shreds. Yes, another blue. Sad thing is, I think I have a warm skin-tone, but it's just on my nails. It's not like it's makeup and the wrong tones. (o_O) Haha.

Sation Band Beauty

Last, but not least, is Sation Band Beauty. There was a similar multi-glitter with mostly pink/purple hues but this one has mostly gold. I thought it would be great for the holidays. It's a mix of micro and small glitters in gold, blue, red, purple and probably more. I caught a cold my last day off and can't see straight anymore. Plus, I'm running on very little sleep. So, I will leave it at that. 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'm going to try to get some extra sleep and hopefully feel better for work tomorrow. Thanks for reading!