A Break From Swatching

Since lately all I've been posting are reviews and I was out and sick for so long, I thought a break from that would be nice. I love doing reviews but nail art is just as fun!

It feels good doing some nail art again. I'm certainly not the best at it but I do enjoy it and I have fun.

For the base I used China Glaze For Audrey, for the gold glitter, I used Ulta High Roller, and that was a hot mess to clean up. For the rest of the colors, I used acrylic paints to avoid smearing and/or smudging. Anywho, I love the results and the color combo. Theres something about turquose and brown that I absolutely adore. It's like the perfect pair!



Anna

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Essense Break Through & Gorgeous Bling Bling

I am truly in love in Essense polishes. I don't own very many but the few that I do have, I really enjoy them.

I have been the exciting opportunity to review 2 new polishes from their collection. And I can't even tell you how gorgeous they are!

The polishes I will be sharing with you today are Break Through and Gorgeous Bling Bling.

Break Through is a gorgeous plum with a shimmer in the bottle. Unfortunately it was no where to be seen on the nails. This was 2 smooth coats. The first coat was a bit streaky but the 2 one covered it perfectly. 

Gorgeous Bling Bling. Isn't that name just perfect for the polish? It is utterly breathtakingly beautiful and I am so in love. The orange rusted base with the gold flecks is just amazing, I don't own anything else close to this. The flecks are actually a lot more noticeable in real life. Yes, you read that right.

The formulas for these were a bit runny as you can tell in the picture - and I didn't even catch that until now. However for the price of $1.99 USD, you cannot go wrong with these lovelies!

Ever closed a bottle so tightly you could barely open it? I'm really sure how to describe it but when you're screwing the cap back on, there's a little nudge/click. I really love that, and wish all nail polish bottles were like that. Another thing is with the new bottles, you get more bang for your buck! With the newly styled bottles, you're getting more product. Plus, the bottles are so much more adorable.

Essence can be found here, at your local Ulta or Ulta online.

What are some of your favorite Essence polishes?
Anna

*This product was provided for  for my honest, unbiased review. Please see the PR Disclosure for any questions.*

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Leopard Print

This is just something simple and easy. It's a busy weekend for me! Got a full day on Saturday and church on Sunday! Then back back to school on Monday, boo. Fortunately, school seems to going well so far, yay for that!

This has got to be one of the easiest nail art techniques that even a nail art noob can do! I'm definitely a noob at nail art, and somehow I managed this!

For the very bright looking blue, I used Orly Skinny Dip. It's such a pretty color! It has a slightly purple shimmer in the bottle but not at all visible on the nail which is unfortunate. For the gold, I used Ulta High Roller and some acrylic black paint.

Well, that's it for now. I hope all of you have a lovely weekend!

Don't forget to check out my 2 giveaways! Click here for the Julep giveaway and here for my 350 followers giveaway!

Have you tried doing the leopard print?
Anna

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Twinsie Tuesday: Color Block

I have to say that color blocking is one of my least favorite nail arts to do. So you already know, this week was a real challenge: color blocking.

Originally in my mind I agreed to only do 1 nail as an accent but somehow as I began polishing, I totally forgot about it and started polishing all of them. I guess they turned out okay but definitely not something I would showcase again on my blog.

 

So I straight up just free handed the lines. I don't have the patience to tape each and everyone one of the colors, though it may have looked better. But hey, it is what is! I'm usually a perfectionist but I just could not get this right. 

Like what Amandalandish said, I'm not even sure if these pictures deserve a watermark.

For the teal'ish, I used Sinful Colors Athens, for the black, I used Sally Hansen Black Out and Ulta High Roller. Color blocking manis are totally not my thing and I probably won't ever try them again. And lines that aren't crisp just drive me crazy! 

What do you think of color blocked nails?

Anna 

Excited to see my Twinsies' color block manis?

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog
ChiChi at I''m just me...ChiChi
Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

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Twinsie Tuesday: Patriotic

This week's Twinsie Challange: Patriotic mani in honor of July 4th.

This one has got to be one of my least favorites. 1. I'm not much of a patriotic person. 2. I felt so limited. I didn't even like the one that I came up with.

Here it is. It's a mess and definitely not my best.

For the red, I used Ulta Non-stop Red, for the blue I used Revlon First class, then I used an acrylic white paint and Sinful Colors Queen Beauty for the glitter. I free handed the half moon so I hope it looks ok.

With that, Happy July 4th to all the Americans!

How does you patriotic mani look like?
Anna

Check out the Twinsies' patriotic mani! 

 Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve
Brandi at The Collegiate Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog
ChiChi at I''m just me...ChiChi
Cordia at Srsly Swatched

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch
Tara at Polishy of Truth

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Grin & Berry It

This is Ulta Grin & Berry It. What a weird name. I wonder what it means.

This is indeed my go-to color right now. I love the wine-berry'ish color. The purple shimmer is so subtle and beautiful. It was hard capturing it in daylight but the way it is in the flash it how visible it is in real life. I love the way it sits on my nails.

The formula and pigmentation were great. Very smooth and opaque in 2 coats. I have heard a few people having problems with the Ulta brand but I have always come across the goods. Maybe I've been lucky! If so, I hope my luck doesn't run out!

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend!

What's your go-to wine color?
Anna

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China Glaze For Audrey Comparison/Dupe

Hola! It's Wednesday and I am super excited for this weekend. Tomorrow is my little family photo shoot, YAY! I can't wait! I have got to find something for my little guy to wear. And this Saturday, I'll be attending a wedding and have nothing to wear, so that'll be an adventure. I definitely need to find a day specifically only for homework. Maybe tomorrow morning/evening or Friday. Only 4 weeks of summer semester! Yay! I might be swamped with essays since I have 3 5 page essays plus a midterm and final all in 1 month. YAY (sarcasm) don't you just love school?

Oh, sorry for the last Twinsie post. As I reread it, I realized that it didn't make any kind of sense. I was sort of in a rush. Uberly sorry!

But today, I have this awesome ChG For Audrey comparison for you!

Left to right:
Barry M Blue Moon, China Glaze For Audrey, WnW I Need A Re-fresh Mint, Ulta Mint Condition

Ok, yeah. I know Barry M Blue Moon is way out of the picture. In my head, I was like "YEAH! Totally it could definitely go with For Audrey!" After I compared it, well... You can evidently see above the result.

So let's get on with it now since we've got that settled with. If you don't know, China Glaze For Audrey was created in tribute to Audrey Hepburn and Tiffany & Co. For Audrey was inspired and famous for that beautiful Tiffany Blue. I can't compare the 2 actual blues but from other photos that I have seen, they look pretty close. Although close, the famous Tiffany Blue has a color trademark so I'm sure it won't be dead on accurate.

I would say that Wet n Wild I Need A Refresh-mint is closest to China Glaze For Audrey. I Need A Refresh-mint is a tiny bit darker, but from a far, you could not be able to tell the difference. Mint Condition is slightly cooler and darker but pretty comparable still. However, the final verdict is WnW I Need A Refresh-mint. With that said, Walgreens is currently having a sale on $1.99 products for $.99! So I picked up this WnW baby for only $.99!

What do you think? Do you own any of these?
Anna

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Polish Haul

This was purchased over the course of the week, not all in a day!

Enjoy!

Wet n Wild

Candy-licious, On A Trip, I Need A Refresh-mint, Through The Grapevine

Ulta Salon Formula

OH!, Grin & Berry It

Nail Life Nail Revitalizer
OPI Pirouette My Whistle

Hard Candy
Beetle

Orly

La Vida Loca, Buried Alive, Mysterious Curse, Royal Navy, Plum Noir

China Glaze

Jamaican Out, White Cap

I'm suppose to be on a "no-buy" but seriously, how do you say no to good deals? I need more self-control! If you have any "no-buy" tips. Please feel free to share!

Have you hauled any new polishes lately?
Anna

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Weekend Mini Haul

This weekend seemed like it went by way too fast. How sad.

First off, I'm sort of sad because I didn't have time to do any Easter nails. So happy belated Easter to those celebrate the day that Jesus rose from death to life. Maybe next year I'll have something special! In the mean time, I have a tiny haul to share with you all.

My total for 3 Revlon lip butters, 1 EOS lip blam and a Revlon polish came up to be only $15.27. I actually went to Ulta because they were have an awesome sale for Revlon, Almay and Physicians Forlmula and look at this awesome deal! Good deal you think?

I am super excited that I spotted the LE Wet n Wild collections! I can't tell you how lucky I felt considering the fact that the Midwest barely ever gets anything. Anywho, I only purchased the Fauna collection because I felt like the colors were more wearable. Then I finally found Downtown Browns! I never thought I was ever going to get my hands on these, but I'm glad I did. This palette has such beautiful purple and browns. This is definitely a palette worth investing. Unfortunately, unlike regular WnW 8 pan palettes are $4.99, all of the Black Radiance 8 pan palettes are $6.99. Bummer, however WnW has great pigmention considering the price. Well, I hope you can get your hands on these!

Did you buy anything over the weekend?
Anna

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Jaded

It's Sunday and the week is going to start all over again. unfortunately. At least we got some sun today!

So I have this mani for you today that really reminds me of another polish I own. I didn't realize it until I bought it or actually until I painted it on my nails.

I hope you're able to see how the color transitions from an almost olive green to the purple. Even though there are only tiny hints visible, I hope you can still see it.

It's definitely a very beautiful color but it really reminds me of Essence Where Is The Party? except the duochrome in this isn't as strong. The polish is actually rather sheer. I used one coat Zoya Dannii, then one coat of Ulta Jaded and topped it off with Out The Door. While I was in Ulta browsing about the polishes, this looked so much prettier on the rack than it does on my nails. Considering this is $6 something dollars, and the Essence Where Is The Party? you'd get a stronger duochrome with the Essence polish for only $2 something bucks! However, it's still pretty. Though I could've purchased an OPI or Zoya for only a couple bucks more. What the who. Hope you like this one!

By the way, Happy April Fools! No jokes for me today.

Ok. Sorry one last thing! *SPOILERS THE HUNGER GAMES*
So I finally watched The Hunger Games, and let me tell you, I CAN WATCH IT AGAIN! It was really good. Others may disagree (like my husband, he said it's not nearly as good as Twilight). During the Reaping day, I started crying already! And when Rue died, ugh. I'm such an emotional person when I watch movies and it just came flooding down! My husband always sort of giggles at me and tells me "Don't worry, it's only a movie! It's fake!" However I cried and really enjoyed the movie. But for all you readers of this awesome trilogy, where is the District 13 coming from? I think they said a few times but did I miss it? What's this thing with Prim and their mom? I think their father died in a coal mining explosion? I think that's it.

Hope you had a great weekend! Mine was way too short.
Anna

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Minions

Oh no. It's Monday tomorrow. For me, worst day of the week.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I worked this weekend and celebrated my little brother's 18th birthday, he was so happy! However, I can't want to see Despicable Me 2. I am super excited! I actually wasn't even interested in Despicable Me at all until my husband told me to watch it and now, I LOVE it! It's such a cute movie!

Sorry it's a tiny bit blurry but I hope you don't mind because the minions are so cute! For this mani I used Ulta Sun-sational for the base coat and that was 2 opaque coats for the denim overall, I used Ulta Mint Condition, Orly Prince Charming for the overall buttons and pupils, Brucci Sophies Sweet Pink for the little tongue and lastly black and white acrylic paint. The reason for that is, I didn't want any smearing and wanted to avoid it as much as possible, but that's inevitable. Anywho, like I said I can't wait to see it. Too bad it doesn't come until sometime in 2013. Oh, and the trailer is just so adorable! I love to watch it whenever it comes on.

Are you excited to watch Despicable Me 2?
Anna

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Mini Haulage

Made a short and sweet stop at Sally's Beauty:

Total: $11.21

Then I dropped by Ulta and purchased these goodies!

I got the LAST bottle of Whimsical! How lucky!

 Total: $9.41

So for 6 polishes, 1 EOS lip balm and a hand lotion my total came up to be $20.62. Oh, and sorry for the bad lighting in the photos.

Good deal you would say?

Anna

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DEAL Alert : Too Faced and CG

I ran to Ulta quickly because of the 21 Days of Spring Sale. I have super busy due to the funeral, but this was a must have!

 $20 orginally $36

 $13.95

There is always a $3.50 coupon on their website or when they send their magazines. So I pretty much got the 4 pack mini for only $10! I am super excited! The polishes in the mini were actually the only ones that I wanted in the collection. In the 4 pack the colors are: Fast Track, Agro, Smoke and Ashes, and Luxe and Lush. I have never even finished an entire bottle of nail polish, so for 4 bottles that contains .325 fluid ounce for about $10. Who can go wrong with that?

Are you planning to make a stop?
Anna

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