Cat in the Hat - Above the Curve

Today, I bring you a funky Seuss inspired indie, that can be purchased here:

http://abovethecurve.bigcartel.com/

It's called "the Cat in the Hat."

Before I get to it, I just want to mention something awesome about the brand. Shawn & Angel donate $1 to the Shriner's Children's Hospitals. You can read more about it on their page.

Now, the polish. It attracted me because the blue is a bright cerulean, one of my favorite crayons, that suspends a variety of glitters: big white hexes, tiny white bars, tiny white hexes, small red hexes, tiny black bars, tiny black hexes, black diamonds, and red micro glitter shimmer.

The description doesn't list them all so that's Fromm close inspection. It is give or take, but I think I got them all!

This is my first ATC polish, though I have another on the way that I won. I didn't know what to expect, but overall, I like it. I couldn't find any searches on this particular polish.

On my left hand I threw on a light gray base coat because I hate visible nail lines and wanted to be sure there wasn't one. On my right I decided to test without. There really isn't much of a difference in opacity after the two generous coats of the jelly polish I applied. I'm new to jelly polishes, so actually, the first coat was thin and streaky so I put the second on thick.

The formula is nice. It goes on easily and the glitters lay flat. There isn't too much fishing involved for big glitters. I only did once. I like the random surprise as to when and where the white will show up.

Though, because the jelly is the darker color the white doesn't appear stark white. Not a problem, just a point of note.

Also, once I removed this polish from the hand I hadn't used gray under I noticed some blue staining on a few nails. USE A BASE COAT.

Oh and it's a little strong fumed, I think.

Still. It's pretty fab!

I only watermarked a few photos so if you share any please use those. My phone stopped cooperating.

Nik's Own Polish- Elephantastic

A few months ago, when my family was in midst of the worst part of our financial crisis, I had discovered nail polish on etsy. I thought it was so cool that people could actually MAKE nail polish at home. It intrigued me. There were many shops there but I couldn't really purchase any.

I was a but bummed about it, but didn't let it get let it get me down. Instead, I googled how to do it.

I found a simple method to make pigmented polish (not glitters because at the time that's not what I really liked as much) that involved clear top coat and crushed eye shadow.

So easy.

So fun!

My husband laughed as I set up station in the kitchen and broke out five bottles of cheap top coat that I had on hand, because fit some reason over the past I had over purchased thinking I was probably out.

Three of the five that I made, or maybe four of the five, I forget, were made with $0.97 Wet N Wild top coat.

Yes, I made five. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to create other than a blue and a grayish purple, but I had do much fun I also made a dark mauve/red, forest type green, and a gold/orange color. Apparently I either lost the orange one or gave it to my sister, because I couldn't find it for the photo below. In the photo the one I am wearing is the only one I shook and left the others separated so you could see what I was talking about.

I used super cheap eye shadow compacts from Walgreens that I went and bought with spare change. I think they were but one get one free at $0.99.

Today, I decided to wear the gray-purple color. I made it thinking about elephants and how mysterious their color is to me. I call it "Elephantastic."

These homemade colors are not only fun to create, but they work really well. I put quite a bit of pigment (crushed shadow) in each bottle so they are all opaque in 1-2 coats. They dry to a satiny shimmer, but with top coat are quite shiny.

They dry really quick! I was nervous, for some silly reason, that they would wash off or something, but they really don't. Just to be safe, I usually wear top coat (matte or glossy).

When the polishes sit, they tend to separate (see photo), but shaking them up a bit solves the problem, no sweat.

Anyone else ever made polish colors at home?

Savina Nail Color?

For the past few months, when I do my Sunday grocery shopping trips, I look at nail color. I almost always take a gander while shopping at Target or Wal-Mart, but generally... not at the grocery store. I actually didn't think about it at all, but one weekend I was grocery shopping and taking my dear sweet time and decided to go up and down every aisle just to prolong my trip and stay away from our house as long as I could without having to waste has going to another location.

Babbling...

I came across the very few polishes that they carry at the Hy-Vee closest to my house (the one across town a bit carries others, like Nabi, Sally Hansen, and a random handful of OPI). I had never heard of them, though I thought the name sounded pretty.

Savina.

They had a few pretty colors inspired by New Orleans, I guess, but I didn't buy any.

Two weeks ago, while shopping, after seeing them repeatedly, they were on sale. They were two for $2. I decided, what the heck, since I had saved nine dollars switching from a flat rate box to priority mail when sending my sister her birthday quilt, I would "splurge."

Brought them home and forgot about them until I was doing the holo series.

Today, I am sporting "Caribbean." It's a cobalt blue color. As I had never heard of the brand before I didn't know what to expect.

It went on like a dream. Full coverage in two coats though it was so close to perfect in one. I can't speak for the while line, so I don't know if that's typical or just a color thing. It dried very quick and highly glossy!

Of course, I totally forgot to use a base coat (fail) so we will see if it stains.

It smells a bit more than some of my polishes, though. Normally this would bother me, but I opened the window a bit since its s nice warm 34 degrees today.

And I waived my fingers close to my eye hoping to get it to water like crazy and get whatever has been stuck under my eyelid for three hours out. Didn't work. That's a totally different subject.

I tried to google and see if I could find any real info on it, but couldn't. The website listed on the bottom label apparently doesn't exist anymore? I thought it was kind of peculiar.

I then broke out one if my beloved glitter polishes (designed for/after my not so beloved Fergie... Yucky), Wet N Wild: Fergie Collection - Hollywood Walk of Fame, and did an accent nail.

This glitter is awesome. It's a clear base with a few tiny holographic micro glitters, tiny holographic bars (just a few), and various holographic stars in aqua, silver, gold, pink, and purple. I generally wear matte top coat over it, but left it today. I need to get another bottle though. Mine is half empty! I also need polish thinner be a use its starting to get a little thick.

Anyway, I used it and got two stars, which is a perfect amount I think, on each nail.

And it's pretty.

And I didn't get to clean up before taking photos because Collin was waking and I figured I would mar the manicure making lunch so I just took the photos quick.

The end- except photos.

Anyone else heard of the brand or tried it?

Hello, Holo! Part III

Today, I bring you my last section of my three part review on Mentality- Holo Top Coat.

I didn't realize the camera lens on my phone was dirty until a but ago, but as Murphy (as in the law) would have it, as soon as I thought I was pretty much done, my 5 month old needed a diaper and it destroyed two nails that weren't completely set.

Ah well.

My overall thoughts on this top coat are positive. I live that it dries quickly and is very smooth to the touch. You don't red an additional top coat unless you are looking for a high gloss finish.

While there is some "silvering" of the base color because the top coat is not pigmented and the glitter stuff is silvery by nature, if you were covering the entire nail, as opposed to the half coverage I have been showing, it wouldn't be very noticeable. It works great over all colors, and is a great price with shipping included!

http://mentalitynailpolish.bigcartel.com/

If you aren't a "hardcore" holo fanatic, and/or are unsure you want to invest in many color holo polishes or just want to try and experiment, then this top coat is definitely for you. The holo is crazy prominent, though I suspect, comparing my photos to others I have seen online, it's a little muted compared to colored holographic polishes. And that suits me perfect!

Left hand, thumb to pinky:
Sinful Colors - snow me white
Zoya - Carey
Zoya - Tao
Zoya - Shawn
Sally Hansen - black out

Right hand, thumb to pinky:
OPI - over the taupe
Revlon - fall mood
OPI - Didn't You'Ear about Van Gogh
OPI - Suzi loves cowboys
NYC - Fifth Ave

Hello, Holo! Part II

Yesterday, I went ahead and did another quick ten colors to show with Mentality's Holo Top Coat.

You can purchase Mentality polish below, you will have to copy and paste the link. She includes shipping in the price!

http://mentalitynailpolish.bigcartel.com/

For my full commentary on the top coat, see Hello, Holo! Part I by clicking on our blog header and scrolling down a bit.

Yesterday was FREEZING and I had a ton to do (-9 when I started and I needed to work on supper for our evening play date with a friend and her three little boys), so I whipped these quickly together. You will see on a few that the polishes weren't completely dry when I taped. But, yesterday was sunny, and I wanted to run outside super fast before I would freeze and take a few sunlight photos.

Again, cell phone photos don't show the true holographic flare in all it's glory, but it was a little better to take them in full sun!

Left Hand, thumb to pinky:
Savina - Caribbean
Sinful Colors - Savage
Nicole by OPI - Deck the Dolls
Nicole by OPI - Klhoé had a Little Lam Lam (really dark teal)
Sinful Colors - Cinderella

Right hand, thumb to pinky:
Zoya - Wednesday
Sinful Colors - Rise & Shine
Sinful Colors - Exotic Green
Sinful Colors - Innocent
Sinful Colors - Unicorn

I'm skipping the manicure today because its freezing and cloudy, and leaving on what I did after these, Zoya - Tao with Mentality's Holo Top Coat on all but the accent nail.

Happy February!