My Buoyfriend + Jamberry

Woah. I think this is my first blog in months! (This is Nik, by the way!) As you may or may not know, I had a baby girl in April, so things have been a little crazy around here with a 3.5 year-old-boy, 1.5 year-old-boy, and a one month old girl.

I did find time to do matching Mommy & Me pedicures last week though, We used a mini OPI Strawberry Margarita that Desi sent us!

But that is all an aside, and not the real focus of this post.

One of my August Momma friends (from a group I meant while pregnant with Collin in 2012) started selling Jamberry Nail wraps, and she sent me a sample! I guess that makes this a partial-sponsored post.

I couldn't wait to use it, so I dug through my polish box and found the perfect match for the sample she sent- Sinful Colors "My Buoyfriend."

That blue is GORGEOUS. The formula is wonderful. It really coated perfectly in one coat, but then I smudged my nails changing a diaper (go figure) so I added a second coat.

So, the Jamberry Wrap. It was easy to apply, which is great, and took all of about one minute. The sample was enough for two accent nails. Unfortunately, my particular sample was on the small side, so it was a little small for my pinky nails. 

I tried it on my left hand over a bare nail and over a freshly painted nail on my right hand. I noticed no difference in ease of use.

Fast forward four days...

The wraps are pretty darn durable, which is great on my somewhat flimsy nails. I did approximately 4 loads of hand-washed dishes each day, played outside, and changed a million diapers. They didn't chip or tear.

Today, I am sad to report, I am removing my manicure. Each of my painted nails are super chipped. And it's been hot and muggy here this week and I noticed the wraps slide with pressure so my left nail was getting crooked, but was easy to slide back. My right nail however, is a lost cause. The wrap slid nearly off at the park this morning and when I slid it back, it loosened the polish and peeled away. I guess I don't recommend applying over polish even though they say you can.

Jamberry Nails wraps run for $15 a sheet on the regular, and I am told you can do multiple full manicures (or pedicures) with them!

My friend started her new business at:

http://milasjammies.jamberrynails.net

Someday, when I have some extra cash (not on maternity leave), I would like to buy some more. I probably won't use th during muggy season though. Not sure.

Mochachino by Essie

I purchased this little beauty at Ulta recently during a Buy 2 Get 1 Free sale (you'll see my other two choices soon!) and I absolutely LOVE it!

I tend to gravitate towards neutrals in the fall and winter and I think this will be my new go-to color. Essie's website describes it as a "perky gray with shimmer" but my eyes see it as more of a shimmery taupe/brown that will match anything and everything. Two coats and you're good to go. 

I've had it on for about four days now and it's a bit worn on my tips, but that's par for the course for me. I'm pretty hard on my nails, so I never expect a manicure to last longer than, oh, an hour or two. Seriously. I tend to be impatient and chip or smudge them immediately. :)

 

I'll probably do a fresh mani tonight or tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Desi

Aurora Matte

The polishes used in this post were purchased by me, with my own money, long ago. 

I hadn't done my nails in a a week or so, and decided that was just uncalled for. My sister helped me select my color. She picked Zoya - Aurora.

Now, I love this polish, but have only used it twice, I think. I was pretty excited to use it again. 

It went on nicely, opaque in two coats. Dries quick. Is super shiny and holographic flecked. Gorgeous!

Though, because I seem to be the most bizarre pregnant woman out there, certain visual stimulus make me crazy nauseous. After about 6 minutes of admiring my manicure, I thought I was going to be sick, because my eyes just couldn't focus on all the pretty holographic depth. Frustrating.

So, I added a coat of NYC MatteMe Crazy. Problem solved.

Yes, I know. It's dang strange. I also get sick from computer screens, reading my nook, and scrolling on my cell phone for too long.  *eye roll*

Wha do you think? I actually really love it matte!

Guess What! Guess Who!

We have an announcement!

Can you guess what it is?

Can you guess who it is? 

Read more:

http://goghgreen.blogspot.com/2013/08/peek-boo-baby.html?m=1

Ellagee - Get Away From Her, You B*#@€!

The third and final polish that Laura of ellagee sent me to review is finally swatched! I had broken a nail on my swatching hand and had to patch it. Can you tell which?

Anyway, this and all other ellagee polishes can be purchased at:

http://www.ellagee.com

Today, I bring you Get Away from Her, You B----!

As described on the site:

Get Away From Her, You B----! is a green jelly base glow in the dark with a lighter green glass fleck shimmer. Inspired by the colors of the Alien movie poster and named for Ripley's fight with the queen alien in the final scene of Aliens.

I will be upfront, my glow in the dark photos suck. I don't know if my camera just didn't like trying to pick up the green or what, but I PROMISE YOU, this polish glows. In fact, I fell asleep waiting for it to fade, and it glowed at least 20 minutes.

Like the others, the base is fabulous and needed no shaking or anything. It went on like a dream. It dried super fast, which was impressive, because I put three coats over two coats Greenwich Village by OPI.

I left it without topcoat because I liked the semi-gloss finish. It looks so quirky and made me think of mermaid fins!

It glows green. I am so disappointed in my photographs!

It was definitely my favorite of the trio!

Be sure to head to ellagee.com and check out all of the beautiful polishes that are offered!

Thanks again, Laura, for choosing me to review. 

Ellagee - Redshirt

Today, I will share with you the second if the three mini polishes that Laura if Ellagee so kindly sent me for review.

All of the ellagee polishes can be purchased at-

http://www.ellagee.com

Let me introduce you to Redshirt.

As described on the website:

Redshirt is a clear base with small red, black, and gold hex glitters. Inspired by those unfortunate souls in the red shirts on the crew of the Enterprise.

I decided to layer one coat of ellagee -Redshirt  over two coats Zoya - Mira. I don't know what inspired me to do the fun red and purple combo, but afterward, I imagined it was a great look for the Red Hat Society ladies. Haha. That said, I really like it!

I had issues being selective with photos, so... You get to see almost all of them that I took today.

This glitter polish went on awesomely. I only needed one quick coat and it had very even and glitter-loaded coverage. It dried quickly and pretty smooth considering the load of glitter on the nail. I did give it a top coat for added gloss.

Oh yeah, and as I mentioned yesterday, the base she uses is thick and it required no shaking or swirling at all! I LOVE that.

I have no complaints on this polish. I think I would like to wear it over a cobalt blue or black also! 

Beam Me Up - Ellagee

The super kind Laura of Ellagee Polish recently sent me three samples from her new Sci-Fi Geeks collection to review!

You can get her polishes at:

http://www.ellagee.com

First up for review is "Beam Me Up."

As described on her website:

Beam Me Up is a sheer gold shimmer topcoat. Inspired by Star Trek transporter effect.

This polish goes on very smoothly. It also seemed to dry really quick. But, when she says it is sheer, she isn't kidding. In most of the photos (the not-macro ones) it's kind of hard to tell I am wearing it!

I started with a base coat of two layers Sinful Colors - Ablaze on all nails except my ring finger, which was one (yes, ONE) coat of Sinful Colors - My Buoyfriend.

On my thumb nail, I did one coat Beam Me Up. On my pointer finger, I used two. On my middle and ring fingers, I did a diagonal stripe of two coats Beam Me Up at the tips, and on my pinky nail, three costs Beam Me Up.

I like the shimmer, and it is really pretty in person, up close, but if you are looking for something with a very noticeable effect, you may be disappointed. I know that I prefer polishes that are more noticeable, but that's just me. It's still very pretty. It shows best on the macro photos.

Oh, and I just have to say that I LOVE the suspension base for these polishes. It's the thicker, dreamy stuff that really requires no shaking. Excellence, for sure.