Daring Digits - More Dots

The other day, Daring Digits caught my attention. I ordered four minis. Today, they arrived, with a 5th mini free (her special treat with every February order).

You can check out her stock and order at:
www.ddpolish.com

I was so giddy! These bottles are adorable! I think it's because they are small and square.

And they have cute little handwritten labels on the bottom, including numbered limited edition numbers (two I ordered are #1).

After much deliberation, I decided the first I would try would be "More Dots."

This polish is a black jelly with multiple-colored round glitter. I love that the glitter is round because I feel like you don't see it often in polishes.

I decided that, instead of trying to build to opacity and use up a lot of polish (because its a mini bottle), I would later it. I used Sally Hansen "Black Out" and on my middle and ring fingernails, I used Zoya "Storm." I wanted to see what you could see through the black jelly.

I love how this mani turned out. It's funky and fresh, I think, and the glitters really pop! There aren't too many to be hard to focus on or overwhelm me, but a nice sprinkling if them on each nail.

Application was smooth and they dry well. I used my Ol' Sally Hansen Anti-Chip top coat. They're so glossy!

The black jelly definitely mutes the holographic like sparkle in "Storm" but you can still see it. I ran outside quick to take a few photos, and to the eye, the dark sparkle beneath is gorgeous in person!

My only complaint is the polish has a funky smell. I don't know if its a jelly polish thing or what. It's not horrid, but it kind if lingers and just smelled...different. But, polish smells, so whatever. Haha.

Love this polish!

Want to make a custom color? Let Nik show you!

I decided to do this as a pic-tutorial!

A few notes before starting:

Make sure to empty a small amount of clear polish from the bottle if its new to make room for the powder!

Eye shadows with shimmer and glitter will obviously create a shimmery polish. It looks almost like satin.

This can be pretty messy. I did mine in the bath tub (not while bathing, haha).

Of course the polishes aren't going to be super high quality like your expensive name brands, but they're pretty awesome and fun to make! They last well in my experience, dry quickly, and look pretty good! To pump up the shine use a glossy top coat, or keep the satiny finish with a matte one.

Here goes!

Have you made colors before? What method did you use?

Feel free to share your creations and experiences at http://www.facebook.com/mommiesmanis

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?