Going Back 2 Square 1

Hello Readers,

Well, after trying my new oval shape I really do love it my only thing is they have to be longgg (especially long on my shallow nail beds) and if anything chips even just a little bit it's a real pain to re-file. So, I've decided to go back to square and keep them at a manageable length. I really can't stand seeing nails that aren't all the same length, so if I break one they all have to be filed!

I'll post a mani later ;o) Just want to keep this thing going! 

♥ Cheers,
Bridget

Illamasqua 'Throb' & 'Untold'

Hello Readers,

Today, I have more Illamasqua! I used two coats of 'Throb' which is a beautiful cool red as the base and one coat of 'Untold' which is a fine red glitter with a clear base on accent nails only. Illamasqua can be purchased for $14.00 USD from Sephora here or directly from their website here.

Now for the photos...

L-R: Illmasqua 'Untold' & 'Throb'

So, there it is, a nice cool red with a 'Dorothy's slipper' accent nail! I hope you all enjoyed this mani and wear red!

Cheers,

♥ Bridget

Illamasqua 'Mehndi' Inspired Nails

Hello Readers,

Today, I have an inspired mani from Illamasqua. If you go here you can see the 'Mehndi Nails Kit' which features a how to video. I only did the half moon part using the dotting tool. I used NCLA 'Pick Me Up at Melrose Place' which is a bright purple and Illamasqua 'Load' which a creamy light yellow (yup, you read that right ha).

Now for the photos...

L-R: NCLA 'Pick Me Up At Melrose Place' and Illamasqua 'Load'

Excuse the orange skin, I was trying to show the purple better, it's warmer like in this image!

I did the opposite on the other hand ^_^

You can purchase NCLA polishes and amazing nail wraps here for $16.00 and Illamasqua polishes are $14.00 from Sephora. Of course, you can purchase Illamasqua direct from their website but it's a bit more expensive if you live in the U.S.

Coral and Gold Summer Sponge Mani

Hello Readers,

I told you guys I'd be better about posting from now on! ^_^ I'm happy that I'm on the ball again! Ok, today I have a simple sponging mani with butter London 'Trout Pout' as the base and 'The Full Monty' as the color that's sponged over the base. Trout Pout is a bright coral that can appear soft and more pink or bright and more orange depending on the light. I have to say I really hated the formula, it was very watery and streaky. I'm not picky at all but I really didn't like this one although I do LOVE the color! The Full Monty is a great soft gold foil that is PERFECT (as is 'Diamond Geezer' & 'The Old Bill') for sponging as they build nicely and give that beautiful 'fleck' look on the nail. 

Now for the photos!

And then I decided to add something...

I added just a bit of Sephora by OPI 'Only Gold for Me' topcoat at the tips :oD

 Have you guys tried sponging before? All I did was bought a bag of make up sponges (the triangles) and cut each one into about 5 pieces (small & that way you get tons of mani's from 1 bag!). It takes a little bit of practice but honestly I've only done it a handful of times and it's pretty easy. Butter London polishes cost $14 and can be found on their website or at Ulta online and in stores. Sephora by OPI can be found at Sephora online or in stores only and cost $9.50.

Me likey... what do you guys think?? 

♥ Cheers,

Bridget

An 80's Moment...

Hello Readers,

Today, I have kind of a crazy fun mani, to be honest I had an 80's moment. Right after I did this it made me think of 'Saved by the Bell' and 'The Max'! I used a few different colors and topcoats to make this look. I used a brand I got at Target called 'Pixi Glow' called 'Pirouette Pink' that's a chalky neon pink with a slight shimmer, butter London 'Slapper' which is a bright teal-turquoise, Nicole by OPI 'Nothing Kim-Pares to Blue' which is a periwinkle shimmer, Dandy Nails 'Funhouse' which has a clear base with bright fuchsia, bright teal-turquoise shards, and a fine silver shimmer and 'Wingless' which has the same clear base and fine silver glitter but with a light gold and aqua colored shards.

Now for the pics!!!

L-R: Dandy Nails 'Funhouse', Pixi Glow 'Pirouette Pink', butter London 'Slapper', Nicoloe by OPI 'Nothing Kim-Pares to Blue'

Can you just visualize the opening credits of 'Saved by the Bell' with all of the geometric shapes flying around in the background? I think this is a fun mani but certainly not work appropriate! What do you guys think?

♥ Cheers,

Bridget 

Yummy Jelly Sandwich

Hello Readers,

Today, I have a jelly sandwich featuring OPI 'My Pointe Exactly' which is a sheer gray, OPI 'Pirouette My Whistle' which features a clearr based, fine sheer white and medium sheer white glitter, and Cult Nails 'Scandalous' which is a sheer yet buildable bright coral.

I used 2 coats of My Pointe Exactly, 1 coat of Pirouette My Whistle, and another coat of My Point Exactly for 3 out of 5 nails (I did the opposite color scheme on my right hand). Also, I used 2 coats of Scandalous, 1 coat of Pirouette My Whistle and another coat of Scandalous. I didn't use a top coat because it wasn't necessary, however I'll probably add another tomorrow to preserve this mani!

L-R: OPI 'My Pointe Exactly', OPI 'Pirouette My Whistle', and Cult Nails 'Scandalous'

Mmmmm jelly-icious ^_^

Just another perspective ;o)

What do you guys think? It seems like a lot of people aren't too excited by the OPI New York Ballet collection but the polishes are sheer so you can create this pretty look, also the formula is fantastic! They're thick yet non-streaky which is rare for a sheer polish. Same goes for the Cult Nails polish, the sheer is almost a jelly and builds beautifully. Cult Nails Scandalous can be purchased here for $10 USD and the OPI polished can be purchased almost anywhere for $8.50.

♥ Cheers,

Bridget

A Flakey Layering Experiment

Hello Readers!

Today, I have a quick yet very exciting post for you featuring Essie 'No More Film' topped with Cult Nails 'Seduction' vs. Deborah Lippman 'Ray of Light'. I used 1 coat of No More Film followed by 1 coat of Seduction on every other nail (indicated in photo) and 2 coats of Ray of Light on every other nail (indicated in photo).

L-R: Deborah Lippmann 'Ray of Light', Cult Nails 'Seduction' & Essie 'No More Film'

The comparison, CN = Essie + Cult Nails & DL = Deborah Lippmann

Close up, can you guess which is which? Yeah, me too but pretty close! Right?!

So, what do you guys think?? The CN polish is much more intense and not nearly as thick as the DL and the flaky effect is more intense. Essie can be purchased about anywhere and the Deborah Lippmann is available directly on her website. The Cult Nails polish is LE (limited edition) and can be found here, I'd hurry up and get it if you're a flaky fan! 


'Til next time! If you don't already follow me on twitter @bmwmchick.


♥ Cheers,
Bridget

Cult Nails 'Living Water' & The Hungry Asian 'Sea Creature'

Hello Readers,

Well, first of all I'm back, no more 2-3 weeks (eek or more) between posts! Today, I have Cult Nails 'Living Water' which is a really cool dark teal jelly with fine glitter and I used The Hungry Asian's 'Sea Creature' which has a blackened base with ultra fine green, fine blue and sparse ultra fine purple glitter as an accent nail.

Now for the pics...

L-R: Cult Nails 'Living Water' & The Hungry Asian 'Sea Creature'

L-R: Cult Nails 'Living Water' & The Hungry Asian 'Sea Creature' side shots :o)

Gotta love that accent nail, I just did one coat of CN 'Living Water' & 1 coat of THA 'Sea Creature'

Gotta love that accent nail, I just did one coat of CN 'Living Water' & 1 coat of THA 'Sea Creature'

Gotta love that accent nail, I just did one coat of CN 'Living Water' & 1 coat of THA 'Sea Creature'

 I ABSOLUTELY love this combo! CN 'Living Water' can be purchased here for $10.00, The Hungry Asian's Etsy shop can be found here! What do you ladies and guys think??


Cheers,
♥ Bridget

a-England 'Order of the Garter' & Candeo 'Sprouse'

Hello Readers!

Today, I have a fun mani that features two buttery coats of a-England' 'Order of the Garter' which is a bright medium blue shade with blue glass flecks. Next, I topped it off with one coat of Candeo's 'Sprouse' which has a clear base, black and white bar glitter, medium sized blue hex glitter, small and medium black hex glitter *looking at bottle*, small and medium white hex glitter, medium silver hex glitter, and ultra-fine holographic glitter (I think that's it!).

And for the photos...

Excuse my greasy cuticles, they're going through a rough time ;o)

So, what do you guys think? I was thinking the blue hex glitter would look great with the blue base but it did disappear, I didn't realize how close the blues were until I applied it. Either way it came out great and was a lot of fun. I later mattified it too. You can purchase a-England polishes directly from their website here for $14.25 USD, or from Ninja Polish for $10.50, or Llarowe for $10.00 on sale right now! Candeo Colors polishes can be purchased here from Etsy for $8.00, she's currently on vacation but will be back soon!

♥ Cheers,
Bridget

11 Things About Me

Hello Readers,

Ohhh Sabine! Alright, well I was tagged to tell 11 things about myself by Sabine at My Polish Stash. I'm also suppose to link this post back to Sabine's so, here's the page where she tagged me.

Ok, here are 11 things about myself:

1. I love scary/gory/sci-fi movies such as the Hellraiser series, The Descent, the Alien's series, etc.  
2. I've been wearing nail polish for quite a while (since I was a teenager) and started collecting more seriously about a year ago. Now, I'm just full on psycho about it! Ha
3. As far as music I have an eclectic taste that includes everything from classical, pop, rap, soul, indie, techno/house, electronic, classic rock, alternative, some metal (certain types; not black), and the list goes on....
4. I have very sensitive skin and can burn when it's overcast outside. So, needless to say I'm more of an indoor person!
5. I'm half way to becoming a Graduate Gemologist (via GIA - The Gemological Institute of America) and can tell you most anything you want to know about gemstones (which includes diamonds folks).
6. I love hand cream and other skin care products. If something works for me I'm EXTREMELY loyal since my skin is so sensitive it's difficult to find beauty products that don't cause adverse affects on my skin.
7. My favorite gemstone is the Merelani Mint Garnet (cousin of the Tsavorite garnet), I have a really nice 1.50ct that I had custom cut. Hopefully, I'll have it set in a ring some day.
8. My late-in-the-future (not DREAM) car is an X6 M. Yes, I know it's completely impractical and high-maintenance but I'm OK with that. ^_^
9. I LOVE concerts, especially ones that are outside with beautiful scenery and beer everywhere you look.
10. If I drink liquor it's vodka or rum.
11. My ideal meal would include the following: A glass of cabernet franc, beef bourguignon, garlic rolls (with huge chunks of garlic and saturated in the garlic oil goodness), and a side of sweet tea with lemon.

Boy, it was hard to think of 11 things that aren't 'too personal' to share with the world. Check out Sabine's blog, My Polish Stash, she has amazing nails, application, and mad layering skills!


More posts to come soon...


♥ Cheers,
Bridget