Valentine's Day and Anti-Valentine's Day Nail Art

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I'm still recovering from both my surgery and the flu, so I can't stomach any chocolate or other candy. However, that doesn't mean I can't celebrate the holiday with a little sparkle!

When I asked over on the Princess Polish Facebook page what you all wanted to see from my Valentine's Day manicure this year, it seemed lots of you wanted something non-traditional, possibly holographic. So I came up with something that could be both in celebration or opposition of the holiday, depending on how you look at it!

The base color is Colors by Llarowe Dirty Diana with Sinful Colors Black on Black on top.

I thought that the slash of magenta could be something sassy and fierce for a night out with a special someone, but also could be anti-Valentine's Day because it reminds me of a broken heart.

I was really happy to rock this look at least for a day around school and work. Unfortunately, being sick meant I basically was the only one who got to stare at it this week. But oh well! Now you all can see it too!

Would you wear this non-traditional mani?

Swatch and Review: SinfulColors Tricked Out Top Coats (Halloween 2014)

Happy Hump Day and Hallo-week, everybody!

I have for you four of the glitter toppers from SinfulColors' fall collection, which are perfect for Halloween!

See what all these toppers truly look like in bold color after the jump!

Get the NYFW Look: Jin Soon for Tess Giberson

Runway Inspiration:

Tess Giberson Fall/Winter 2014 collection is based on the transference of classic rugged American sportswear into contemporary, effortless, luxurious style. Manicurist Jin Soon Choi used this same idea and created a modern interpretation of the classic French manicure.

Jin Soon Nail Products Used:

• Dark gray/metallic black nail polish
• JINsoon Kookie White
• JINsoon Top Gloss
• JINsoon Power Coat 

Get the look:

1. File and clean nails, removing all traces of polish.
2. Apply JINsoon Power Coat base coat.
3. Next, apply two coats of dark gray/metallic black nail polish (the shade Jin used from her upcoming JINsoon Fall/Winter 2014 Tess Giberson Collection), let dry.
4. At the tip of the nail, apply a thin arc of JINsoon Kookie White.
5. Finish by applying a single coat of JINsoon Top Gloss.

Get the NYFW Look: Essie for Rebecca Minkoff

Runway Inspiration:

Taking inspiration from classic menswear, Rebecca Minkoff’s Fall/Winter 2014 collection infused tailored silhouettes with soft, feminine pieces.  To complement the collection, Michelle Saunders for essie put a bold, modern twist on a classic French manicure.   

Essie Nail Products Used:

• First Base Base Coat
• Bahama Mama
• Midnight Cami
• Good to Go Top Coat

Get the look:

1. Apply First Base Base Coat to clean, filed nails.
2. Once the base coat dries, apply two coats of Bahama Mama.
3. Using Midnight Cami, brush on a neat arc across the edge of the nail and let dry.
4. Finish off the look with one coat of Good to Go Top Coat.

Black and White and Red All Over Floral Nails

Hey, everyone! I'm kicking off the work week with a little bit of nail art in this short, but sweet post. It's what I wore for most of my first week of work at the end of last month.

I wanted to wear red and this just kind of snowballed from there! For the base, I used OPI Big Apple Red.

I tried a little something different with the flowers, more on the artsy and abstract side. What do you think?

Swatch and Review: Philly Loves Lacquer

Yay! The weekend has arrived!

To kick off the weekend, I'm bringing you three awesome polishes sent to me by the indie brand, Philly Loves Lacquer!

Philly Loves Lacquer is a one-woman business venture, owned by a nail polish addict named Esther. All polishes are 3-free and cruelty free nail polish, handmade and hand-blended in the City of Brotherly Love.

Because Esther is a big supporter of cruelty-free cosmetics, one dollar of each full size (and $.50 of each mini) bottle of PhLL polish sold will be donated to a local non-profit organization called Forgotten Cats. Forgotten Cats helps to provide homes for adoptable cats and kittens in the PA/NJ/DE areas, as well as finding foster parents for feral cat colonies.

Now through 5/18 at 11:59PM EST, Esther is celebrating her birthday with a 27% off all purchases of $15 or more with code HOLYCRAPIM27! Yes, you read that right. Esther is also running a giveaway through the end of the month on Facebook!

First up is Mummer's Parade, a magenta jelly base with dark pink diamond, purple and blue hex, orange bar, and fine pink, orange, and purple glitters.

The above is with two coats over OPI I Theodora You.

Here is two coats of Mummer's Parade over Orly Miss Conduct.

The application on this shade was stellar. I didn't have any problem getting the different shapes out, like I've had with other brands. And it REALLY popped well over the pink holo that is Miss Conduct!

The next shade is South Street, made of fine turquoise and lavender glitters. Above is one coat over Bootie Babe Nudie Tudie.

Here is two coats over Bootie Babe Nudie Tudie.

And here is one coat over Dermelect Buzz-worthy.

The glitter in this one applied very evenly, which is a major upside. It also dried very quickly and built up nicely, as you can see between the first and second coat over Nudie Tudie.

The big surprise for me was how awesome this looked over Buzz-worthy... perfect for summer!

Last, but far from lease, is The Devon, a black jelly base with ultrafine lavender glitter, green hex, pink diamonds and squares, blue hex and lavender holo circle glitters. It has some super bright glitters in a dark, vampy base, which is a great combo.

I applied two coats of The Devon over Bootie Babe Crack a Toe Uh, a red glitter. I love this blackened blood look.

Here is two coats of The Devon over Borghese Stellar Notte. I was hoping that the duochrome nature of Stellar Notte would shine through, but it didn't. Still, the effect of The Devon over black is amazing. The glitter pops SO well!

The application of this shade was pretty good. I found that I had a little difficulty getting some of the larger shapes of glitter out, but letting the bottle sit upside down for a minute or two made all the difference. I didn't have a problem after that.

Overall, I LOVED these three shades. I think The Devon is my absolute favorite of the trio, but the others were really nice too. I didn't have any gloopiness issues, which is a big upside.

Philly Loves Lacquer is available through Etsy for $10 per 15mL bottle. Remember, Esther is holding a 27% off sale on purchase of $15+ (minimum of 1 full size and a mini to get to that $15 price point)! Be sure to check out the PLL Facebook page, as well!

Are you in love with these glitters as I am?

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.

Swatch and Review: Ruby White Tips Amethyst

Hi again, everyone! Thanks for continuing to stick by me as I suffer through my last exams as a 1L in law school. After tomorrow's Property exam, I have Civil Procedure to take on Wednesday and then I'm home free. Thankfully, I think my exams are in order from most difficult to least difficult!

Last month, I showed you a beautiful pink foil polish from Ruby White Tips. Laura, the brilliant woman behind RWT, sent me another polish that will soon be listed on her Etsy page: Amethyst.

Amethyst is gray to purple duochrome with frosty shimmer. Above is with three coats on its own.

I really loved the surprise of this polish. I think it would be nice for anyone to wear to work because of the muted neutral of the gray, but with the surprise pop of the purple shimmer!

And here is two coats of Amethyst over one coat of Rimmel Black Satin. It loses the gray to purple duochrome over black and instead, takes on a light purple to dark purple quality. I think I prefer it on its own better, but that's not to say it isn't pretty on its own. I love how metallic it is over black.

It reminds me a little of Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game and Wet n Wild Gray's anatomy. HOWEVER, this shade has a lot more purple to it, especially over black. Also, the brushstrokes are not nearly as noticeable in Amethyst. So I will totally reach for this first!

Amethyst will so be available in the Ruby White Tips Etsy store, along with the existing variety of other amazing colors! It is $8.50 for a full-sized, .45 oz bottle. It's vegan and 3-free, to boot!

And a PRINCESS POLISH EXCLUSIVE: receive 20% off with my blogger code! The code is: DEZINEZ. (Note: the BatWorld charity polish and mystery polishes are ineligible)

So what do you think of Amethyst?

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.  

Zoya Disney Nails

Good afternoon from sunny Orlando, Florida! I am currently typing this post from my spot in line on Test Track at Epcot! It's a two hour wait, so why not do something productive?

I did two manicures in honor of my trip to Disney, but only decided to wear one. You'll see why with tomorrow's.

For today's nail art, I used all Zoya polishes: Elisa, Trixie, Purity, Raven, and Audrey!

I wanted to do something classy because I have a Passover Seder to attend this week, but something also funky that screams Minnie Mouse!

So what do you think of my Minnie Mouse tips?

Swatch and Review: Zoya Pixie Dust Part 1

Hello, everyone! Today, I have for you three shades in the Zoya Pixie Dust Collection!

I picked Godiva, Dahlia, and Chyna to show you first!

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.   

Maroon 5 Sequin Nails

Happy Saturday, everyone! Thank goodness it's the weekend, right?

Tonight, I'm heading to see Maroon 5 in concert for the 56th time and of course, needed to rock some awesome nails. I've actually be wearing these since Thursday because they doubled as Valentine's Day Nails. The lead guitarist's name is James VALENTINE, so they were twice as appropriate for this reason.

For those of you following me on Facebook, you may have read about my disappointing incident regarding Macy's Herald Square and the Adam Levine appearance to celebrate the launch of his 222 Fragrance. To put it simply, I was given bad information when I called the store after the appearance was announced, relied on it, and was unable to get a pass as a result. And, considering I had spent 2+ hours on these nails, plus got up extra early and traveled into NYC on a non-school day, I was more than a little upset.

But the good news is I'll still be heading into Madison Square Garden tonight to see the band play, along with Neon Trees. I'm disregarding the fact that I'll have to suffer through Owlcity for the fifth time. Oh, they are AWFUL live. Rule of thumb: If you need a wind machine and you're a solo artist, there's a problem.

Anyway, this was my second attempt at a sequin manicure. I used hexagonal glitter I bought at Michael's for $10 with a coupon. The set has twelve different colors, but I only used the red, black, and silver.

I painted on coat of Rimmel Black Satin on each nail (two coats on the ring finger). Then I applied top coat in small sections of each nail as I went to make sure it didn't dry before I could stick on a sequin. I trimmed down some pieces of glitter to fit them to the tip and applied a coat of Seche Vite to the whole nail as soon as I stuck on the last piece. Doing the Maroon 5 logo on the ring fingers was the easiest part!

In order to pick up the sequins, I let a drop of top coat on a paper plate dry until it was tacky, pressed the tiniest dotting end I had against it, and used that to pick up/place sequins. Oh, it was a pain!

In the end, I was really happy with how it came out. It was tedious as heck to alternate the red, black, and silver like I did. It needed about four coats of Seche Vite in order to smooth it out to the point where it wasn't snagging on everything I own. Consequently, I had a bit of an issue with bubbles in the top coat, but it isn't noticeable outside of macro shot.

I love how crazy sparkly this is. And the colors are that vivid in real life. It's starting to fade a little now because the top coat seems to eat away at the seal on the sequins, so this won't last much longer than a few days.

I can't imagine doing two full hands again, unless I was guaranteed the chance to meet Adam down the road. But I could easily see myself using this technique for an accent nail!

How about you all? Would you attempt this yourself? Did this manicure "rock" your world?

I promise I'll share some pics on here tomorrow. Be sure to follow my Instagram for all of the photos I take at the concert tonight!

Swatch & Review: SoFlaJo Silverado

Happy Thursday, my lovelies!

Today's featured polish is by the wonderful brand, SoFlaJo! You may remember this awesome indie for Pendragon, Sunset Grille, and Ghost of a Chance. This shade is from the brand new Matte Love Collection, which features seven shimmers that can be worn as matte (which is how they dry) or with top coat for some big time pop!

The polish I'm showing you today is called Silverado!

 Silverado is a matte charcoal polish with holo glitter. Here, it is with two coats.

You all know me. I'm not exactly a fan of mattes. But this one was a shade I could wear without issue all day, every day.

And bonus...

 Look at how gorgeous it looks with top coat! It's a little blacker with gloss, but you can see how much the shimmer pops in this one. I can't wait to two-tone this with a glossy tip French manicure or stripes. Or some other awesome options!

Overall, this was a BIG winner for me. If you're a fan of mattes, this is totally for you. Even if you're not, this one will definitely surprise you.

All SoFlaJo polishes are available on her website. The full Matte Love Collection consists of a yellow (Going Down), magenta (Pink it Up!), amethyst (Involved), solid black (Black Dagger), Silverado, black shimmer (Black Beauty), and white (White Sensation). They are $5 for a mini bottle (5mL) and $10 for a full sized bottle (15mL). The mini set is $35 with discounted shipping.

I LOVED this shade. How about you?

Disclaimer: The product(s) in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR company for consideration. For more information please visit my Disclaimer page.  

Criss Cross Striping Tape Mani

TGIF, my lovelies! I'm so ready for this week to be over. Aren't all of you?

Today's post is going to be a bit short. It is my first foray into striping tape and I was pretty happy with the end result. I think with a little more practice, I'll be ready for a how-to post!

I used Nfu Oh 61 as a base with Rimmel Black Satin as the top coat. I like Black Satin because it dries with a rubbery texture that is a nice contrast to the linear holo of Nfu Oh.

I know there's a little jaggedness to some of the lines, stupid macro! They're not this noticeable in person.

Is this something you would try? Would you want to see a tutorial?

Swatch and Review: Lush Lacquer Ticklish Teal

Hello, everyone! Sorry for the delay in coming back. I think I just needed the time off post-vacation to relax and get in a good state of mind, even once I was over being sick. Law school is VERY taxing mentally and emotionally, so I think I just needed the break.

But I'm back now... and with lots of fun things to share!

Today's polish is one I bought as part of Llarowe's Scratch and Dent Grab Bags: Lush Lacquer Ticklish Teal!

Ticklish Teal is a black jelly base filled with all different sizes of black and teal hex glitter, as well as teal bar glitter. The above picture is with three coats and one layer of top coat.

This color was very pretty and the base built up better outside of my light box. That being said, I probably would have had better results if I used a black base polish, but I was afraid of losing the awesome black hex glitter if I did.

The application wasn't gloopy and there was definitely a ton of glitter in each stroke. It was a little gritty on the nail, but not to the point where one coat of top coat couldn't handle it. However, this was REALLYYYYYYYYYYYYY hard to get off. I'm talking about three separate foil wraps AND a soak in some remover. It took me about a full hour to get it off. I was contemplating using this as a base for a striping tape mani and am really glad I reconsidered.

So what do you ladies think? Is this one worth all of the removal trouble?

Until next time!

Top of 2012: Black

Plain and simple, there was only ONE black this year that blew me away. If I could only wear this shade for the rest of my life, I'd be perfectly happy.

Is there a better black than Zoya Storm? I say, no. This black scattered holographic polish is clearly the Queen of them all. The application? Fabulous. The sparkle? Mindblowing.

No other shade of black should even bother trying. Honestly.

Do you agree?

Zoya Ornate Gradient

Good Monday morning to you all! I hope your weekend was more enjoyable than mine. I have midterms this week, so need I say more? Didn't think so.

Before all hell broke loose and my brain became a jumble of criminal law statutes and jibberish I'm convinced doesn't actually mean anything, I had a little fun with the scattered holo shades from Zoya's brand new Ornate collection!

Here are the three shades I used (left to right): Blaze, Aurora, and Storm!

I started out with a base of Aurora and then lightly sponged Blaze from the tip of my nail to just before where the half moons start. I repeated this about two or three times per nail until I was happy with the blend. Then I sponged Storm until a little below my visible nail line. I applied Storm lightly, but dabbed polish just at the tip a few times to make it a little more opaque.

Here was the end result:

What do you guys think of the finished product? I'm in LOVE with it!

Princess Polish

Swatch and Review: Zoya Ornate Collection

 

It's here! It's FINALLY here! I've been so excited for this collection from the moment the press release hit my inbox.

The Zoya Ornate Collection features six shades, three scattered holographic polishes, two foils, and a bar glitter. That's a pretty awesome variety for a seasonal release, which is usually saved for the same silver, gold, green, red, blue, and white shimmer/glitter bombs from year to year.

Also... five out of the six polishes share names with superheroes. So, that's not exactly a negative for me!

Warning, this is going to be a pic-heavy post!

Announcing: Zoya Ornate Collection (Winter 2012/13)

It’s time to celebrate... so make sure you celebrate in style!

The NEW Zoya Ornate Collection is the perfect to decorate your nails with stunning jewel tone colors and special effect pigments this season. Featuring six stunning, glittering, crystal shades in our new Power Pigment Full Coverage Formula. Superior coverage and dynamic color in one. All in the long-wearing, toxin free (BIG5FREE) formula you love... Each one is as beautiful as the next.

Zoya WINTER/HOLIDAY 2012/13: ORNATE Collection

·       Blaze (ZP641) - Cranberry Glitter Glam Crystal - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage

·       Electra (ZP642) -  Holographic Tinsel Special Effect- wear it alone or layer it for extra drama

·       Ziv (ZP644) - Gold Foil Glitter Crystal - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage

·       Storm (ZP645) - Black with Multi Color Crystal Shimmer - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage

·       Aurora (ZP646) - Plum with Multi Color Crystal Shimmer - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage

·       Logan (ZP647) - Green Foil Glitter Crystal - Featuring Power Pigment Full Coverage

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 other Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. Each and every name has a color as unique as the women who inspired it.

$8.00 ea. US. Shipping October 15, 2012.

Find Zoya Ornate on Zoya.com

Announcing: Zoya Gilty Gift Box

Gilty Pleasures 18K Real Gold Flake Topcoat Gift Box by Zoya

Just in time for party season!

The Gilty Pleasures velvet gift box features Zoya Gilty*, the 18k Real Gold Flake Topcoat  (0.5oz) Plus, two long wearing, full-size (0.5oz), colors to cover in gold as a bonus... Zoya Raven (black) and Zoya Purity (white).

Pre-Order Today HERE! 

Official Ship Date 10/15/2012 - Due to extreme demand and scarcity of the gold material, we are asking everyone to pre-order the Gilty Pleasures Trio Box in advance. Once pre-sell is sold out, there will be no more product available (that means when it's gone it's gone). You will not be charged until for the Gilty Pleasures Trio Box actually ships. 

Want more?
Try Zoya Gilty over your favorite nail polish shade to create your own signature 18K Gold look - click here for a few of our suggestions.

ZOYA IS THE NEW COLOR OF FASHION!

Ultra long-wearing, glossy nail lacquers by Zoya are BIG5FREE - all formulas are completely free of harmful industrial chemicals such as toluene, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) that are known to cause cancer and birth defects.

Find over 300 other Zoya shades at www.zoya.com. Each and every name has a color as unique as the women who inspired it.

$30.00 US. Shipping October 15, 2012.
Order Zoya Gilty Pleasure on Zoya.com today!

Falling Forward Nail Art Challenge: Day 4 - Back to School

Happy Football Sunday, everyone! It has been a crazy week in sports for this Jersey girl. My alma mater, Rutgers, smashed Arkansas yesterday to bring their record to 4-0! Mets starting knuckleball and CY Young candidate R.A. Dickey notched his 19th win of the season over the Miami Marlins in dramatic fashion. (Read: I was tearing my hair out as it got to 4-3 in the top of the 9th). And the Jets will be playing the Dolphins in a little over 30 minutes from the time I start this post. 

Today, I'm bringing you Day 4 of the Nail Art challenge with a Back to School theme!

For those of you who have been following the blog from the early days of a crappy point and shoot camera, you may remember this mani. I've updated it slightly with a few new colors, but it's comparable. The biggest improvement in general is the picture quality!

For the locker (pinky), I used Revlon Silver Dollar, the Chalkboard (ring) features Sally Hansen Emerald Express, the ruler (middle) is Piggy Polish It's All About Blue, the books and apple feature NOPI Yellow... It's Me, and lastly is Sally Hansen White On with Funky Fingers black crackle. The detailing was all done with nail art paints (Stripe Rite and Art Club) and a striper brush.

So what do you all think? I'm dying to know!
Princess Polish

Swatch and Review: Zoya Designer Collection

Happy Thursday, everyone! I am SO excited to bring to you the first of the three Fall collections from Zoya! This is the Designer Collection, chock full of gorgeous, luscious cremes!

See? They're to DIE FOR!