Barielle Gentle Breeze Watercolor Water Marble

I haven't done a water marble in what seems like FOREVER, so I decided when I received the Barielle Gentle Breeze collection for spring 2015, I would have to give it a shot!

According to Barielle, the Spring collection "reflects the soft, gentle, eclectic hues of this most welcome and delightful season." It is definitely atypical of other brands' spring collections, but that's not really a bad thing.

Under the Sea - A rich, sea scuba blue shimmer

Champagne and Bubbles - A creamy tangerine

Pink Parasol - A creamy strawberry ice

Gray Sky - A rich, creamy glacier gray

Heaven Sent - A soft creamy aquamarine

Prior to starting the water marbling process, I painted on two coats of Under the Sea as the base.

I initially didn't intend for this to have a very soft, watercolor look, but a few of these shades (Champagne and Bubbles, Under the Sea, and Heaven Sent) are on the sheerer side.

I really loved how this came out, even though the colors bled together. It actually made a pretty watercolor effect!

I am TOTALLY in love with this water marble. I wore it for a full week before I managed to take it off!

The Gentle Breeze collection is available from Barielle as a set for $25 USD.

What do you think of this watercolor look?


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. 

New York Sports Water Marble

It was a weekend full of water marbles for Princess Polish, having rocked the Relay for Life Water Marble Friday and Saturday and a new water marble Sunday and Monday.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of sports. I love it all. But my two biggest loves in life are the NY Knicks and the NY Mets, the latter of which I am fortunate enough to call my employer. So with the Knicks clinging tightly to a spot in the playoffs and the Mets off to the best April start since I was in high school, I thought it was time to break out the blue and orange.

Selecting the actual polishes to work with was much harder than you would think it'd be. The shades used by both teams are very similar and vivid. So I couldn't choose something too pastel in the orange family and it was difficult to find a blue that wasn't too light or too dark on the spectrum.

The orange was easier to select, since I only have a handful in my orange polish drawer. But the blue... well, it's the heaviest of the drawers. That should pretty much spell it out for you.

In the end, I went with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Blue It and Essence Wake Up (more on that shade a little later in the week).

I found out that blue and orange are hard colors to marble together because if you're not careful, they'll blend together to look brown. But I figured that out only one nail in and was super careful after that.

This is my right hand all marbled up. Unfortunately, I thought my left hand came out nicer, but managed to crack a nail shortly before I was ready to take a picture. The whole hand looks like my middle finger. So you're stuck with my right for now. Sorry, everyone. This was (Daniel?) Murphy's law at its best. (Mets fans will get that joke)

Now here is the ultimate problem: REMOVAL.

Essence Wake Up applied like butter and came off as easily as it should have. Sally Hansen Blue it made me want to cry. It stained my cuticles to the point I had to take a shower, use cuticle remover, and then soak my hands in warm water. And that was before I even tried to take the polish off. (Confession: I got a manicure so the nail tech had to do that for me. Bless her heart.)

While I love my Mets (Oh hey, David Wright!) and my Knicks (Oh, welcome to the party, old Carmelo Anthony. So nice of you to join us with 15 games left in the entire season.), I don't think I would ever do this again. It was too much of a headache to remove and clean up. I'll just stick to my good, old-fashioned Metsicure.

Although, if the Mets make it to the World Series, I'll double barrier with tape and Vaseline. May this be my problem come October.

Until tomorrow!
Princess Polish

Relay for Life Water Marble

On Friday afternoon, as I sat down to do my nails for that evening's Relay for Life, I was stuck trying to decide what I wanted to do with my manicure. I couldn't pick a shade of purple, the color of Relay. Should I go dark or light? Glittery or creme?

And then I could have smacked myself. Duh. DO ALL OF THE ABOVE!

I picked out Essie Bangle Jangle for the light, Orly Fowl play for the dark and glittery (FLAKIESSSSS!),  and Zoya Mira for the in-between.

After doing a quick coat of Bangle Jangle for opacity's sake, I got to work.

 

And this was the end result. I was really happy with it overall. 

First and foremost, Bangle Jangle was a nail polish dream and applied beautifully. The other colors seemed to play off each other rather nicely and make an impact. My nails were the talk of relay, especially once word got around that they were the reason I was the #2 fundraiser.

I was a little upset at the event, truth be told, because in years past, they had recognized the top 3 individual fundraisers and top 3 teams. This year, they only recognized the top individual, while doing all three teams again. My team, the Rutgers University Seeing Eye Puppy Club (hey Pebbles!), was the top team. And that was awesome. But I was a little sad they skimped out. I really wanted them to mention that I had raised the money in honor of my dad. 

But at the end of the day, the good of what this money did far outweighed my minor disappointment. It only lasted a few minutes. I just hope that the nearly $80,000 raised overall at the Rutgers event really makes a difference in people's lives. I know a lot of you donated in honor of a loved one lost, currently battling the disease, or a survivor. And I thank you for allowing me to honor them on your behalf that night. It was truly a wonderful experience that I will treasure.

Much love and appreciation!

Princess Polish

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This water marble was done with Zoya Holly, Sally Hansen Green with Envy, and Funky Fingers Blitzen (hence the glitter). I wanted the effect to look like waves, as if green liquid was being poured into a glass. Mainly because I'll be working so no beer for me. Haha.

While I'm celebrating with a water marble mani and a ton of Sprite Zero with green food coloring, I hope you're all being careful out there! Drink responsibly and trust your instincts. And be sure to check in and let me know you survived St. Patrick's Day 2012. After all, there is a brand new Zoya Collection to look forward to and you wouldn't want to miss that!

Princess Polish