Del Sol Mini Haul + Review

For a recent birthday gift I received four polishes from Del Sol! The color change store. Every product in there changes colors with sunlight. They have everything from clothes, to hair accessories to NAIL POLISH. Nail polish that changes in the sun? Yeah. I know. I've always been a fan but never had many of them so I was glad to get these!

Below are three coats of each color, and no top coat. More picture heavy than my previous posts so click the jump to see :)

A-England St. George + Gradient

A swatch of A-England's St. George. A very saturated, gorgeous teal color. How have I been without A-England polishes this long!? Especially this color! Don't even get me started on the scattered holo on this. It makes it that much more unique. It isn't super strong but it's definitely there in direct sunlight.

 Two easy coats and NYC top coat on top!

Ignore my thumb.. I was testing a design! :p

I'm also a sucker for pretty gradient combos, and I was really inspired by Chalkboard Nail's post a few days ago. So I wanted to recreate it! Minus the hex charm. (but I really need to get my hands on some of those) These polishes work great for gradients! Some are definitely on my wishlist for creating more gradients.

Yesterday was pretty foggy but the sun is out and about today! So much the lizards are sunbathing. Happy Sunday everyone!

A-England Dragon

Today I have a beautiful swatch of Dragon, from the wonderful brand A-England! It's also one of my first purchases ever from them! How have I been without for so long?

Below are two easy coats of Dragon, with topcoat (doesn't dull holo at all)

 Don't you love when names are spot on? This is a perfect mossy green and looks.. exactly how a dragon's scale-y skin color would look! And the scattered holo just adds to the gorgeous color. It is so unique to my collection and I'm usually not a green fan but I'd wear this all day erryday! 

Below are two photos of it in the shade. Holo is a little less noticeable, but you can appreciate the beautiful green color even more! 

VERY happy with my purchase! The next post will be the other polish I picked up from A-England. I feel this coming up as a favorite brand...

Barry M Greenberry + Comparisons

I am so excited to share this! Me being in the US, Barry M is not widely available. Some of my favorite nail bloggers are from the UK where they have Barry M and I hear soo many good things about this brand! From color selection to quality this brand seems to constantly deliver. Plus since January, stricter customs laws have been placed in the UK, so for now, my nail buddy can't send me any polish :(

BUT I GOT MY HANDS ON ONE ANYWAY! From the supplier Ninja Polish!!!! Can you tell I was a little excited when I found out they carry them? My heart almost stopped.

I only let myself have one, so I chose Greenberry from Barry M's Gelly line! 100% happy with my choice.

Ahhhhh, Greenberry is a super refreshing BRIGHT turquoise/aqua colored creme nail polish! It leans a little more green than blue in the pictures above. It is also a million times prettier! Pictures do not do it justice.

Everyone who has had the chance to buy these are correct. Formula is mind blowing. First coat was streaky but the second coat completely leveled everything out and made it opaque. Did I mention the color was to die for? And the gelly element of these polishes are not like the jellies we know (sheer and "squishy" looking) but they promise a high gel manicure like shine. And boyyyy do they deliver that! Without topcoat it was so. shiny. Couldn't believe it! I added top coat anyway as a general rule and to make it last longer. I am on my second day with no chips!

Essie: Turquoise and Caicos, Barry M: Greenberry, China Glaze: Highlight of My Summer 

no top coat on swatch wheel above

 I read in a blog somewhere that they thought China Glaze "Highlight of My Summer" was similar to Greenberry and I am happy to say there are no dupes here! Greenberry also reminded me somewhat of a brighter Turquoise and Caicos by Essie (jelly) but side by side they are not the same.

Sometimes wildlife can appear in my photos... 

Soooo glad I have finally gotten a taste (not literally!) of what Barry M polishes are like. Now if custom laws could just let up so I could buy them ALL! Definitely pick these up if they are available where you are!

Thanks for reading! 

*drools*

These came in the mail today and I tore this thing open so fast! It was my order from Ninja Polish (possibly my new favorite supplier) with my first A-England polishes and my first BARRY M.

Words can't express how excited I am to finally get my hands on these! Especially Barry M! Since my UK nail buddy can't send me any (darn those strict UK customs) I've been searching for other ways to get them. Andddd I found one!

So excited. I have heard so many good things about both of these brands. My picks for now were Barry M Greenberry, A-England Dragon, and A-England St. George.

What are you favorite Barry M or A-England polishes? I'd love to put them on my wishlist as well!

Bright Triangles

Today I did some really simple nail art based off this cute and bright tank top (racerback) I got at Target!

I was pretty pleased I had polishes in my collection that were 90% spot on with the colors on the tank top! The blue is Splish Splash by China Glaze, and the bright/neon mint color is Highlight of My Summer also by China Glaze.

I switched up how I usually do accent fingers and I did two, my index and middle finger. I started with two coats of  Milani White On the Spot and after that dried completely I placed striping tape down in an X pattern and sponged on 1-2 layers of the colors in the triangle sections formed from the tape.

I loved the result! I can't think of anyone who isn't obsessed with striping tape. They create such cool designs that can look like it took a lot of effort, when in reality it didn't! I also loved using the sponge in this design because that's what the triangles look like in the tank also. Like they have a sponged effect.

My thumb also made it's way into these photos. Two coats of Splish Splash!

 And Mr. Sunshine graced our little town with his presence today so I could capture some decent photos of these nubs. Thanks for reading!

Quick Post!

Quick, one photo post. Boring, I know. But I just wanted to share another amazing experience with the first generation Winstonia stamping plates! The quality is beyond belief for a new stamping plate brand, and for the first generation. From the biggest full nail images, to small very detailed images.

This right here is the mermaid image from plate W108. After two coats of China Glaze Seaspray, I stamped with China Glaze Strap On Your Moonboots from the Hologlam 2013 collection. And it came out perfect!

I also only have one nice photo because chlorine destroys all longevity in manicures. I love swimming class but I have to make sure I get a good photo before or else all you will see is it peeling and chipping. I chose the mermaid because it was the last day before our school pool is closing down and it only made sense to choose something water themed.

So if you don't already have these plates, get them! They are also reasonably priced :)

Tomorrow Never Dies + Gold Finger

Today I have on Tomorrow Never Dies from the OPI James Bond Collection.

It is a gorgeous blurple (purple and blue) color and if you look closely it has some red and lighter blue shimmer inside also! I regret leaving this in my untrieds for so long. I'm drooling!

Of course I had to pair this OPI themed polish with a .... GOLLLLDD FINGAAA!! I couldn't help myself..   that song has been stuck in my head for ever! I think I am a little too funny sometimes. Ha! Shirley Bassey is amazing. I need to have a James Bond marathon soon. What is your favorite Bond movie?

For the gold accent finger I started with one coat of Milani Gold Glitz, and then two coats of Wet n' Wild The Gold and the Beautiful (that name lol)

The reason I started with Gold Glitz is because the WW polish is a really sheer gold glitter that isn't really buildable. So I put a more dense glitter underneath for a start.

Above is a close up, and you can see more of the red/lighter blue elements in this polish on my middle finger. Another reason to go out and buy it! I couldn't stop staring at this when I was wearing it.

Snappy Colorblock

Hello! Today I have a swatch of Snap My Dragon, from the 2013 China Glaze Avant Garden collection! It's a very vibrant red leaning very pink color, but unfortunately my camera just wanted to pick up on all the red. Anyone else's camera hate reds? Haha. 

This really pretty color also has some hidden shimmer in it! I would definitely recommend picking it up if you are a fan of reds and shimmer.

After having this on for a day I was trying to figure out something simple to put over it. So I went with a really fun and easy color block tutorial by Brit Nails! I love this look and it will definitely be a go to mani when I am uninspired and need some pizzazz.

I just used a silver and then a black polish in my collection.

Unfortunately the sun did not come out today.. so my pictures will be a little darker. Lovely summer weather we're having here! Not..

 A rare photo of my right hand. Haha. Anyone ever feel too lazy to do the same thing on the other hand? I didn't feel like fiddling around with placing striping tape with my non-dominant hand, so I opted for something with the same colors and easy. Polka dots! What a cute cop-out right? Ring finger is a little Mickey Mouse. ;)

Thanks for reading!