Bring on the Bling

Essie Luxe Effects

2012-01-24T23:17:00.004-06:00

Hello 2012! Yes... it's been almost a year since I lasted posted. Set in stone is on my fingers. Nothing too special about these glitters,except they look more grown up to me. With different shaped/size glitter. I'm still here...loving all things nail polish and cosmetics....ha,ha,ha...yes my little finger is crooked on my left hand. It was slammed in a car door by accident when I was just a year old. The doctors, for whatever reason, decided to not put a splint on it,probably because of how small a one year old finger is......in the end, it was broken ,and mended crooked. Anyway........
I hope to post more this year. Forgive me if I don't. I do have a lot of things I want to talk about in the nail polish and make up world. I love color,and makeup and nail polish is just one way for me to express myself. Until next time...take care and stay safe.....Velvet.

Hmmm.....glittery nails at the tips?

2011-02-21T18:12:00.004-06:00

Two coats of Yoga-ta Get This Blue,with a swipe of Paris Couture For Sure,and little bit of Absolutely Alice on top.
Hey how's it going? I was feeling kinda spontaneous last night....and thought I would just free hand some glittery swipes on the nail tips. I know. Nothing real special here. I don't usually get into the whole nail art thing. But it never hurts to try something new every now and then. Right? Thanks for dropping by.....

Revlon Fuchsia ,Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T15:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Take care everyone. Hope your day is sweet!

Wuthering Heights

2011-02-01T17:51:00.002-06:00

I've had this small pink edition since I was sixteen. I remember being in a Walden book store in the mall when I bought it to read. I had a girlfriend that year in school who was in art class with me. She had read the book. Being a romantic like myself,she told me that it was,"so tragic that it was beautiful".....fast forward twenty two years later and that sounds ridiculously funny .....right?! Ah.... what did a couple of sixteen year old girls know about love? I do remember that I did enjoy reading the book.
While out looking for a cabinet at the thrift store a few weeks ago. I came across this mint condition Wuthering Heights published by Random House in 1943,with beautiful engravings by Fritz Eichenburg.
Here's a sampling of the engravings that are sprinkled through out the book. Isn't that romantic! In case your wondering I paid just $5 for this lovely hard back edition of Wuthering Heights. What a treasure to find without even trying. Are there any books that you consider a favorite?

Opi Teenage Dream

2011-01-31T16:16:00.002-06:00

Here's a little bit of pink, sparkle, bling! My three favorite things together. Lovely cheery combination. Hope your Monday was interesting,and not manic!

Vintage Vanity Items/ Update for Bring on the Bling

2011-01-30T08:17:00.003-06:00

Hi,how are ya? I thought I would share some of the items I use daily.
I bought this vintage 1950's vanity mirror from a thrift store in town for about $15. Ya, I could have bought a brand new one for the same price. But it would not of had this beautiful base of stems,and flowers.
This is a metal,and glass loose powder holder from the 1950's too. I found this at the same thrift shop,different day,for around $8. At first I wasn't sure how I would use it. But then it came to me. Elastic bands a.k.a. pony tail holders.
Last but not least. Here's a cute mirror vanity tray also from the 50's. It's not very big,but oh so cute!
See the cute flower on the edge? You just can't find this kind of stuff anymore. Maybe if you special order from catalogs,or find an on-line store. But not at any of your major box stores around town. On another note. I would like to talk to you about Bring on the Bling. This blog started out with only modeling nail polish. Recently I've had the urge to add other aesthetic items of beauty. Like the vintage items exhibited today. Or the cosmetics I've modeled in the past. I will continue to model pretty nail polish. Just not everyday. This is the main reason why I haven't been blogging a whole lot. I'm kind of tired of just talking about nail polish. So from here on out you will see things that are beautiful to the eye of this beholder. I completely understand if this is not what your looking for,and my feelings will not be hurt if your not interested in following. No. I'm not trying to provoke you into not following......I'm just saying....that I totally understand that some of you follow strictly to see what certain colors,brands of nail polish look like,and the wearing/staying power of them. So with that being said... Enjoy the beauty that is around you.

FOTD and Art Ramble

2011-01-28T10:08:00.004-06:00

Hello. So you're probably tired of me modeling my face,and thinking what a vain woman! But that's really not the case. When taking photos of the cosmetics that I had used today. I began to see the potential of a still life colored drawing,or pastel painting. There is one particular photo of the cosmetics,where you can see the reflection of the lip stick,and lip gloss in the mirror of the Estee Lauder palette that I thought looked interesting. I think I'm going to hold myself to drawing that still life. (Sigh) I'm what you call a lazy artist. I know how to draw,but I hate to practice. I'm sure that won't make any sense to some of you. I suppose I prefer using mediums that give three dimensional results. For example,crazy quilting,or sculpting with clay. I really like using clay,although I haven't explored that medium in years! I guess having a husband, three kids,and a house hold to run. Makes creating the time an effort mind you, not impossible,but an effort none the less. And there's where I'm lazy.
This is the natural lighting that I'm working with today. Misty, gray,and white! Which can be good to work with,if you can get the right angle to take photographs. But not easy,unless you practice...there's that dang practice rearing its ugly head again!
Okay. Ya, this photo makes me look like I have a big honker......but it was hard to get a photo that didn't look washed out. Even in this picture you can't really see it. You can enlarge it if you're really curious.
I used Estee Lauder's cream shadow in Ivory Cream all over my lids. Then I applied the green teal on my lids from the Starchild Odyssey palette. The navy shade from the Blue Dahlia Estee Lauder palette in the outer corners of the eyes blended out. Flirt eyeshadow in Sugar Daddy on the brow bone. Estee Lauder eye line in Midnight Blue. Cover girl mascara Falsies. Flirt cosmetics blush in Apple Dapple. Revlon lipstick in Blush,with Elf Minty lip gloss on top. Sheesh! I hope you didn't have anything pressing to do....when reading that massive list of cosmetics. That I just used on my face. I suppose if I can make time for all of that. Then surely I can make time to draw,or mess around with some clay....right?! By the way, amazingly I didn't use a foundation,or powder of any kind. Oh,and I forgot to mention that I did use a concealer under my eyes. Now this was the first time that I used the ivory cream shadow as a base,then apply colored eyeshadow on top. Which produced a soft colored effect on the eyes. I'm not sure if I would do this again. But if you're leery of bold eyeshadow colors. Then you might try something like this. I would think any kind of ivory,iridescent cream shadow that doesn't crease would work. I don't know. You'll just have to play around and see what works. Well! Have a good day,or evening.....see you next time.

Starchild Odyssey Palette

2011-01-26T17:46:00.002-06:00

Hey! Long time no see!

With so much snow it's been too," white" around here. I thought it was time for some color! See my camera in the mirror...hehe..I did that on purpose. I love wearing color. Don't get me wrong. I'm the queen of beatnik! I love me a black turtle neck sweater,and black beret, with a cup of coffee, sit and brood over the injustice of it all,any day of the week. But at heart I'm a girl who loves color. If I'm not crazy quilting with different colored fabrics,then you'll find me crocheting with multi-colored yarn. If I'm not crocheting,you'll find me tinkering with my soft pastels. If I'm doing that,then you'll find me playing with eye shadow,and nail polish. I thank the Lord everyday for my eyes! I love looking at color,playing with color,wearing color. Take care where ever you are.

Opi Queen of West Web-erly

2011-01-03T15:54:00.002-06:00

Three coats,no base,or top coat.

Happy New Year,and all that jazz! I hope your holidays were pleasant. Did you wake up to snow Christmas morning? We did at my mom's house. Here's a photo of Christmas morning. My parents live in the country,and have huge windows in the family room,and kitchen too. It was lovely to sit with a cup of coffee,and just watch the snow fall from inside,while all the guys in my family took turns keeping the wood burning stove alive with warmth. Just a country Christmas you might say. I sound like Dolly Parton....lol! Have a good evening,or morning wherever you are.

Bring on the Bling Gone for Christmas

2010-12-23T15:32:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas! I'll be gone for the next few days. Normal posting should resume sometime after the 28th. Have a safe, fun holiday with family,and friends.

Opi MonSooner or Later

2010-12-21T19:03:00.002-06:00

Two coats. Such a cheerful orange isn't it?
Hey. So I think I might've figured out a good spot for photo taking this winter. My laundry room in the basement has fluorescent lighting. I had a nail break yesterday,and decided that I would cut them all down. No big deal. They're just nails. Ummm...by the way..... Sunday's post was a mess up. Harvest Hues is a Finger paints brand not Sally Hansen. I guess I got Sally Hansen,and the fact that Sally's Beauty Supply sells Finger paints garbled in my brain....lol. Anyway...that's that! Hope your week is going well....ta,ta,for now!

Sally Hansen Harvest Hues/Opi Call My Cellery

2010-12-19T14:22:00.002-06:00

Two coats of Harvest Hues....looks similar to a few other green polishes....huh?
I decided to layer it with Opi Call My Cell-ery. The end result reminded me of China Glaze's Emerald Sparkle.
Hmmm.....this man looks like he needs his nails clean. My husband happened to walk in from goose hunting,and saw me photographing my nails. He thought he would be funny,and have his nails photographed too....what a cheeky butt!

Opi Ruble For Your Thoughts

2010-12-16T11:28:00.002-06:00

Hey there. It''s been very cold here the past week. Last night we got ice,instead of rain. Oh Boy! The sun has been hiding from us all week too. Trying to find good lighting,and take pictures has not been easy. Don't you like the name of this polish. I can just imagine saying,"Ruble for your thoughts", with a deep Russian accent. Studying Russian political,and social history is something I've enjoyed doing since I was about 19/20 years old. That's when I read Anna Karenina for the first time on my own. No, it was something I,"had " to read for school or anything. My mom had read the book first. And well.....I was always a nosy child,when it came to what my mother was reading. Funny, I don't know why I was/am like that. I still am to this day. Anything she reads. I get curious about it. I guess it's my way of connecting with my mother. I do love her so! Well...I need to go. I've got some Christmas shopping to get done,and stop by the post office,and drop a few bills off too. Fun,fun! Have a nice Thursday. Thanks for stopping by,Velvet

FOTD Nars 9945 Artist Palette

2010-12-13T15:37:00.004-06:00

Nars 9945,also known as the Bridal palette. This is my palette,that I bought myself.
Just a quick post. I wanted to model China Glaze's Glacier. But by this morning it was already chipping off. (sigh) So you'll have to put up with me modeling make up instead.
This is such a nice palette to use. If your interested in Nars then check out their website www.narscosmetics.com (for U.S.A.) www.narscosmetics.co.uk. or www.sephora.com
Here's what came to my house over the week -end. As the Christmas carol goes," it's starting to look a little bit like Christmas". Hope your Monday was happy!

Opi Sparkle-icious Layered Over Nina Pro Dragon Berry

2010-12-10T16:07:00.004-06:00

Hey! These pictures were taken late today. Top,and bottom pic with flash. Middle pic without flash.

I layered one coat of Sparkle-icious over two coats of Nina Pro Dragon Berry. I used Nail Life Speed Demon for a top coat. Are you guys loving these Opi glitters? What do you think of the other polishes in this Burlesque collection? Any that I absolutely need? My sister and I did go see the movie Burlesque. It was complete fluff and stuff...lol...but that's why we went to see it. We figured the story line might be a little weak. But hey! We went to hear the singing,and watch the dancing. So we felt like we got our moneys worth...lol. Have you seen the movie? If so....did you like it,hate it? Have a good week-end friends!

Wet-n-Wild Night Elf

2010-12-09T11:13:00.004-06:00

Can you see the small dab of Vaseline on my nose...lol. It looks almost normal. I don't think there's anything to worry about.

Hello. Here are the products I used, to complete the look for the entire face. I used five of the shades in Night Elf. The only one that I didn't use, was the bottom left color. That's the one with the green/red/brown shimmery effect. With the eyes being so dramatic. I used a very light hand with applying the blush,and lipstick. I wanted a very natural,fresh look for the lips,and cheeks. If you have any questions about this look,feel free to ask. Until next time. Take care.

Wet-n-Wild Christmas Palettes

2010-12-08T15:12:00.002-06:00

Sugar Plum Fairy on the left. Night Elf on the right.
Golden Goddess on the left. Snow Sprite on the right. (My favorite)
These are the greens, from Snow Sprite.
The emerald green shadow in this palette is amazing. No fall out,and very good pigmentation. I did simple day look . But I've done a smokey eye with the greens,and the blues in this palette. What I like about the emerald green,is that it stays a deep emerald color when you blend it out for a smokey eye. Snow Sprite is my favorite to use. That's for two personal reasons. One. Blue,and green shadows are my favorite shades to wear. Two. The pigmentation is crazy in this palette! Just fabulous! I'll talk more about the other palettes soon. That's all for today.

Wet-n-Wild Eyeshadow Palette Pride

2010-12-07T15:03:00.004-06:00

For a $3.99 eyeshadow palette. The pigmentation is good. No,it isn't as wonderful as some of the more expensive brands. But if your on a shoe string budget. Or have no desire to spend exuberant amounts of money on make-up,or just like eye shadow that has pigment. Then these Wet-n-Wild palettes do nicely. The name of this palette is Pride.
For the eyes I only used the matte green on the lid. The shimmer green in the crease. The white shimmer on the brow bone. Which wore off as the day wore on. But that's okay with me. I didn't have anything major to do today. That required eyeshadow to stay put on the eyes. I used L.A.girl liquid liner in dark brown,then used a brown eyeshadow on top of the liner. I also put some of the shimmer green under the eye. I used Loreal's Million Lashes to finish. Very simply look. I like using this palette,and I love all of the colors in it.

Yes, I quit wearing the band aid over the week end, on my nose. But I'm still putting a dab of vaseline on it though. I won't know the results on the biopsy until next Tuesday. In the meantime my nose seems to be healing quite nicely. By the way. Have any of you bought the Wet-n-Wild limited edition Christmas eye palettes? I did! I bought all four. I think my favorite so far is the blue and green one named Snow Sprite. Anyway...I'll post on them soon. Until next time. Take care,and be kind to one another.

Hater Comment, and Elites Gone Mad!

2010-12-06T21:49:00.010-06:00

Earlier today, I stopped by over at Brooke's blog Getcha Nails Did to see what was shaking,and leave her a comment saying hello. Now, we all know Brooke. She's the go to lady,if you want other people to know about your nail/beauty blog. She doesn't have to do this. Yet she does. Now she's been on a break for awhile,but decided to say hello today,and let us know what's going on. Very nice of her. Anyway...later this evening I popped back over to see if maybe she had responded to her comments yet. While looking,I came across an awful comment left by some anonymous person,(how typical). Ranting about how awful,and shameful it was that Brooke was allowing her dog which isn't a,"show dog" to breed. Because there are so many dogs put down every year. Okay. So let me get this straight. If Dinky was a show dog, then it would be okay to allow her to breed? But since Dinky is just a pet,then she ought not to be allowed to breed? First of all, this hater does not have to read Brooke's blog. Second of all..... it is none of the hater's business! It's Brooke's prerogative to allow Dinky to have pups. And we all know that the puppies will go to good homes. But this hater's comment goes deeper for me. The thought process of this person disturbs me, and is a WHACKED way of thinking. Basically what this person is saying...is that it's better to not be born at all. Unless the DNA from the parents, is going to be from," good stock". I'm sorry, but I don't buy into this theory of good stock,and this translates into the human world. You do realize that we have elites, such as Ted Turner. Who own almost 2 million acres of land in the world,and have 5 children of his own. And he wants you, and me to adopt radical policies to have only one child per family. In order to save the planet. Or better yet, just don't have any children. Elites like Ted Turner don't like us average people. They view us like dogs, and cats. (There's too many of us) They don't think we deserve to have big families,down to the pet dog. Because we're not one of," them" the elites. They pretend that the foundations that they are in charge of,or donate to are for the good of mankind. But they really aren't. Just take the time to research. You'll be shocked at what you find. So what does this have to do with a nasty comment left on Brooke's blog? You ask. I'll tell you how it's all related. You see. It starts with the pets. Get the humans used to having their pets nurtured,or spade. Because supposedly we don't need that many cats,and dogs in the world. Then slowly train the humans to think that they don't need that many kids, through sex education class at public school. Because you need 500 hundred bottles of nail polish more than you need six kids. I mean that's nuts to have that many kids. But totally normal to have 500 bottles of nail polish. (Yes I'm being cheeky here...I'm allowed that,because I have around 600 bottles of nail polish. And sometimes it strikes me odd to have consumed that much nail polish,and yet I only have 3 kids). But the question is....do we allow ourselves to be trained into thinking that it's better to not be born,weather it's an animal, or human? And instead,be the consumers that we've come to be? Instead of having more people,and pets to love,and surround us? These are tough moral questions to consider. If you don't want any children,or only want a couple of kids then fine. If you don't want your pet to be able to reproduce,that's fine too. Just make sure that the idea originates from you,and not from some,"expert",who thinks they know best for you. Anyway....Hurray for Dinky! I look forward to seeing pictures of the puppies when they arrive. I'll leave you with what Ted Turner has to say on world population.

Opi Show It And Glow It Layerd

2010-12-06T11:28:00.003-06:00

Hey there! So I have Show It And Glow It,layered over Opi's Louvre Me,Louvre Me Not.
I think the two together look festive for the Christmas season.

I leave you today with a picture of my orange tabby(Flash),and my sister's tabby(Marley). Cats are funny,aren't they? Lounging,and sleeping in empty water bottle boxes! Have a nice day,or evening wherever you are you in the world.

Hello!

2010-12-02T16:35:00.002-06:00

Here's our Christmas tree. Thought I'd update you, with the goings on at Bring on the Bling. I haven't been wearing any new nail polish lately. Hence, no blog posts. Currently I'm wearing China Glaze's Emerald Sparkle. Which you've seen here,and everywhere else. It's been busy around here with putting up/out Christmas decorations. I also went to see the dermatologist this week. I had him check out a red spot on the bridge of my nose. (Growing up in south Florida,was not always a good thing for my Irish nose.) The dermatologist cut a small piece off to have biopsied for any skin cancer. Ugh! No. I'm not worried about any skin cancer. It's the fact that I have to wear a band aid across the bridge of my nose for the next two weeks. I have to keep it covered with Vaseline,and keep a small bandage on my nose. Doctors orders. Yes, my vanity is suffering at the moment, to say the least. "But it's such a tiny spot", my husband tells me....."yes, BUT, I look like someone in comedy with this band aid across my nose! (sigh) I did find that Walgreens sells a liquid bandage. I think I'll buy that,and try it out. The husband's Christmas work party is tomorrow night,and if I can't find a way to deal with my nose. Then we're not going! Yes! I'm that vain.....I admit it! So in closing, here's a Thanksgiving Day picture of me before my nose was cut on.

Opi Let Me Entertain You

2010-11-22T20:40:00.003-06:00

Three coats of polish,no base,or top coat.

Hey there! Okay.... so I bought one more Opi from the new Christmas collection. ( I thought I was trying to not buy nail polish!) I just love the color fuchsia , and honestly....I might own a few polishes in the shade fuchsia. But none with this finish. It seems to have a micro glitter finish. The shade itself, reminds me of Opi's, It's All Greek To Me, polish. Which is a favorite of mine to wear,(I actually have put a considerable dent in that bottle of polish...you know how you always have those same colors, you reach for all the time?) Now...my pictures,which were taken indoors,at night. Just don't do this polish any justice. It's so much more sparkly looking in person. Okay....so I promise.....no more sneaking in polishes! (fingers crossed behind back)....really I mean it.....

American Apparel Nail Polish

2010-11-18T23:04:00.002-06:00

If there are any American Apparel nail polish lovers out there... then I have some good news for you. I received an email from American Apparel notifying me that they are launching 12 new polishes for the winter season. Now... I've never tried this brand of polish, so you'll have to tell me what you think about this brand. Do you like the shades of color they have to offer? Do they wear long? Since I don't know much about this brand.... I'll let their official press release speak for itself.

American Apparel Expands Its Nail Polish Collection with 12 New Colors

LOS ANGELES -- American Apparel (Amex: APP), the vertically integrated clothing manufacturer based in downtown Los Angeles, is announcing the addition of twelve new colors to its successful line of nail polish.

The company's Made in the USA nail lacquer is now available in 48 colors. The 12 new shades take inspiration from simple and straightforward elements of both Angeleno and global culture, reflecting the ubiquitous nature of the T-shirt on which American Apparel built its brand. Echo Park, a new shade of concrete grey, and MacArthur Park, a muted mossy yellow, both reference neighborhoods where the company first opened stores and where many of its employees live. Others, like Trenchcoat and Army Jacket, are nods to iconic garments and their evocative, eponymous tones.

"Nail polish is our favorite category for exploring color. We planned on releasing only six new shades, but we felt so strongly about all of these that we decided to release a full dozen. Its difficult to pick a favorite--they all compliment wardrobes in different ways. We can't wait to see the looks people create with them," said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer has become one of the company's fastest-moving products. The two previous launches of colors quickly sold out worldwide. The consistency and quality of the polish has been universally noted in the reviews of the product and the company diligently oversaw the production process to ensure this standard again.

American Apparel Nail Lacquer is priced at $6 per bottle and is available in a 3-pack for $15 and 7-pack for $32. It is sold at American Apparel stores worldwide as well as online. The nail polish is DBP, toluene and formaldehyde-free. For a full view of color range, ingredients, swatches and photographs, please visit our online store.

Revlon Fire and Ice

2010-11-11T19:42:00.007-06:00

Fire and Ice lipstick,and All Fired Up nail polish.

The flash on the camera completely washed me out,and makes Fire and Ice look way too bright. It's not this shockingly bright in real life.

Without the flash. See the difference.(ya,the lighting sinks)

Okay....if you've been a long time follower. Then you know that I adore Revlon nail polish. Well... I also adore their lipstick too. When I came across these two items in Target,they just hopped in my cart of their own accord,really they did! Okay....so I'm fibbing. I couldn't say no when I saw Fire and Ice lipstick in the vintage tubing. Just gorgeous! Who doesn't want to take this vintage looking tube of lipstick out of their handbag, and apply it on the lips? Fire and Ice debuted in 1952,and has been a long time favorite of many red lipstick lovers. It's has a cool tone base,and boy does it make your teeth look white...lol! Jessica Biel was picked for this ad campaign. Here's a good article from Stylelist about the background on Fire and Ice, and Revlon bringing back some other vintage lipstick shades and nail polishes, and also the new ad campaign with Jessica Biel. The reason why I'm partial to Revlon lipsticks, you ask? They're creamy on my lips, have a decent amount of staying power,and have no fragrance. Some brands such as Loreal. I just can't get past the smell of the lipstick. What do you think of Revlon bringing back oldies? Boring? No imagination? Or do you like the idea of some vintage shades back on the market? Or do you just not care? Let me know what you think.

Hard Candy Beetle

2010-11-08T16:14:00.002-06:00

Well...this is evening sunlight. But I don't think it would matter. This polish has such a duro-chrome effect,that you need to see it with the naked eye. Aquaheart's Obsession gave us the finial verdict that this polish is an exact dupe for Orly's Space Cadet. Which I don't own. That's one of those collections that I skipped. Hard Candy polish can be found at your local Walmart for around $5. That's it for today....until next time.

Estee Lauder Blue Dahlia Eye Palette

2010-11-07T14:41:00.004-06:00

Hi! One of my favorite eye colors to wear would be dark blue,or a navy blue,or any shade of teal. This eye palette is just so much fun to work with.
Lol..no I'm not wearing any,"red"lipstick! I actually had on Estee Lauder's Red Apple (a burgundy) lipstick earlier in the day. I didn't even think about reapplying it,when I decided to do this post.
I'm only wearing three of the shadows. The grayish taupe on the lid,the navy in the crease,and outer corner of the eye,and under the eye. The white on the brow bone for a highlight. The white is a light shimmer with navy blue shimmer particles through out. You can't see them in my pictures. It's very subtle.
And since this is a nail blog that loves all things glittery....here are three, and the only glitters that I've bought from Opi's Christmas collection for this year. Starting from the right...Show it and Glow it,Bring on the Bling(how could I not buy that one!),and Sparkle-icious. I couldn't see myself wearing any of the other glitters...ie...green,blue....they are pretty. But I know I just won't wear them. This is a big improvement for me. Because a year ago, I would've tried to buy them all. So I'm trying very hard, to be very selective,and maybe just not even buy sometimes. There are quite a few collections from other companies that I've passed up all together this year. Oh,by the way. What eye shadows are you liking at the moment? That's it for today...see you next time.

Estee Lauder Extravagant Red Lipstick

2010-11-06T15:32:00.003-05:00

Hey there! So here it is....Extravagant Red! I have been wearing this lipstick everyday this past week. I have it on today. The trick to wearing such a strong color,is to wear neutral/natural eye make up. And a tiny bit of blush,so the red lipstick doesn't wash your face out. But I'm sure you knew those little tricks.
Yes. It's a warm red,with an slight orange undertone. But a red none the less. I still have on my nails A Ruby for Rudolph. Can you see the difference in the two reds? My nail polish is a cool tone red.

The top picture is indoors,and the bottom of course is outdoors. Yes, the camera kind of wash me out. I also have direct sunlight on face. I've been blending this lipstick out with my finger,after applying it. Plus a little bit of blotting too. Because it's such a strong color. For the photos,I'm wearing it without blotting. To show you the full magnitude of the color. That's all for now.....

A Ruby For Rudolph

2010-11-05T14:20:00.002-05:00

Hello...I figured it was about time for me to post something. This polish came out a couple of Christmas seasons ago. Red nail polish,and red lipstick are some of favorite shades to wear. I usually lose my nerve to wear the red lipstick,but not lately. I've been wearing Estee Lauder's Extravagant Red lipstick from their Christmas collection. I'll have to show it to you. It's just like the name....extravagant. This week I've been thinking about Christmas, with all of the decorating,sharing,and cooking that goes with Christmas. Not so much the shopping,and giving/or getting presents. But more the spirit of caring for others,and using my creativity. To just enjoy the rest of this fall,and the coming of winter. I've been on sort of a slow detox on shopping in general. I just have some many,"things",and,"junk"....Yes I did buy that new lipstick last week. Like I said...it's a slow detox. You know the cigarette smoker doesn't always quit cold turkey. Well...neither does the shopper. Anyway, enjoy you're week end, no matter the circumstances. Remember....it's not about the destination. It's the journey to the destination that you need to enjoy. I have no idea what this has to do with nail polish....but there it is. Until next time...Velvet

Taunting Teal Sonia Kashuk

2010-10-08T20:21:00.002-05:00

Hey Dolls! I am in love with this teal!!! I stumbled across this polish by accident in Target. These Sonia Kashuk polishes are placed by her make up in Target. Anyway for $4:99, This color is fabulous! I love,love,love this shade! It's two coats,no base,no top coat. This polish was so easy to apply too. Lets hope it has staying power too. Have a great week end!

Cover Girl Nail Polish and Blue Sky

2010-10-03T00:27:00.003-05:00

Hi! I just have to show you a picture of how clear the sky was today. No chemtrails! Just gorgeous beautiful blue sky. I'm posting this entry just after midnight. So this was Saturdays sky.
Okay. I know this isn't the best picture. But seriously! I took about sixty pictures! No Lie! The sun kept peeking in out of the clouds. And my camera just did not want to pick up this color. This is Fuchsia Fatale by Cover Girl Boundless Color nail polish. It's really more of a cranberry color. very pretty for the fall weather. This was two coats. No base ,or top coat. The drying time was terrific! I was impressed with how fast it dried. Within 20 minutes. I was able to put my hair up and not smudge the polish at all. Love it! That's all for today. Take care,Velvet

The Color Of Money

2010-09-28T09:22:00.005-05:00

Good Morning,or afternoon,wherever you live. Well,after yesterdays post. You knew I would have to model a green nail polish. I present you Harvest Hues from the 2010 Finger Paints Fall collection. It was the only shade I bought. As all the other colors looked like duplicates, I already own. This is two coats,and yes this green doesn't look very unique either. Does it? It seems like I have this shade in another brand,can't think of it at the moment. By the way.....I received an email from someone about yesterdays post. Explaining to me that the Federal Reserve only set interest rates,and that it was George W. Bush that set us on a," heavy war path,and with recession the deficits will increase before they get better." Well....... this may be a nail polish blog, but I'm not a dolt. Yes, I'm aware of all that. I'm sorry, I get so frustrated with people sometimes. It's not that simple. Yes, I know banks can not actual,"tax" us. But they do lobby congress. Where do you think the banker bail outs from a couple years ago came from? We the people! Now I'm not going to get into an argument about all of this. Because there are lot of things that have, in combination ,brought our economy to an almost stand still. The housing bubble,loss of jobs to overseas, the so called," war on terror"....etc,etc.... But there are some lovely videos on you tube that explain the history of the Federal Reserve,and the connection it has with our government,and why it's not a good thing to have a central bank. Here's a link to one of them. As always. Don't just take my word for it, do your own research......Velvet

Warning Offensive Content

2010-09-27T12:40:00.002-05:00

Good Day everyone. I know it's been too long since I've posted any nail polish,and I'm way over due. And I'm sure your asking, why the heck am I posting such an offensive photo, but I came across this article in the London Telegraph today. Apparently, this offensive sculpture was created by the famous Maurizio Cattelan. It was set in front of Milan's Stock Exchange, in Milan Italy. The artist says that the sculpture is really about LOVE. It looks to me ,that the artist is trying to convey a message to us, the average people. What the elite bankers think of us. Hmmm... something to ponder. The rude gesture is facing passers by,and not the stock exchange. The article went on to say that the sculpture will be on display until October 3rd. I also read in another article that Milan's fashion week would be happening, while this sculpture was on display. You know. Art. Fashion. Anyway.... it's too bad us Americans can't borrow the sculpture. We have many places to put it on display in Washington D.C. We could face it in the correct direction at the Federal Reserve. It's about time we all woke up,all of us around the world. Not just the U.S.A. We have an international banking cartel that wants to tax us all to death. But don't take my word for it. Look it up for yourself. I'll be back to normal nail polish posting soon. Take care friends, Velvet.

Nina Ultra Pro Salsa

2010-08-04T10:50:00.002-05:00

Hello! How are you? I hope your summer,or winter, depending on where you live is rolling along without too many bumps in the road. Thanks so much for all your comments. It makes blogging worth it when you get some feed back. I would like to say a special Hello to Lucy...Hi Lucy! Most of you who blog know how special Lucy is...she comments on many of our blogs everyday. And leaves the most encouraging comments too.
I found this Nina polish on a display in Sally's Beauty. I'm sure it was a summer collection from Nina Ultra Pro. The other shades looked like many I already own. But this green jumped out at me. I don't really care for light green polishes,but I love these deep shades of green. Also, I don't have any of the greens from BB Couture polish. This is three coats of polish using China Glaze's Base coat,and Top Speed clear coat.
Meet Miss Zoey. Our new female black Labrador puppy. She's 11 weeks old,and very gentle considering she's a Lab. Not hyper at all. Which is good, because I'm not much of a dog lover. My husband is the dog lover,and of course the kids are too. Personally, I'm a cat person. My husband tells me that I even act like cat sometimes. Because I'm so particular about my personal space, the way cats can be. Zoey likes to come and sit by me,or take a nap beside me on the couch. Which makes it hard to not like her....lol. Thanks for stopping by,and have a nice day friends. Velvet

Opi Crepes Suzi-ette

2010-07-17T10:39:00.003-05:00

Hello! Long time no blogging! How are you,and how is your summer or winter.? Depending on where you live in the world. Opi Crepes Suzi-ette is a favorite polish of mine to wear. I'm laughing to myself at the moment,because I always want to pronounce crepes like the word creeps...hahaha. My mother,sister,and daughter,and I were in an Ulta store one time looking at lipsticks. I found a Bare Minerals lipstick that I really liked and kept calling it,"rose creeps".....hahaha....my mother kept telling me ,"crepes,not creeps"....I think she found it rather humorous. Anyway this was two coats of polish.
This is partly why I've not been in beauty blog world. My garden is over flowing with produce. I have tons of tomatoes,onions, green beans,and the likes! It has kept me very busy.
Before and after shots of my kitchen. This is another reason for my absence. Some light remodeling going on.
I must confess that I've also been a bit down this summer. I know! What is there to be down about? Nothing really. I think with my 37th birthday coming up,and knowing the truth about this world we live in. I'm beginning to understand the preciousness of life,and the finality of death. I've been quietly pondering a lot of thoughts. Such things as personal family issues,and the goings on of the outside world. We have such a short amount of time on this earth to be a light for others,and get the truth out. If you check out some of the links I have posted in the,"Food For Thought" section you'll understand what I'm talking about. You really need to read and investigate and come to your own conclusions. The links I have posted only scratch the surface. Forgive me if I sound vague. I don't mean too be but, this entry isn't a,"soap box" post. On an ending note. I blog when I want to blog. I also read blogs that I find on my own and, that I like reading. I understand that the nail blog world has exploded. Which is great. But at the same time, I can't keep up with everyone that has a nail or beauty blog. It's just not possible. If I've hurt your feelings by not following or leaving comments, then please forgive me. I've not intentionally snubbed anyone. Blogging for me isn't a popularity contest to see how many followers I can get. Well.... Have a nice day or evening and, thanks for dropping by....Velvet

My Garden/ Opi A Good Mandarin is Hard To Find

2010-06-02T11:46:00.002-05:00

Look broccoli! We have strawberries planted too, which you may not be able to see in the photo.
Click photos to enlarge. We have three cucumber plants at the end of the row,that looks barren. They need a lot of room to grow.

Okay.....so I only bought three polishes from the Hong Kong collection. And yes, I bought the most ,"boring" looking colors. The one that I'm modeling, Red My Fortune Cookie,and Pearl Of Wisdom. Not boring to me, but I'm sure to some people. The question begs to be asked,"how many reds, oranges,and sheer polishes does one need?" Hmmm....apparently I feel a lot needs to be bought. Oh well...this is two coats of polish without a top coat. Very yummy shade of orange. I hope you enjoy the garden pictures. Have a nice day.....Velvet

Hidden Treasure/Orbis Non Sufficit

2010-05-24T14:55:00.002-05:00

Click photos to enlarge.

Hi everyone. It has been so nice around here. That I just haven't felt like being on the computer much. Plus we also have a vegetable garden that demands my attention. I'll have to post some pictures of the garden soon. Anyway....how are you these days? Today I have Rescue Beauty Lounge Orbis Non Sufficit only one coat, then layered with a coat of Sally Hansen's Hidden Treasure. How cool is this?! The orange flaky glow against the green. Just fabulous! Have a great day....where ever you are! Velvet

Rimmel Marine Blue

2010-05-11T10:23:00.003-05:00

Two coats, without a clear top coat.
Good morning on this lovely Tuesday. Hope your day is rolling along without too many bumps in the road. Cuppa Joe had to come off....I woke up and the bed sheets had left imprints on the nail polish. In the end the polish was still tacky after wearing it all day! I don't think the humidity was very high either yesterday. Here's Rimmel, Marine Blue. Very pretty indeed. I don't know much about the," Lasting Finish Pro" line of Rimmel's polishes. This is the only one I own. I just wanted to model the color.....hehhe! Take care,and if you have an inquiring mind.
Check out my new side bar of links under the title,"Food For Thought". See you on-line.....Velvet

Creative Cuppa Joe

2010-05-10T19:43:00.002-05:00

Indoor with flash. Two coats.
Indoor without flash.

Hmmm....I love coffee. I've been in a brown mood lately. With all the gorgeous spring weather, I've tried to put off wearing dark polish. But today I said..."what the heck"! I think of mud more than coffee, when I look at this polish. Hey I know! It reminds me of mud when it rains in the spring season. Or the mud my husband and kids track inside the kitchen. When they come in from being outside the day after it rains...(sigh). Don't worry. I make them clean up after themselves....(laughs). Anyway the only bad thing about this polish was how long it takes to dry. Three hours later the polish was still soft. My right hand has a lot of dents on the nails,and smudges. It's the worst looking out of the two, because I'm right handed. As you can see this is the old Creative line. I don't have any of the polish from the new line of Creative. Do you? Do you like the old Creative, or the new? Have a nice Monday evening. Velvet

Orly Close Your Eyes

2010-05-09T11:56:00.003-05:00

Hello, it's Mothers Day in the United States today. I would like to wish all Mothers a Happy Mothers Day, not just in the U.S. but all around the world too. As you see from the pictures. I have on Close Your Eyes from Orly. This is two coats of polish,easy to apply,and drying time didn't take too long. By the way...the name of this polish reminds me about the new set of links, in the side bar under the title,"Food For Thought". It's just a set of links that I find interesting to visit. Some of you may find them....or maybe not..... interesting too. Anyway...I honestly don't want you to, "close your eyes". There are so many things happening in the world today. We need to have our eyes open. To be able to make informed, intelligent opinions/decisions . So we can have a positive influence on this great big world, that we call home. This is not to imply that I think your unintelligent....because that's far from the truth. All of you seem very well read, and very well educated. I just want to keep the flag for,"Education " flying. True education will last a lifetime. Okay...I'm done blathering on like a,"mother" would.....(laughs). I am a mother to three wonderful children. I not only want the best for them, but for you too.....my lovely readers. Thanks for stopping by,and I hope your Sunday is a lovely day. Velvet

Maybelline Glowing Glimmer

2010-05-03T09:12:00.002-05:00

Three coats.
Sparkle,shine,bling!
It's just another manic Monday....oooh,oooh....Oh, Hi there....I didn't know you had dropped by. You caught me singing the Bangles. It's actually a warm sunny Monday morning here where I live. I have the windows open,and can here the birds singing their sweet melodies. Today I'm sporting Glowing Glimmer from Maybelline. Yes.....it's an old polish. I remember wearing this polish layered over Revlon's Strawberry Electric to one of my mother's art shows. This was a few years ago mind you. I distinctly remember wearing a fuchsia colored button up three quarters length sleeve blouse with a pair of jeans,and hot pink open toed heels. (small heels) I never did learn to wear high heels. 80's child that I am....have a nice Monday. Velvet

China Glaze Dreamsicle

2010-04-27T12:23:00.002-05:00

Two coats of polish.

Hello. How's your Tuesday? Mine is a little chilly,yet sunny. Dreamsicle has a thick jelly,glitter consistency. It's a little bit on the gloppy side, yet manageable. It's such a lovely shade of orange to wear on this beautiful spring day. Have a great day, or evening where ever you are! Velvet

Opi Purple-opolis

2010-04-21T12:38:00.002-05:00

Two coats of Purple-opolis
These purple tulips just bloomed a couple of days ago. Not sure what the name is, of these double tulips. Anyone know? I'll be searching for their name on-line. I feel so silly! I bought tulip bulbs. Yet didn't ready the name of what kind of tulips, I was buying.....lol!

How's your Wednesday? Mine is ok. Not much happening around here. Just enjoying the spring weather. Okay...so I have the re-release Purple-opolis. It's a lovely shade of purple with a little bit of pink,and gold through out. I didn't have any problems with the application either. Have a great day! Velvet

Sinful Colors Burgandy Apple

2010-04-19T09:57:00.003-05:00

Two coats of Burgandy Apple. I guess the name is a play on the words burgundy,and candy.

Hi....hope your doing well today. I love the shade Burgundy. I love it sooooo much. That it was my wedding color. But that was a long time ago. After all these years. I'm still in love with this shade,(sigh).....Huh...the husband too...(laughs)! This shade of burgundy has a hint of brown.
Here's a picture of what we did yesterday. Hiking in the state park. Isn't it pretty? It was a lovely day,and the temperature was perfect for hiking in the woods. Although, I was huffing and puffing by the end of the hike....hehehe! Have a great day! Velvet

Sally Hansen Sea And Be Seen

2010-04-17T09:54:00.002-05:00

Three coats of polish.

I'm not sure how I feel about the new brush. It worked fine on the nail. It was putting the brush back in the bottle to apply more polish. I had to be careful , that I didn't knock the bottle over. The rectangle shaped brush didn't want to slip into the round neck of the bottle very easily.

Hi there! Hope your Saturday is going well. This is my first Sally Hansen polish.....since they've changed the look of their, "salon" bottle. I have a few of the old bottles. I was in walgreens yesterday,and noticed a new display of Sally Hansen polishes. It looked like a new summer collection. The polishes all had names in reference to the beach/ocean. I was really drawn to this polish," Sea And Be Seen". There were at least four other polishes that I would've liked to have bought. But alas! My budget yesterday would not allow me to indulge, in more than one bottle of polish. Nail polish really wasn't on my list of things to buy yesterday.....that's a shock.....right?! Anyway....It's a gorgeous shade of blue. It seems like it has a hint of lavender mixed in too. I didn't have any problems with the formula either. The polish applied very easy,and smooth. That's it for today. Have a nice week-end,and happy nail polishing! Velvet

China Glaze Bad Kitty

2010-04-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello there! How about a little bit of bling today? This is three coats of polish,with a top coat of Fast Forward by China Glaze. OH! How many of you are keeping up with Iceland's volcano? We have friends who have a son stuck in Iceland. With all the ash in the atmosphere shutting down air space,and causing so many flights to be canceled. Well.....take care where ever you live. Velvet

Opi Who Needs A Prince?

2010-04-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Three coats. Click to enlarge the photos.

Hello. I thought I would do something a bit different,and add a few shots of my tulips. The tulips in the back ground are not the usual kind of tulips, that you think of. I'm not sure what the name of them are. I'm working on that. I believe they're some kind of double tulip. Last fall/autumn....my daughter and I grabbed a bag of tulip bulbs at the local Farm and Home store. Not really paying attention to what kind of tulip bulbs they were....lol. Together we planted the tulips. Anyway.....Opi's Who needs a Prince? from the Princess Charming collection, is such a nice Spring polish to wear. I have the whole collection,and it's probably my favorite of sheer polishes. That's all for today. Take care,and see you on-line. Velvet

Love My Nails Chrome

2010-04-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

From the left:Envy,Blue Angel

Three coats for Blue Angel

Three coats for Envy

Hello there! Well......These two chromes were a bugger to apply! I think it was my base coat. I've been wearing Nail Magic which I bought at the local Sally's Beauty store. It's a nail hardener. Any way.....these polishes did not want to apply. Unless they could leave bald spots,and streaks. Hence, three coats of polish for each of them. I think if you wore a normal base coat,or maybe Love My Nails base coat. This wouldn't happen. These polishes say Chrome on the bottle,but look very frosty,and metallic to me. But for a dollar and a half. I really can't complain. Love My Nails have other finishes not just chrome. They are found in Walmarts,and Targets across the U.S.A. Although , I've heard from a few U.S. bloggers. That they've never come across this brand before in their Walmart, or Target. So maybe they're not so available as I thought. I've only lived in three different states,and have found this brand in all three states. That's why I thought they were easy to find. Anyway...enough of my babbling....have a nice day,or evening where ever you are. Velvet

Misa Pour Me Something Tall and Strong

2010-04-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

Hello. I don't have but three Misa polishes. Here is one of them. Three coats of Pour Me Something Tall & Strong. What a gorgeous blue. This is so yummy looking! I don't wear many blue polishes. But I love how this looks against my skin tone. I did use a clear top coat too. To keep the polish looking glossy. Have a great day,or evening where ever you live. Velvet

Amour Pastels

2010-04-13T09:00:00.001-05:00

Left to right: Mint Pastel, Aqua Pastel, Yellow Pastel, Lilac Pastel
Mint Pastel four coats, try and ignore the smudged nail.
Aqua Pastel, four coats, please ignore the smudged nail again.
Yellow Pastel, four coats
Lilac Pastel, four coats

I don't know about you. But these pastels are awfully streaky looking. I would also recommend wearing a ridge filler too. I didn't use a base,or top coat either. Also....Lilac Pastel looks like a pink pastel to me. I didn't see any purple,lavender, or lilac pigment at all! As a side note....I switched the labels on Mint pastel,and Aqua pastel. Their names did not match the colors. And it irritated me to such a degree. That I felt compelled to switch the labels on the bottles.....for my own sanity. I hate it when nail companies give names that don't match the color in the bottle. Anyway....these polishes can be order from www.transdesign.com There very inexpensive. About $2. Over all..... I'm not impressed with these pastels. How ever..... I have some other Amour polishes that are fabulous. So don't let the pastels scare you off from trying the brand. Take care,and see you around on-line. Velvet

Loreal Brown Sugar

2010-04-12T09:00:00.002-05:00

Hello, here is a Dollar Tree find. I think the Dollar Tree store is the grave yard for retired nail polishes,and cosmetics. Often I don't find much that is worth buying.....but I thought Brown Sugar looked interesting. It looks like a great color to wear for fall/autumn weather. This is three coats without a top coat. It has a nice shimmer effect. That's it for today. Take care,and be safe. Velvet

China Glaze Wizard Ooh Ahz Returns Collection

2010-04-11T09:00:00.001-05:00

Left to right: Cowardly Lyin, Good Witch?, C-C-Courage, The Ten Man,Ruby Pumps, Dorothy Who?

Four coats of Cowardly Lyin

Four coats of Good Witch?

Three coats of C-C-Courage

Four coats of The Ten Man

Three coats of Ruby Pumps

Three coats of Dorothy Who?

Hello, how are you? I hope all is well. Yes, I know. Here I am, late reviewing this collection. Better late than never. I did not wear a base,or top coat for any of these swatches. Although, I would recommend wearing at least a top coat for all of these polishes. No application problems on any of these polishes. They all dry on the gritty side,and lose their luster. I must confess to being a tiny bit disappointed with this collection. After waiting for this re-release with baited breath. (I missed it the first time around) My two personal disappoints are, the sheerness of three of the polishes,and the grittiness with how all six dry. Yes, you're correct, a top coat will fix the gritty problem. But the sheerness....I wasn't expecting that problem(for me). Anyway....all in all....they're all pretty colors to wear. I bought a back up Dorothy Who because my nine year old daughter likes this glittery blue too. Well...that's all for today. Take care,and have a nice day,or evening where ever you are. Velvet

Opi Cozu-Melted In The Sun

2010-04-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello. What a nice peachy, pink shade. It has this interesting micro shimmer/foil/glitter finish. You'll need three coats of this polish for an opaque finish. This shade of color, reminds of the beach,and sea shells. The polish is from the Mexico collection. I happened upon this bottle at my local Target. I'm very impressed with shimmer effect,and that it's not sheer after three coats. Big plus for me. Have a nice week-end. Velvet

Opi Aphrodite's Pink Nightie

2010-04-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello. Today is an oldie,but goody. Aphrodite's Pink Nightie from the Greece collection.

Every time I wear this polish I think of Alexandra Tydings. She acted as Aphrodite in the Hercules TV series that aired in the ninety's. I loved watching that show! She was the perfect Aphrodite too, and look at that,"pink nightie"....lol!
I'm wearing three coats of polish. No base or top coat. Happy nail polishing,and have a great day,or evening! Velvet

Nina Ultra Pro Swatches

2010-04-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Starting from the left: Velvet Seas, Dragon Berry,Passion Pink, Emerald City

Velvet Seas, two coats

Dragon Berry, three coats

Passion Pink, three coats

Emerald City, two coats

Hello, how are you? Today I have a few Nina Ultra Pro polishes. Nina can be found in Sally Beauty Supply stores,and on-line at Sally's too. These four polishes applied very smooth,and easy. Nina Ultra Pro polishes cost about $3:49 a bottle when you use your Sally's reward card. It's just a card that gives you a small discount rather than paying full price in Sally's. The card cost about $5, but is good to use for an entire year. Plus every time you use your card it sometimes gives you coupons that will give you more of a discount. Anyway, I feel silly talking about reward cards. I don't usually buy into the whole rewards discount card idea. I feel it's designed to get us to spend more in a store. Several chain stores in the U.S.A. have these,"reward cards". But since I like nail polish so much. I feel having the Sally's reward card is worth having. Well....that's all for today. Have a nice day or evening wherever you are! Velvet

Orly Swatches

2010-04-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Starting from the left: Velvet Rope, Prince Charming, Witch's Blue, Happily Ever After

Velvet Rope,three coats

Prince Charming,two coats

Witch's Blue,two coats

Happily Ever After, two coats

Hello everyone. As you know,or maybe not. Happily Ever After,and Prince Charming is from Orly's Once Upon A Time collection. Witch's Blue,and Velvet Rope are part of Orly's permanent collection. All four should be easy to find on-line,or in a beauty store. No application problems on the nail either. That's all for today. Have a good day,or evening! Velvet

Nicole By Opi Part 2

2010-04-06T11:45:00.003-05:00

Starting from the left of the screen: Don't Cloud Me In, Diva Into the Pool, Dream Maker

Diva Into the Pool

Dream Maker

Don't Cloud Me In

Hello, hope all is well with you. The weather has been gorgeous around here. Perfect for showing off sparkly,blingy nail polish. These Nicole polishes are new to me,and I'm very impressed with the finish on each of these lacquers. I love the micro sparkle/foil/glitter/whatever you want to call it finish....lol! I wore three coats of polish for each color. My favorite is Don't Cloud Me In. It reminds me of the sparkling white sand on the south west coast of Florida where I grew up. I don't live there anymore, but I have a lot of great memories. Have a good day,or evening wherever you are. Velvet

Nicole By Opi

2010-04-05T15:35:00.005-05:00

Make Mine Lime

Hello, how are you? Thank you all for your comments,and taking the time to stop by. Well..........after taking a month off from all nail polish activities,(painting nails,buying nail polish, looking at nail polish blogs). It was bound to happen. That I would get curious, check in, and see whats been happening. I'm wearing a base coat of Nail Life Gripper,with three coats of Make Mine Lime from Nicole By Opi. No top coat. Drying time was fair. When dry, the polish is smooth on the surface of the nail. It has an interesting micro shimmer effect too. Well.... Have a great day, or evening where ever you are. Velvet

Just Saying Hello

2010-03-03T13:03:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone. I feel only half here. Hence the half photo of myself. My last review was awful. I'm so distracted these days, too much going on. Blogging is quite the commitment. I don't know how some of you ladies keep on blogging rain or shine. I applaud you all! Anyway,I noticed that I didn't tell you where to find Hard Candy cosmetics,or how much they cost. Hard Candy is found at Walmart,or you can order on-line too. The eye shadow palettes cost about $7 dollars. Hard Candy seems to be reasonably priced. They're no more expensive than say Revlon cosmetics. Hopefully I can get back into a routine of posting. Take care,and thanks for stopping by. Velvet

Hard Candy Cosmetics

2010-02-25T19:52:00.007-06:00

I've used the purple palette a few times,and I'm very pleased with the pigment. So I thought the pink palette,which I've modeled for you would be nicely pigmented too. Alas.... I was very disappointed. Not a whole lot of pigment going on here. These palettes come with a sample of Hard Candy's eye shadow primer. Which works very well with other brands of eyeshadow,including its own. I've not had any problems with the primer. But this was best that I could do for the pink/black shadow. I also used Hard Candy's black glitter eye liner too,and the mascara. These products work well too. No problems for me. You can click the pictures to enlarge.
I know I've been M.I.A. for awhile. I'd rather not go into all the reasons,excuses,etc,etc....... Hope you're all doing well though.
Do you like the gray hair floating around in the photos......hahaha! I haven't colored my hair in 14 years. I'm 36. I know this isn't the norm for us ladies, definitely as we get older. But I dyed (over the counter hair coloring products), and even bleached my dark hair with peroxide! Of all of the awful things to do to dark hair.....hahaha! All through high school, late teens,and in my early 20's. Never satisfied that God gave me dark brown (almost black,but not quite) hair. Not until I had my first son at 22. And didn't have much time for hair dying. It was during the first year of his life that I noticed what nice hair I had. Why had I tried to hide it,change it all those years? I wondered to myself. I suppose a lot of growing up happened that year,for me. Anyway....I have nothing against dying hair in general. In fact! The urge to dye hair creeps up on me every now and then. But now a days it's because of all the gray hair. Sometimes I think it would look nice to have the grays dyed an auburn red color. Just for fun. But I probably won't do it. Once I get started it's hard to quit......hahaha!! Do you like to color your hair? If so,what color do you like? Or do you dye hair out of a feeling of necessity....ya know...covering up those grays! Anyway.....what a weird post! It went from eyeshadow to rambling about dying hair! Sheesh! What's wrong with me?! This is a nail polish blog to boot! Take care and see ya around on- line.

Electric Blue Love My Nails

2010-02-15T17:36:00.003-06:00

Don't you love this blue?! It's electric, that's for sure! Love My Nails is a brand found here in the U.S. It's very inexpensive,about $1.50 This is two coats of Electric Blue,it has a frosty metallic quality to the finish. Have a great day or evening!

Stolen Kisses Nicole by Opi

2010-02-14T13:41:00.006-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! Three coats of Stolen Kisses from Nicole by Opi,and for a little bit of bling. How about Glitz from Wet-n-Wild. Enjoy the day with your loved ones.

Rimmel Night Before

2010-02-11T14:25:00.003-06:00

I don't know why I haven't worn this polish sooner. I bought this polish last spring. Rimmel Night Before. It has a gorgeous pink/red shimmer. It looks like it glows from within. Beautiful! Two coats of polish,with a top coat. Have a nice day,or evening!

The Right Thing Nicole by Opi

2010-02-10T15:06:00.005-06:00

I don't know about you. But I'm ready for Spring. The sun did come out to shine.....yay! So I thought a nice reddish orange polish was in order. This is," The Right Thing" from Nicole by Opi. The top photos in the sun pick up the gold shimmer. The photo of my thumb is what this polish looks like under indirect lighting. This polish shouldn't be very hard to find here in the U.S.A. I found mine in Target,and I've seen it in the local Walmart. I'm wearing two coats of polish,with a top coat(nail life speed demon) which is found in Sally's Beauty Supply. By the way, if you missed my post from this morning. I disclosed how many bottles of polish I own. It's 522. Have a great day.

F.O.T.D. and Bottle Count

2010-02-10T11:13:00.006-06:00

NP cosmetics are my latest love. I found these palettes at Target. They have a website too. www.npsetcosmetics.com Let me tell you. They ain't cheap! $20 bucks a pop. No, I didn't buy mine all at once. I took it slow,and bought em one at a time. The palettes are named after cities around the world,and the palettes come in sets of three eye shadows. Starting from the left: Dublin, Seattle,Amsterdam. These eye shadows have a lot of pigment to them. It's best to wear a primer underneath,or else they get under your eyes and cause a mess.
I took this face of the day picture last night, before going to bed. I used the palette Dublin that morning around 7 a.m. with Hard Candy's eye primer. And my eye shadow stayed on all day,no ceases or anything. Forgive the washed out photo,and that lone strand of hair across my face. I'm still learning how to apply eye shadow,and also figure out where, and when to take the best photos.

Anyway.......Drum Roll please!.........There are 522 bottles of nail polish in my house. That isn't including my 23 bottles of assorted base,and top coats. That's crazy! Let this be a lesson to us all. Don't store your nail polish where you can't see it!

Nail Polish Stash

2010-02-10T00:07:00.000-06:00

For some reason I feel like a squirrel. I know. Squirrels bury their nuts....not," stash" them away. I hope this doesn't mean I've turned into an hoarder of nail polish. Eek! I just feel so embarrassed exhibiting my entire nail polish collection. As you can see. I use an old writing desk to store all of my polish. Our bedroom television sits on top of the desk, with the cable box. Nice huh?! I've had this desk for 15 years. My husband and I found it at a Goodwill store(thrift/second hand shop). Someone had painted the desk fuchsia pink,and Goodwill only wanted $25. The desk is a solid wood. We took the time to strip the paint off,and restore the desk. I never could understand why someone would paint such a lovely desk fuchsia pink. Over the years it's been used for different purposes. For the moment, it's purpose is to store my nail polish. I often feel that it deserves to be sat at, pondering deep thoughts,and writing enthralling mystery novels, or tragic romances. Instead of a storing nail polish. Anyway....here it is! The entire polish collection. One time I lost my keys,and the husband was helping to look for them. He looked in the desk drawers,not knowing that's where I store all of my polish. And the next thing I hear......"How much nail polish could one person possibly need"?! As I hear him opening and closing desk drawers.....hee heee.....

China Glaze Emerald Sparkle

2010-02-09T14:33:00.003-06:00

Whew! Time sure does fly by. I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. How are you? What have I missed in nail polish world? I'm sure a lot of new spring collections....being reviewed and posted. While I'm still trying to play catch up with winter polish collections. Emerald Sparkle is nothing new to us nail polish lovers,but I can't stop wearing this color. It's become my favorite green polish to wear this winter season. Saturday I bought a few of Opi's Hong Kong collection. Yet..... guess what I decide to wear today.....Emerald Sparkle...I can't get enough of this color. I even bought two more bottles at the local Sally's Beauty Supply this past week-end. You can't blame me.....right?! I used China Glaze's Strong Adhesion base coat. Then applied two coats of Emerald Sparkle. Topped off with China Glaze's Fast Forward top coat. I'll admit. I'm not a big believer in China Glaze's base,and top coats. They don't usually work well for my nails,but I'm willing to give them another try. Let me ask you a question. What's been your favorite polish to wear this winter,or summer (if you live in the southern hemisphere)? I'd love to know.

Hard Candy Date Night

2010-01-27T17:20:00.005-06:00

A real quick post. The son is 14 today,so I've got lots of birthday stuff going on. Three coats and clear top coat. I love this girly pink glitter. This is the kind of weather we're dealing with. Thats why my photos are horrible lately. Have a great evening.

Battle of the Glitters! Absolutely Alice/Dorthy Who?

2010-01-22T11:50:00.006-06:00

Click to enlarge. Absolutely Alice on the left,Dorthy Who? on the right. Alice has gold glitter through out.
Index, middle fingers Opi Absolutely Alice one coat. Dorthy Who? on ring finger, little finger one coat. Click to enlarge.
In these two photos(above and below) index and middle fingers have two coats of Absolutely Alice. Ring and little finger have two coats of Dorthy Who?
In the last two photos. Three coats of each polish. Index and middle finger have on Absolutely Alice. Ring and middle finger have on Dorthy Who.

We don't call it Bring on the Bling for nothing around here! These two glitters are different shades of blue. Dorthy Who? is a royal blue. Absolutely Alice is an aqua blue. I know you can't see the difference. My camera refused to pick up the color difference. If any of you have both of the glitters then you know what I'm talking about. You can see with the naked eye the difference of each color. Dorthy Who? has a jelly blue base with blue glitter. Absolutely Alice has a clear base with blue and gold glitter. I think these two polishes are equal in their own right. I'm glad to own both of them. What do you think? Do you have both of these glitters? Or do you think it's over kill, for two blue glitters released at the same time?

Nina Ultra Pro Velvet Underground

2010-01-21T11:51:00.005-06:00

Starting at the top with the purple Velvet Underground, red Viva La Velvet, blue Velvet Seas

So what do you think of these little gems? Last night I paid a visit to my local Sally's Beauty Supply. I was on the hunt for some of Orly's new spring collections. To my dismay,my Sally's didn't have any of the new spring collections. Yet...I was pleasantly surprised to find a Nina Ultra Pro display. The name of the collection was something like Crushed Velvet? I can't really remember now. Anyway...anything with my name involved catches my attention. On first glance. I didn't think the polish colors were very unique. But on closer inspection. I noticed that each polish had very fine shimmer through out each of the colors. Almost like a foil,or micro fine glitter. But not quite. When it's all said and done. I believe the finish is a fine shimmer. My camera had a hard time picking up the true color, of the blue polish Velvet Seas. It has more green mixed in the blue. There were three more colors on the display, a green, silver, and a gold. But they didn't appeal to me. The green was a mid tone shade of green. I'm not really into that color of green. I tend to buy them, yet never seem wear them. Have you seen this particular Nina Pro display at your Sally's? I'm curious to hear if you have. Well....The weather is still overcast,with light rain all day. Hence, the bad photo quality. Take care,and have a good day or evening!

Mad As A Hatter

2010-01-20T11:43:00.005-06:00

Well the Opi glitters arrived yesterday afternoon. Eeeek!!!
I suggest you enlarge the pictures to see all the colors in this glitter. It is definitely worthy to be named mad as a hatter. It certainly looks like a tea party gone wild on the nails. I apologize for the lack of photos for this fantastic glitter. The weather is,and has been very overcast and gloomy. Have a great day!

Rainbow Holo

2010-01-19T09:34:00.003-06:00

Hello, this is one of nail polishes I received during the Christmas swap from Wan at
www.ilovenailpolish.blogspot.com She sent two holos made by the brand Rainbow,a pink and this charcoal.
Having this brand of holo is a real treat for me. As I can't find it anywhere in the U.S. This holo didn't have a name,at least I couldn't find a name on the bottle. It did have a number....but I've forgotten now. This is two coats of polish. It sort of reminds me of China Glaze Lets Do It In 3-D. I just love the prism of color you can see as you move your fingers in the light. Very distracting indeed! I love it....thanks again Wan. Well, I'm still waiting for the new Opi glitters. They're scheduled to be delivered today. I was glad to hear that some of you are looking forward to the release of Alice in Wonderland. I read the book aloud to my son when he was about seven years old,and he just loved all the nonsense through out the story. These days I'm reading Anne of Green Gables aloud to my nine year old daughter. We're going to watch it after we're done reading the book. That was one of my favorite stories as a child,and I would like to visit Prince Edward Island some day. Have you ever visited Prince Edward Island? I'd love to know if you have. Have a great day painting those nails!

Essie Midnight Cami

2010-01-18T15:17:00.005-06:00

Hi, Happy New Year. Take a look at Midnight Cami from Essie's fall/winter collection 09

Please excuse the tip wear. I've been wearing this color since Friday. It's a blackened blue. I have two coats on with a clear top coat. On a personal note....how are you? Are you glad the holidays are over? I hope to get back into the blogging routine,and reading every ones blog. My kids and husband are fine. We're fine as a family....but there has been some extended family issues,and that has left me drained. Forgive me for sounding cryptic it. I have family that read this blog, and I want to protect my family's privacy. By not sharing details. I'd also like to say Hello to Lucy. She left some kind words the other day on my family/home blog. Her comment inspired me to get on here and update. Thanks Lucy! Now..... back to nail polish. I have so many polishes to model for you,and I'm excited about it. The Alice in Wonderland Opi glitters should arrive this week....EEK! I can't wait for them! Anyone curious to see the movie? I am...it looks a bit weird from the trailers I've seen on the computer,and Johnny Depp looks like a wacked out Mad Hatter. But then I suppose that's what the Mad Hatter should look like? He looks scary to me. Anyway....I'm eager to see the movie. What do you guys think?

Wizard Of Ooh Ahz Returns Dorthy Who?

2009-12-07T15:32:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone. I seem to be on some sort of hiatus. Not intentionally mind you. With Thanksgiving and now Christmas. Also extended family staying with us for awhile. It's just been too busy around here for blogging,or reading your blogs.

I've been soooo excited,waiting for this collection to return. I only have Dorthy Who? modeled for today. Dorthy Who? really deserves better photos than these,and longer nails I might add....lol!

Three coats for Dorthy Who? No problems with application. I did use Speed Demon top coat. For some added shine....not to mention the fact that I was in a hurry too. There really hasn't been much, "nail polish" time at my house. I find myself wearing the same color 4, 5 days later. Which is not normal for me! Lol!

This collection is Gorgeous....that's right.....with a capital G! I'm looking forward to when I've more time, to try the rest of these colors. They look amazing in the bottles. This collection does not disappoint! I hope you're all doing well,and I'd like to say Hello to all my new followers. If any of you have a blog. Just let me know in the comments. I'll add you to my blog roll as soon as possible. To all my readers, and blogging pals and you know who you are! I send my hugs and hellos! Until next time take care.

Gifts from Santa

2009-11-24T14:11:00.002-06:00

Hello...how are you all? I've missed you all. Take a look at what I got from the nail polish exchange. My secret santa was the lovely Wan at www.ilovenailpolish.blogspot.com

Aren't these just gorgeous! Holy Holo Heaven! Look at the holos! And two loverly Opi's, Little Red Wagon and Sheer Your Toys. Thank you Wan! I'll be modeling these polishes in the near future very soon. Have a great day everyone!

Hard Candy Mr.Wrong

2009-11-03T07:22:00.002-06:00

I don't know about you,but if Mr. Wrong looks like this polish. Then I'm all over him....lol! How cool looking is this? It's a black foil. Loaded with shimmer. How cool is that?!

There's gold,purple,and it seems to reflect whatever lighting is nearby. Very interesting color. Definitely worth having!

Yesterday I forgot to mention that these polishes come with little plastic rings. None of which fit my fingers. As you can see from the picture. I only bought polishes that appealed to me. They do have a nice range of colors. Mostly from your basic color wheel though. Hard Candy nail polish does cost around $5 bucks a bottle. Have a good Tuesday!

Hard Candy Hot Pants

2009-11-02T07:35:00.002-06:00

Good Morning! I'm sure you've all heard the buzz about Hard Candy coming to a Walmart near you. Now I don't know anything about Hard Candy cosmetics in general. But from the buzz on-line, it sounds like Hard Candy was a fabulous brand at one point in time. So when I came across the new Hard Candy display in my Walmart....well....curiosty killed the cat! I just had to pick up a few polishes, and some of their eye make-up as well. This polish is Hot Pants.

Yes Flash had to come and smells my nails. Silly cat!

This is early morning light,probably not the best time of day for picture taking.

This was four coats,but you could get away with wearing three coats. What a great layering polish too. It has a mauve/pink base color. It actual looks much prettier in person. I've already tried the Hard Candy make-up I bought,and I'm fairly impressed with it. Maybe I'll get inspired this week and do a FOTD for ya. I'm making no promises though...lol! Have a Happy Monday!

China Glaze Passion and Cleopatra

2009-11-01T12:42:00.002-06:00

What a fantastic gold polish. China Glaze Passion,only one coat. I've layered China Glaze Cleopatra on top of Passion.

Click to enlarge,and be dazzled!

Cleopatra gold glitter is amazing! It's not your ordinary glitter. It has other colors mixed in with the gold. It's just fabulous!

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T08:29:00.002-05:00

Hi Gals! Drum roll please! Ta Da! I have for you the brand Kiss press on nails. A fun,easy,and cheap way to dress your nails up for Halloween. I must warn you they only last about a day. But that's fine with me.

I love how whimsical these nails are!

Hee...hee...hee....I'll get you my pretty! Lol! (That was my impression of the wicked witch on Wizard Of Oz)

Happy Haunting ladies!

Opi Merry Midnight

2009-10-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

I know! What! Merry Midnight on the day before Halloween! Yes that's right....lol! It looks like such a cool color for Halloween. You know? It's a deep purple,little red, and blue flecks through out.

I thought my scarf and pill box,which were found at the local thrift store matched so well. That I couldn't resist taking pictures of all three together.

This is three coats of Merry Midnight. Tomorrow I do have a Halloween treat for you. I must warn you. I'm not at all good with nail art or konad stamping. You might think it's ," taking the easy way out"....But I have something in mind. See you tomorrow!

How About Some Color?

2009-10-26T21:49:00.003-05:00

Alright. I couldn't stand wearing Essie Chinchilly on such an overcast rainy day. Too much gray. How about China Glaze Atlantis and some colorful costume jewelry?

Three coats of Atlantis, a lot of color,bling,sparkle,and glitter! I think that says it all.

Gray Polish,Gray Day

2009-10-26T15:03:00.002-05:00

This is what it looks like at my house. Yes, I took this picture today. Its been raining on and off all day. Such a wet,cold autumn so far. I'm already tired of jeans,sweatshirts,and sweaters. Last night I went shopping to try and find something warm ,yet a bit more stylish to wear. No luck so far. But I'll continue the search. I don't know about you, but I find myself feeling frumpy when wearing jeans and sweaters all fall/winter long. Anyway lets look at some polish. Essie's Chinchilly from the fall collection. Two coats,fairly easy to apply. It's your basic creme gray,a bit on the green side. Not too much green. It's just not your typical gray with blue. Which makes this polish somewhat interesting.

Although I wonder why I'd wear gray nail polish on a gray day? You know what I mean? I might have to change this color before the day is over. Gray skies are not helping my feelings about this polish color...lol!

Kinky in Helsinki and let's all smile

2009-10-20T14:12:00.016-05:00

I've been tagged,yay!

Today is a quick post. Opi's Kinky in Helsinki.

I was tagged by the lovely Pinkginger from http://www.pinkginger-athingofbeauty.blogspot.com/ for the what song makes me smile award.
Go check Pinkginger out. She not only has beautiful longs nails, but has a witty sense of humor as well. I love reading her thoughts on polish finish, and color,and anything else that might pop into her mind....lol! So here's the song that makes me smile.

Love Shack says it all for me. I was 16 when this album was released. Yes...I know I'm giving my age away...lol! I remember buying this on tape. Yes that's right, on tape...lol! I loved and still do, every song on this "tape",(which I now have on CD). This song reminds me that youth is a state of mind. I might be a mom, wife,and have grown up so to speak. But I'm still the same 16 year old Velvet, and every time I hear this song it makes me smile! Being young is a state of mind. I will forever be glittery and funky! Just like the B52's! As a side note. I took Algebra that year I was 16,and our teacher would post our test scores on the door. Instead of using our names,(so no one would be embarrassed by their score) We had code names next to our test score. Our teacher allowed us to pick our own code name. Mine was B52....lol! Needless to say, my scores were never that great. One day my teacher asked why would I pick a bomb to be my code name...lol! He thought maybe I had jinxed myself. I said ,"that's not a bomb anymore, that's the name of a music group"! Ah....to be young..

Nic's Sticks by Opi

2009-10-17T15:12:00.002-05:00

My local Target had some of the Nic's Sticks on sale for $3 and change. They usually cost around $7 a stick. And I thought what the heck, for $3 bucks I can pick up a few. The name of this color is I'm On Deadline.

You'll need to enlarge this photo to see the pink and blue shimmer particles. That's why I added this one. The last photo with flash washes the pink and blue shimmer out.

This was interesting to try out. I'll admit to being somewhat skeptical about the pens at first. But the Nic stick proved me wrong. The brush was pretty decent. I did have a couple of hairs longer than the rest,but an easy trim can solve that problem. In order to get the pen to work, you pump it like your flicking a pen on and off. You know those annoying people who sit there and play with their pen....going,"click,click,click". Anyway, you only pump it a couple of times,and the polish gets on the brush. And you paint away. I have two coats on. And these pictures were taken before clean up. So yes....it was very easy to use. I personally wouldn't buy these full price at $7, or $8 a pen. Because you only get 4ml/.135 fl oz per pen. That's just over the size of an Opi mini bottle. I do think they're great for that vacation you might have planned, or for that week-end trip. Or even for that young daughter you might have....that's oh lets' say about 9 years old. And likes to paint her nails. But is usually pretty messy with a bottle. Hmmm...gee, I think I have one of those. She tired one of the sticks out,and did a nice job. Much neater than the brush out if the bottle....lol! Until next time, keep those lovely nails painted! Velvet

Color Club All In & Sexy Siren

2009-10-16T15:34:00.004-05:00

Gray clouds still rule the sky where I live. So how about a little color, with Color Club. All In is a turquoise that leans on the blue side. This is two coats. I would recommend wearing three. If your going to wear All In by itself.
Sexy Siren is from the Color Vixen glitter collection. This is one coat.

And since Nail Life Speed Demon has become my new best friend for nail polish. I thought I'd try Nail Life Gripper base coat. I'll let you know what I think about Gripper in a few days. That's it gals. Have a great week-end,and if the skies are dark. Then brighten em with a little a bit of color! Velvet

Angel & Glacier

2009-10-14T14:38:00.003-05:00

It's overcast,and rainy today. Not the best weather for modeling nail polish. After wearing so many dark colors lately. I thought it was time for something white. I have two coats of Love my Nails "Angel",and two coats of " Glacier" by China Glaze.

Sorry about the pictures, they're not my best. Glacier is one of the new glitters released from China Glaze. It has a light white base,and fine multi-glitter. I forgot to take a picture of Angel on it's own. But it's your basic white chrome. Streaks and all. You can find Love My Nails at Walmart, or Target for about $2. Have a great day,and keep those nails painted! Velvet

Essie Over The Top & Wet n Wild Glitz

2009-10-12T14:02:00.003-05:00

Well.....I figured it was time for a little bit of bling. That is the name of the blog right? But first let's look at Over The Top by Essie. Two coats of polish.

And now for the bling! I've layered Over The Top with two coats of Glitz by Wet n Wild.

Here's that picture of Nail Life Speed Demon. That you can find at your local Sally's Beauty Supply. You might also try a search on-line for Nail Life. Speed Demon comes in a 1 fl.oz./29 ml bottle. for about $8. Mine was on sale for $6. Until next time,take care and paint those nails! A little bit of color will make everyone smile! Velvet

The color game Hot Pink

2009-10-11T10:00:00.001-05:00

Hi! Tiffany from http://www.polishmepretty.blogspot.com/ was sweet, and tagged me for the color game. She gave the task of finding seven hot pink items around the house. This proved more of a challenge for me, than I first thought.
I had to give you a pic with flash, and without flash. It's just habit. Lol!

My lap top was a Mother's day present from the hubby,and kids. My crocs...yes, their ugly! But I love em! The hot pink sweat pants have been around for too many years....lol! I really need to throw them out. But they've been demoted to only wearing around the house. So at least I'm only scaring my family,and not the people at the grocery store. The jacket was found at a Good Will store for $3. It's fun to wear with casual skirts. Or even with jeans!

The two bottles of nail polish are Revlon's Strawberry Electric,and Opi's It's All Greek To Me. My two favorite hot pink nail colors, to wear any time of the year. The pink costume jewelry necklace. I love all things that, "bling"! I know it's hard to see in the picture. It's great to wear with dressy, or casual outfits any time of the year. The make-up bag came with two bottles of Opi nail polish. I can't exactly remember which nail colors,but they were pink. It's a great bag to use for all sorts of things. That's it gals. Hope you had fun reading. It was fun trying to find all things hot pink....lol! It made me stop, and really look at what colors I tend to wear and buy a lot of. Hmmmm.....interesting! Until Next time, Velvet

Essie Alligator Purse & Flash

2009-10-10T11:33:00.002-05:00

Hello,hello,hello.....out there. Can anyone here me? Hi, guys. It's been so long since I last posted.
How is everyone? I've missed you guys. Here's my other cat, Flash. (We have a gray long haired cat too.) His name was Gordon at the shelter,and that's how the name Flash came about. You know, the super hero? Flash Gordon....lol! Isn't he cute?! Silly kitty!

Here is Essie's Alligator Purse, from the fall 2007 collection.

It's a lovely burnt orange. See how it matches my sweater. The Autumn/Fall season is my favorite time of year. This is two coats. With a top coat Nail Life Speed Demon. I'm loving Speed Demon these days. This top coat really does keep my polish from chipping,for at least two days wear. And yes, it does dry super fast. I tend to view top coats, and base coats like perfume. A certain perfume might smell great on your best friend. But then you try it.....and yuck! The perfume stinks on you. That's kind of how top coats and base coats work. Because everyone's nails, and skin are different. Some base, and top coats will work better than others. I was using Seche Vite fast drying top coat. While it dried my nail polish super fast. It wasn't prolonging the life of my nail polish. The polish was chipping in less than 12 hours. Seriously! Anyway....you can find Nail Life Speed Demon in Sally Beauty supply stores. Sorry...that I didn't take a picture of the bottle. Next post. I promise! I'd also like to say Hi to all my new followers. Wow....I feel very honored! Thanks for stopping by friends. Velvet

Midnight in Moscow

2009-09-22T12:28:00.002-05:00

Hello! So to keep in theme with my short nails. I thought I'd model a dark color. Midnight in Moscow from the 2007 Opi Fall/Winter Russian collection. It's a black with a red,maybe you'd call it a maroon shimmer through out. Here it is with flash on the camera. It's over cast today.

Next two photos in the natural light. You can enlarge the photos.

One more shot with the flash on. What I love about this polish is how smooth it goes on. No issues with being runny, or pooling around the cuticles. This was three coats of polish.
I do wish you could see the red/maroon shimmer in the natural light better. That's it for today. Happy Tuesday! Velvet

We'll Always Have Paris Suede

2009-09-16T16:20:00.002-05:00

Hi ladies. That elusive suede polish.....the one I couldn't even remember the name. Well, I found it. Here's We'll Always Have Paris.

Last two pictures are with Opi's Top Coat.

Excuse the photos. These were taken around noon. Not the best time of day. The color looks a little washed out. Sorry about that. Now if your anything like my 11 year old son. Then you would respond with,"sorry doesn't fix anything"....lol! I heard him telling his 9 year old sister that the other day. They had been playing Crash Bandicoot on the x-box, and were trying to play as a team. She didn't do something right in the game, or caused them to lose some points.

I'm not sure what, but anyway..... I heard her say,"I'm sorry". To which he respond with,"sorry don't fix anything". I know his grammar needs a little work. Lol! Okay............ I'm not real sure where that little side story came from. Oh, I was apologizing for poor photo quality. Lol, Sheesh! My mind seems to bounce from one thought to another these days. At a rapid pace no less. Now I don't own the original We'll Always Have Paris. But this suede version looks very different. These suede polishes have such an interesting finish on their own. When you add a top coat. You get another amazing finish. Very nice indeed! Until next time....if sorry doesn't fix it, maybe some nail polish will! Velvet

Naked nails and Russian Navy Suede

2009-09-15T13:29:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone. Yes. I'm still alive. It's been too long, since I last posted. The move into the new house went smooth. Yet there is still so much to do. Here are my nails. Can you tell that I haven't worn nail polish in awhile? If you enlarge, you'll see the nasty state of nails and cuticles. So dry and crusty....blah! Ewwww!!! On second thought, you might not want to enlarge. As you can see, I have no long nails either. It almost feels pointless to post any nail polish. With packing,unpacking ,painting walls,and now sanding cabinets. (sigh)! Nail care, and polish have been low on the priorities list. But these next pictures, should cheer us all up a bit. Opi's Russian Navy Suede.

Here it is glossy with Opi's Top Coat.

Russian Navy is my favorite Opi. No big surprise for some of you. So....I had to snag Russian Navy in Suede. And yes, while it doesn't look like the original. I still like this color very much. I only bought one other suede from this collection. And guess what? I can't remember which one it was. Nor can I find it at the moment. I tried to keep the nail polish together when packing. It's somewhere here. Hmmmm...... Ah well! I'll be posting some pics of the new house today too. Or should I call it the, "fixer upper" house. It's new to us, but far from, "newly" built...lol! Thanks for dropping by.......Velvet

A Quick Hello

2009-08-25T15:24:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone! How are you guys? I've been out at the, "fixer upper" house painting. I also had the carpet guys out this morning. Taking measurements of the living room,and hallway. Anyway.....look at this sweet butterfly! He stopped by. While I was taking photos of some new nail polish that came this afternoon. Yay.....I've been waiting for these two polishes forever.....lol! At least it feels that way! You can enlarge the photo. But beware of,"painters" hands...lol! My nails and hands are in rough shape.

I have Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie on index,and ring finger. Orbis Non Sufficit on middle,and little finger. Three coats of Scrangie,and two coats of Orbis Non Sufficit.

These two polishes went on smooth as butter. I didn't have any problems applying these polishes. I'm very pleased overall. Since they just arrived today. I can't comment on the longevity of these polishes. But I can tell you. Scrangie is beyond description! It really is like the back of a beetles wing. So shimmery! Orbis Non Sufficit is a gorgeous shade of grayed out green. You can check both these bloggers out http://www.scrangie.com/ , http://www.polishaddict.com/ I feel like my green collection of polishes are complete. Hahaha....ya right. I'm sure I'll find more....lol! Later on I'll have to give these polishes a more proper review. I just couldn't wait to share these little gems with you! Take care. Velvet
P.S. I've haven't forgot about your blogs. I'll try and pop in later this week,and catch up.

Green Comparisons

2009-08-19T12:13:00.004-05:00

Hello! Okay...before it gets kicked into high gear around my house. With packing and what not. I went ahead and swatched Diamond's Never So Ever Green, Opi's At Your Quebec and Call,and L'Oreal's Martini Olive. These are the only olive greens I could find in my stash. I'm sure there are more olive greens in the world of nail polish...lol! Let's take a look. Remember you can enlarge the photos. These two pictures I'm wearing two coats of each polish. Never So Ever Green on index finger. At Your Quebec and Call on middle finger. Martini Olive on the ring finger.

The remaining photos are shown with three coats of each polish. I realize it's very picture heavy. But I couldn't decide which pics to show you. And decided to show em all....lol!

As you can see there is a significant difference in Never So Ever Green from the other polishes. I was surprised! All three polishes went on smooth and easy. The Opi did have a bald spot on the second coat. But that was remedied by giving it a third. You can still find At Your Quebec and Call on-line. You have to search for it. I found mine last year at http://www.transdesign.com/ for only $4.75. You might still be able to find it there. Check em out and see. The L'Oreal polish was found at my dollar store a few months back. So....I'm not sure how easy that one is to find. But you can order Never So Ever Green at http://www.diamondcosmetics.com/ for $2 bucks. But I think they only ship in the U.S. though. On a side note. The name Never So Ever Green is a major pain in the butt! I can't seem to remember the name. I want to call it No, Never So Green,(as if that makes any sense...lol!) Or, Never No Ever Green, (another title that doesn't make any sense...lol!) Or Ever So Never Green! Lol! I don't think I've ever had a polish name, give me this much grief.....lol! Oh well! Have a great day or evening my friends.......Velvet

Never So Ever Green Diamond Cosmetics

2009-08-18T12:13:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! I disappeared on ya, for a few days. Not intentionally......mind you. Real Life got in the way of blogging. Dang! I hate it when that happens....lol! Let's take a look at Never So Evergreen by Diamond Cosmetics. Not some of my best pictures,huh?! It was late in the afternoon when I took these. I was really looking forward to this color. While I do like it very much....yes, here comes the big BUT! I'm just not amazed by this color. It's sort of like Opi's At Your Quebec and Call. Just more green than gold. Where as, At Your Quebec and Call has more gold. I need to do a comparison. I also have an old Loreal that is similar to this polish too. Really... I should compare all three. Hmmm....what do you guys think? Now, to talk about that,"Real Life" getting in the way. We are getting ready to move out to the countryside. Everything looks like it's a go. Move in date is September the 1st. This house was built in 1966. The kitchen and decor are stuck in the 60's. Yes....this is a fixer upper house. The kitchen will be our first project to tackle. And it will be a,"pay as you go" project. And with this economy and everything. It has me nervous and jittery. We've always wanted to live in the countryside,and finish raising the kids out there. I'm just afraid we might at some point lose it all....lol! We had to cut our losses in Florida and move on. Not just physical, but emotionally as well. This really is a move on faith. So if I'm not on line, or leaving comments. Please don't worry, or be offended. I'm probably just packing....lol! Velvet

Clarie's

2009-08-14T19:02:00.003-05:00

Hi gals! Thanks for putting up with my blogging antics yesterday....lol! Yesterday evening the daughter and I were at the mall. And of course we had to stop by Claire's. This is my first time buying any Claire's eye make-up. I've bought nail polish and costume jewelry at Claire's. But never any make-up.

Oooh....Ahhhh....such pretty colors. So inviting!

Can't wait to try them all out!

Ya! Well....BIG disappointment with this eye-shadow box....UGH!!!! Talk about low on pigment! This is my daughter's set of eyes. I tried to layer a bright green,blue,pink,and some silver. And we never could get enough eye shadow on. Not much pigment going on here! You can click the picture to enlarge. And the brushes I bought were worthless! Maybe they'll work better with a more pigmented eye shadow. I ended up having to use those little disposable sponge applicators. To apply the eye shadow. This was our end result. Has anyone else tried Claire's make-up? Did I happen to get a dud eye shadow box? Or is it just because it's cheap eye shadow? Hence, no pigment....lol! Have a great week-end. Velvet

Polishes!

2009-08-13T15:38:00.003-05:00

Okay ladies! I just posted about these polishes. But I accidentally posted the entry on my other blog....lol! I just about died! As soon as I hit the publish button. I realized what I had done...grrrr!

I have more pics, that are different from these. So if your interested in seeing anymore of these polishes. And want to listen to my crazy ramble....just check out http://bluerosesandpurplepaisleys.blogspot.com/ No...I'm not trying to be sneaky and get more followers for that blog....lol! Honestly! I just wasn't paying attention to which blog I clicked on for the new entry. That's what I get for trying to juggle two blogs...lol! Forgive me ladies, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Take care my friends, Velvet

Let's Get Gussied Up

2009-08-12T11:16:00.002-05:00

Hi all! How are ya? Here is China Glaze's Gussied Up Green. Let's take a look.

This was two coats over China Glaze's Strong Adhesion Base Coat. Then topped with China Glaze's Fast Forward Top Coat. Please excuse my application. Not my best. My hands didn't want to be still while applying...lol! It's like my hands had a mind of their own today. I hate it,when that happens...lol! This polish is from last years fall collection Rodeo Diva. A very nice collection. Still available on-line and in some stores. Gussied Up Green was not hard to apply. Was easy to control. Unless you have hands that want to be shaky...lol! Well, that's it my friends. Until next time, Velvet

Make An Entrance

2009-08-10T08:50:00.003-05:00

Hello,hello! Hope you had a fantastic Sunday. Let's start this week with a happy color...lol!

I know! Not very interesting! Same ole fuchsia pink. But this is China Glaze, and they're an amazing brand of polish. First off, I applied this polish Sunday. Yet I didn't take pictures until this Monday morning. So excuse the tip wear...lol! Second, this is only one coat of polish. In all honesty. I would recommend using two coats. I was in a hurry Sunday,and didn't feel as though I had the time to apply a second coat. Third, the polish was sooooo easy to apply. I had no issues at all! And no clean up around my nails or fingers either. What you see here, is what you get! So....if you're in need of a fuchsia shade of pink. Then I highly recommend this particular polish. Next up, I've been in the middle of updating my blog roll. This past week. If I've missed adding your blog, just let me know in the comments,or you can e-mail. I apologize if I've missed you. It's nothing personal....with three kids and a household to run. Or should I say....maybe the household runs me, some of the time...lol! That I get behind on what's happening in our little community of nail and beauty...lol! So just let me know. Until next time.... take care my friends, Velvet

Revlon Artifical Nails

2009-08-08T11:48:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone! How are ya today? I have the privilege of reviewing Revlon's Nails. Or should I say,my daughter has the privilege....lol! Yes. This is my 9 year old daughters hand. She was so excited when these nails arrived,and begged me to let her wear them. I told her to only put a tiny bit of glue on. That way the nails wouldn't be too hard to take off.

She applied the nails all by herself, both hands. She thought they were fun to wear.... for about half the day...lol! Then it was time to take them off...lol!

They really are nice nails to use. Now, I have used Revlon's artificial nails before. A couple of Christmas seasons ago, we had some parties to attend. And I wanted nice looking nails. Revlon was my choice at the time. I thought they looked real on my hands, or close enough. That, and the fact they aren't very long. I like that. I could still do any chores that needed to be done,or cook. And the nails didn't get in the way. I love that Revlon, keeps coming out with these funky french tips. Very cool! These nails cost about $7 or $8 bucks,and last around two weeks. Not bad! There you have it. Have a great evening or day, Velvet

It's My Birthday Today!

2009-08-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

Hi gals! Here's what 36 looks like....lol! Next up, Sinful Polish Nail Junkie and Sally Hansen Honeydew

Honeydew is such a nice color. Very shimmery. This is two coats.

I layered Nail Junkie on top. A girl has to have some kind of bling on her birthday...lol! Don't you just love that name,"Nail Junkie"? I do...lol!

I want to thank all of you who stop by and read my little ole blog. You're all the best! Well, I'll catch you guys later. Have a fun and safe week-end. Velvet