I was delighted to be asked by BlogHer to share this Almay-sponsored video series, “Different Occasions. Different Looks. Always Pretty.” In this video, find out how you can get Kate’s Weekend Wear Look!

This look is very natural and also quick and easy to achieve. This video pretty much sums up my every-day makeup routine. I like to keep it simple most days, and I never leave the house without blush and mascara! The Almay CC cream is intriguing. I will have to check it out since I like to wear a very lightweight foundation.

If you follow me on FB or IG, you might already know that I recently scored an awesome haul of SOGs on eBay.  A salon was selling off a lot of used polishes and I got this haul of goodies at a very reasonable price.  There are 60 bottles of Ink and CND Shellac SOGs total including a few dupes and a few Shellac base and top coats. The haul also came with a two-handed UV light.  I’m already in love with the Ink brand, but I’ve yet to try Shellac so I’m very much looking forward to testing and swatching these new polishes.  This should keep me busy for a while!!

You can see a list of all of the SOGs that I own on my stash list.  There is a tab at the bottom called “Other SOG Brands” and this is where all of the new goodies are listed.  There are a few colors in the lot that I’m dying to try, but let me know if there are any on the list that you really want to see and I’ll try to get to them sooner than later. 

I’m always looking for nail art decorations that will work well with gel polish and I have another one to share with you today.  The Born Pretty Store sent me these feather water decals to try.  The set comes with 11 different feather designs, and I chose to use the pink and purple ones to spice up the color that I’m currently wearing (Ink Mauvelous).  Most water decals that I’ve tried don’t work with with SOG… they slip and slide around and don’t get a good bond.  I’m happy to report that these ones work really well!  I’ve been wearing them for a few days now with no lifting or peeling.

I applied these decals right on top of my current mani which already had a top coat.  For SOG application, I would recommend wiping off the tacky layer before applying these.  For regular nail polish, just let your polish dry before applying.  These are the steps:

• Remove the clear plastic film from the sheet.
• Cut out each individual design with scissors.
• Dip the decal into warm water for 10-20 seconds.
• Rub the decal between two fingers to remove the white paper backing.
• Apply and position the decal on your nail, smoothing out any bubbles or wrinkles.  The decals will be slippery when they are wet and should move around pretty easily.  I recommend leaving a slight space between the decal and the edge of your nail to allow the top coat to bond to the nail.
• Allow the decals to dry completely.  Use a fan or blow dryer.
• Optional: Apply any decorative accents.  I used a dotting tool to add some white dots around the feathers.
• Apply your top coat and cure/dry.

A nice thing about these decals is that they’re very opaque and will work well even on darker colors.  Most of the other decals I’ve tried were very transparent and could only be applied on white or very light colors.  Decals are a great way to add art to your manicure quickly and with very little skill required.

Use code XTL91 to save 10% on your next order from the Born Pretty Store!

Here are some photos of the product, and close-up shots of some of the designs.

Gelish MINI® Introduces Six New Shades Inspired by Femme Fatale Fashion

SEDUCTIVE AND FEMININE HUES DEFINE THE FALL SEASON

BREA, Calif. – (July 2013) - Sparked by the feminine textures of lace and tulle, along with fabrics such as velvet and leather that were prevalent on the fashion runways for the fall season, Danny Haile, CEO and founder of Gelish MINI®, is gearing up to launch the “most seductive and intoxicating gel-color collection of the fall season.” These six captivating colors, now known as the Gelish MINI® Under Her Spell Collection, are expected to be available starting August 2013.

“The power of femininity and sensuality played a big role when it came to choosing the concept and creating the colors,”  Haile said. “Ultimately, I wanted the colors to captivate and be strong, yet womanly at the same time.”

Under Her Spell features six new custom-blended colors, each named to evoke the idea of undeniable femininity and sensuality:

• I’m No Stranger to Love: Rich Navy-Teal
• A Touch of Sass: Jeweled Black Cherry
• Love Me Like A Vamp: Jeweled Black Violet
• Want To Cuddle?: Smoky Dark Taupe
• Lust At First Sight: Creamy Greyish Mauve
• My Nightly Craving: Creamy Greyish Pink-Lavender

Gelish MINI® products are available exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply stores nationwide and online at sallybeauty.com. Follow Gelish MINI® on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and on Instagram (@GelishMINI).

Gelish MINI® comes in an array of colors, applies like polish, with a twist cap and applicator, but are cured in an LED lamp for 30 seconds or in two minutes with a traditional UV lamps, just like gels. Gelish MINI® stays on the nail for up to three weeks of beautiful wear, with no chipping or peeling. Gelish MINI® soaks off completely in only 15 minutes. For more information, please visit www.gelishminis.com.

I’m No Stranger to Love: Rich Navy-Teal

A Touch of Sass: Jeweled Black Cherry

Love Me Like A Vamp: Jeweled Black Violet

Want To Cuddle?: Smoky Dark Taupe

Lust At First Sight: Creamy Greyish Mauve

My Nightly Craving: Creamy Greyish Pink-Lavender

I finally tried CND Shellac gel polish for the first time.  I chose this bright teal blue color from the lot that I recently purchased called Hotski to Tchotchke.  Teal is my favorite color so naturally I was drawn to it and had to try it before all the others.  I love the color and the gorgeous glowy shimmer!  I wore this on its own for 2 days and then decided to punch it up with a lightning bolt stamp.  I used Konad black polish and Bundle Monster stamping plate BM305.

I also tried the Shellac base and top coat for the first time.  The base is much thinner than Gelish and I only used the top coat on one finger because I didn’t care for the consistency.  I immediately grabbed for my Gelish and finished the rest of my nails off with it.  The one finger that had the Shellac top coat has a chip already.  Hmm.  My nails also don’t feel as strong as they do when I wear Gelish, and then there’s the fact that Shellac only cures in a UV light which takes more time.  So my opinion of Shellac is… eh, it’s so-so.  I love the color, but I’ll stick with my Gelish foundation and top coat.

Edit/Update:  The soak-off was super easy using the Shellac base coat and color, so that’s a plus.  I only soaked for 5 minutes and the polish rubbed right off with ease using an orange stick.

I’m sorry I only have one picture today.  I took a bunch, but most of them didn’t turn out very well – my lightbox drowned out the details of the polka dots in most of them… I swear they look better in person.  So this is just a quickie post today.  I’m working on some more Gelish swatches tonight.  I don’t have the new collection yet, so don’t get your hopes up!  I’m still working my way through some of the existing colors.

The Gelish Aurora FX Collection has been out for quite a while, but I just recently picked up the last two colors that I was missing from the set.  I thought it would make sense to put all of the colors from the collection in one post.  I apologize in advance that the photos are not as consistent as my usual posts since they were taken at different points in time.

This collection is full of gorgeous, glittery colors with magical effects (FX).  Most are thin and wear better as a topper over other base colors rather than on their own.  For swatching purposes I applied three coats of each as a stand-alone polish rather than over another color.  I hope to eventually start showing you some of the cool layering combinations that you can do with these and other Gelish polishes.  The possible combinations are endless.

Close Your Fingers and Cross Your Eyes:

The Great Googly Moogly:

Ali Baba Sim Sala Bim:

Wiggle Fingers, Wriggle Thumbs, That’s the Way the Magic Comes:  This one has a lovely purple shimmer that my photos didn’t capture.

Oocha Coocha Bing Bang Bam Alakazy Alakazam:

Izzy Wizzy Let’s Get Busy:

The pink is Shellac Tutti Frutti, which has a pearly finish with a bit of purple iridescence.  The glittery effect was achieved by applying one coat of Couture High Maintenance followed by two coats of Ink Chrome Silver.

It took a lot of steps to achieve the half-and-half look.  I started with one coat of High Maintenance on the whole nail, then wiped off the tacky layer and applied a piece of nail art striping tape down the middle of the nail.  I painted two coats of Tutti Frutti on one side, removed the tape, wiped the tacky layer and applied a fresh piece of tape over the pink edge.  I applied 2 coats of Ink Chrome Silver on the second half.  I applied a thin layer of Gelish TIO over the whole nail, wiped off the tacky layer and then used a piece of scotch tape to cover up the glitter side of the nail so that I could stamp the zebra print onto just the pink half.  I used a dotting tool to apply Gelish Foundation down the center of the nail and then added the rhinestones on top while the foundation was still wet, then cured.  I applied one coat of Gelish TIO over the whole nail.  Ta-da!

Anyone interested in a video to see how this is done, or did I explain it well enough?

Note: I don’t normally mention this in my explanations because it seems redundant, but when applying gel polish you have to cure each coat with a UV or LED lamp.

This is Ink Dilemma #29.  It’s more of a hot pink, but an absolutely GORGEOUS color.  It has a fabulous shimmer, as do many of the Ink polishes.

The next one I tried was Rock In Red #1.  As the name suggests the color is red, but it also has some pink tones to it.  In my natural light the label looked more cranberry… in the lightbox it’s definitely red.  This is a nice classic color for everyday wear.

And finally Ink Ravishing #7…. ahhh, cranberry!  This is by far the closest match I’ve found to-date. 

Reds & Pinks:

Rock in Red #1

Ravishing #7

Dilemma #29

Mauvelous #44

Infamous #77

Orange & Yellow:

Passion Paradise #122

Pharaoh #39

Purple, Blue & Green:

Secret Desire #86

Denim #35

Calypso #15

When In Blue #82

Cameo #139

Lime Sorbet #66

Neutral:

Nude #79

This is a swatch of Ink Secret Desire – the purple color used above.  I swatched Ink Dilemma a few days ago – another rockin’ color.  I <3 the Ink brand!

I was wearing a burgundy-colored gel polish (can you guess which one it is??? official swatches coming soon), and decided to go for a dark look by stamping a black rose pattern on top. This actually looked much cooler before I applied the top coat because the black polish dried to more of a matte finish. I wish I had taken pictures of it that way. (While I’m making wishes… I also wish for a matte gel top coat!! Anyone know of one?)

Even though I’m sharing this with you, I’m feeling kind of “meh” about it.  I don’t like how it looks with the glossy finish and I probably shouldn’t have applied the top coat over the little black gems… they look like blobs.

My mani today was inspired by Sammy of The Nailasaurus.  I saw this image pop up on my Pinterest feed and bookmarked it for a future date, and today was the day I finally tried it.  I started with IBD Jupiter Blue as my base, and then sponged Gelish Don’t Be Such a Sourpus onto the tips.  The color that I sponged on is yellow-ish, but it looks green when applied over the blue.  I wiped off the tacky layer and applied nail art striping tape to my nails to block off the center section. The black that I applied to the sides is actually regular nail polish and not gel.  I used Cult Nevermore because it’s completely opaque with just one coat.  I let it dry and then applied my gel top coat and studs.

I love this look… it’s so simple and sleek, but it took a good amount of time to do.  You could try this with so many different color combinations.

Here is IBD Jupiter Blue… I love this color!  IBD is a  more affordable brand of gel polish and the quality and application are great.

I will have swatches of the new Gelish Fall colors for you very soon! In the meantime, I thought I would post some recent swatches that I did of some Gelish reds. When I inserted the photos below, I thought I had made a mistake because I can’t really tell the difference between Hot Rod Red and Red Roses, except that one of them is a full size bottle and one is a mini. I pulled out my bottles and swatch sticks to check and the colors really are so close it’s hard to tell them apart.  Red Roses is just slightly darker than Hot Rod.  Queen of Hearts is darker than both and has a shimmery finish.  I don’t feel that my photos really do that color justice – it’s one of my favorite reds and a must-have for a collection.

Gelish Hot Rod Red:

Gelish Red Roses:

Gelish Queen of Hearts:

Here are the shots taken in my lightbox. The color is fairly accurate, but it’s actually a little more purple in real-life.  My lightbox also mutes the shimmer effects.

Here is a shot in the sunlight.  The true color is more like the bottle in this picture.

And finally a shot under my OttLite.  You can see how blue it looks here.

The formula of these polishes is similar to the most recent All About the Glow collection, and they all applied with ease.  They have smooth, creamy finishes.  I applied three coats of each color to achieve the desired opacity for these swatches.

The color that I think everyone is most interested in is My Nightly Craving, which is a unique greyish-pink-lavender shade. This is my favorite of the group… I wore it for several days and loved it! Someone else that I know also wore this color and she had to repair a nail after a few days and she noticed that the newly painted nail was brighter than the others.  I checked my swatch stick and the color did indeed fade to a slightly browner tone. I didn’t notice this as I was wearing it, but just a heads up that the color changes a little over time.

This is Love Me Like a Vamp, which is accurately described as a black-violet shade.  It’s a very dark, vampy shade of purple.  While I like the color, I’m finding it difficult to tell all of the Gelish dark purples apart.  I would love to see them release some more unique shades.

Here is a quick shot of my collection of Gelish purples. You can see that the dark ones look fairly similar.  I would like to see a true purple with some shimmer or a nice shade of lilac (pretty please).

I’m No Stranger to Love is a very dark teal/green.  This is another shade that’s so dark it’s almost black.  I think it’s unique and one that I would definitely wear in the cooler months, although I was hoping this one would be a few shades lighter – less black, a little more teal.

A Touch of Sass is a creamy, dark burgundy red.  In looking a my swatch pics it’s apparent that I must have applied thicker coats on my middle finger because it’s a bit darker than the others.  That just goes to show that you can control the opacity and shade with the number of coats and the thickness.  (Thin coats are recommended for better curing.)

Here is a picture of my Gelish reds, so that you can see how this shade compares to some of the others.  All of the swatch sticks have 3 coats of color.  I’ve seen some swatches of Black Cherry Berry that look similar to my Touch of Sass swatch, but my Cherry Berry is much darker.

Lust at First Sight is a creamy greyish mauve.  This is a really great fall color.  It’s dark and sultry, but not too dark.

Want to Cuddle? is described as a smokey, dark taupe.  This is a unique shade of brown that I find very rich and warm.  I never really considered myself a fan of browns, but I love this and will definitely wear it this fall.

So what do you think of the new fall collection?  Which colors are your favorite?

I started with two coats of Ink Glacier and I used a brush to apply different color additives on top of the tacky layer. I used a dotting tool to add dots of Gelish TIO on top. After curing for 30 seconds, I used an alcohol wipe to wipe off the exposed additives and was left with this effect.  You can see that some of my dots ran together.  Next time I’ll flash cure each finger to keep the TIO from running together.  Pretty cool, huh?

Here’s what my nails looked like before I wiped off the excess.  I’m really impressed with the coverage of the additives.  You can’t even tell there’s white polish underneath.

And here’s a quick shot of my new additive collection.  Linda was kind enough to send me little pots of each color with handwritten labels.  A little really goes a long way with these powders, so this will last me a LONG time.  Thank you, Linda!!

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For this mani I started off with 3 coats of Couture Little Black Dress, and then applied three different color additives into the tacky layer of my gel polish to create a gradient effect.  At the base of my nails I used CND Antique Bronze, then CND Pink Gold Sparkle in the middle, and CND Violet Pearl on the tips.   I blended them together well to create a seamless gradient.  Then on all of my nails except the ring finger, I used a dotting tool dipped into Gelish Top It Off to randomly apply some stripes.  After curing the TIO, I used alcohol wipes to remove the excess additive powder.  I applied a coat of TIO on all of my nails and cured one last time.  On the ring finger I added some round gold studs provided to me by the Born Pretty Store.

Here’s a shot of what my nails looked like BEFORE the excess additive powder was wiped off.

And these are the cool studs that I added tot he ring finger. This set of nail art studs from the Born Pretty Store includes gold and silver studs in many different shapes and sizes, including circles, squares, teardrops, hearts and stars.  Save 10% on your next Born Pretty Store order with coupon code XTL91.