Fall Hearts nail art with OPI plus Q-tips GIVEAWAY

Hi there! With September and Fall right around the corner, I'm feeling the need for some Autumn-like colors :) I created this look with 5 polishes from OPI's Fall Germany Collection. Danke-Shiny Red, Deutsch You Want Me Baby?, Every Month is Oktoberfest, German-icure by OPI, and Schnapps Out of It. I love each and every one of them and I know I'll be using them a lot this season. Highly pigmented and easy application.

Here's the post where I show how I make the heart stencils: http://www.manicurator.com/2012/07/lazy-days-of-summer-fave-towel-hearts.html For this one, I wanted some bare nail to show through, so after I stuck my tape heart stencil to my already dry nail, I used one of my tapered Q-tips dipped in remover to clean away the heart shape. Super easy. I've also used these tapered Q-tips to clean nail polish that has seeped under the nail. Works like a charm!

I love that the Q-tips® brand is donating 1 Million Q-tips® cotton swabs to three great organizations that can use them daily – Operation Gratitude for care packages to service men and women, Ronald McDonald House® New York for arts & crafts and everyday use and Glamour Gals for intergenerational manicures & makeovers. They have also agreed to giveaway a package to one of my lucky readers to try :) The contest will start at midnight 9/1 and run until midnight 9/8/12 Here's how to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make sure to visit the Q-tips® Cotton Swabs Facebook page (Facebook.com/Qtips) where you can stay up to date with the latest news and tips. You can also get in on the fun by following Q-tips® Cotton Swabs on Twitter at @Qtips and on their newly launched Pinterest page (Pinterest.com/Qtips). 

OK!! Finally, let's see my Fall Falling hearts!! 

  I started with 2 coats of OPI Schnapps Out of It.

 Used these for clean-up and to remove some heart shapes to show bare nail underneath.

My camera did not want to cooperate with this manicure, not sure what it is about reds and oranges that glow from within like these do...but it makes my camera not want to play nice! The first and last photos I think are the most color accurate. 


Have a great weekend everyone!!
~Victoria





*Disclosure - I was provided with Q-tips® Precision Tips® cotton swabs and information about the product by Rocket XL. All opinions are 100% my own.

Guest post at Polished Prisms!

Hello lovely readers!!!
Today's post is a guest post for Hannah of Polished Prisms :) Please go check it out and give her a follow if you haven't already! This pre-scheduled post couldn't come at a better time for me, as I just had emergency root canal and I'm not feeling so hot :(

Here is it!! Guest post for Polished Prisms

xoxo, Victoria

Sonnetarium Celestial swatch and review

Hello everyone :)
I'm showing you a polish from one of my favorite Indie labels: Sonnetarium. You can purchase 9ml (her only size) bottles for $6 at Michelle's Etsy shop, like her Facebook for the latest news and swatches.

This is Celestial, a blue/purple duochromatic shimmer. It lives up to it's heavenly name!!! Just take a look!!! I layered it over Essie Little Brown Dress, which is my go to rich gorgeous brown creme. I only have this one of her 3 duochromes, but now I know I need ALL of them! :D

Two coats Essie Little Brown Dress

 This is one coat. ONE coat over 2 coats of Little Brown Dress.

This is really crazy beautiful and super easy application.  Thin formula (read: doesn't add bulk) with full coverage. I can't wait to see how it looks layered over different colors! What should I put it over next? :)


Thanks for being here!
~Victoria


*Disclosure - Product sent for my honest opinion and review

Strawberry nail art with Zoya - Lazy Days of Summer Challenge

Good morning!!
I completed another Summer Challenge theme - "favorite fruit" and I think it turned out better than I expected :D Happy me!

 Zoya: Colbie, Valentina, Richelle, Yara , Envy

 I started with 2 coats of the very gorgeous Valentina! Then painted on leaves with a nail brush using Zoya Envy.

 I added depth to the leaves with ZoyaYara

 I used Zoya Colbie and placed the seeds (using nail brush not dotting tool) because I wanted to add the pocketed look that real strawberry seeds have! I added Zoya Richelle on top of those. I also lined the edges of my nail with Colbie for added dimension. Topped off with Seche Vite.

Good enough to eat!!! Big thanks to Zoya for making every color under the sun!! My nail art would be sad without you <3

Here's a list of what's next!!

Check out all the other awesome ladies doing this challenge with me!! -- If I have forgotten to add you, please let me know and I will fix it!!

Alyson @ BEADS. NAILS. FOOD.

Mandy @ Mandy's Polish

Hannah @ Polished Prisms

Sue @ Creative Nail Design by Sue

Katee @ A Girl and Her Polish

Charlotte-Louise @ Charlotte's Nails

Karine @ Karinea0a

Jen @ The Polished Zombie

Jessica @ Jessica's Nail Tales

Ashley @ One Nail to Another 

Pryanka @ Nail Sparks*

Anna @ Polished Cousins

Maribeth @ Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite!

Kayono @ Neues von Kellerkind

Sharra @ The Blahg

Stephanie @ A Little Polish

Jess @ NearlyNaturalNails 

Heidi @ DIY Polish 

Amanda @ Counting Down to Bliss

Becky @ Glamfiend

As always, thanks for reading!! See you next time :D 

~Victoria 

F4 Pink Salmon swatch and review

Sunday Salmon today!! When I was growing up Saturdays were actually our Salmon day. I'm not kidding. My Nana and Popie would come over and it was bagels and lox day at our house. Lovely memories for sure!!

I'm showing you today, F4's version of Salmon, much prettier and not as smelly :P Shop F4 at their Etsy shop and like them on Facebook to keep up to date with them.

 From their description: "PINK SALMON is a clear base with small pink and white matte glitters and pink salmon satin hex glitters." I really love those satin glitters!

 Two coats of OPI My Very First Knockwurst for undies. Very nice pink nude. Great formula indeed!

 What do you think? I know, I'm going to make my bagel now :D

xo, thanks for being here!
~Victoria


*Disclosure - The pink Salmon in this post was sent for my honest opinion and review.

Jamberry plus Sonnetarium Lotta Zebra nail art

Hi there!! What a cool look I am showing you today, combining Jamberry Nails (find them on Facebook), black and white nail art plus a gorgeous Sonnetarium (Etsy shop) called Lotta Zebra. I WISH I could tell you that the Jamberry nail shields are great and I loved them...buuuuuut...I'm highly disappointed. First of all, in the sample that was sent, most of the sizes they sent are too small. I don't think I have abnormally large nails. But I made do, and got creative. As far as application, I followed the instructions exactly...but couldn't get either of them to lie perfectly flat. And FORGET about my Index finger. It's a disaster (hence I purposely left in blurry). I LOVE this look, but these are not for me. Hope you can get a better experience with these if you try them. They just didn't seem to mold around the curves of my nails...even though I heated it the way you are supposed to. I used Milani High Speed Fast Dry in Black Swift and Sally Hansen White on for the middle and pinky fingers.

 This Sonnetarium however, is the bomb. It's awesome and I can't wait to try it over a colored base as it's in a clear base. The white glitters got lost on the white nail, but of course..I was going for a totally white/black look, so it worked for me here.

 A closeup so you can see how it buckles and doesn't lay flat on my curvy nail :(

Have you tried Jamberry? Any luck? I'm going to try this next time using the good old fashioned nail art method...with a nail art brush :P

So glad to have YOU reading :)
~Victoria

*Disclosure - some products in this post were sent for my honest opinion and review.