ELF Red Velvet (Swatch!)

I love this red.

I've been looking for a red just like this for ages and I have finally found it. It stayed on my fingers for a while too because you see that bandaid? That's what happens when you lift a box much larger than you and run into a plexiglass display corner... :( I sliced my thumb!

I also found a $15 mini-bottle ELF nail polish collection at Target and needless to say, my heart skipped a beat. I was supposed to be just looking at sheets... but well, you know.

It's a cool red, so for those with cool undertones like myself, rejoice! It's the perfect red for the holiday season which, according to my job, is already here. Cheers!!!

The formula on this is decent. It goes on smoothly, and I don't have to be terribly finicky about super thin coats. However, it chips easily and I had tip wear a few hours in, even with wrapping. I'll definitely be wearing it more. :)

D's Nails by DECOY Opening Reception

Hey guys!

So for those who love art and manicures, I have something super special to present. I went to an opening reception at The Fridge, which is a local art venue that promotes community and youth engagement in the arts. A local artist, named Decoy, presented her exhibit there and did manicures for free!!! They are super cute and I have one to share. :)

I love bows, first of all, so when I saw that she had several designs featuring bows, I was head over heels and couldn't wait. Little did I know, that there would be actual bows involved...

EEEEEE SO CUTE.

What do you guys think of the bows and 3D Nail art in general?

PS- That yellow you see? Remnants of Illamasqua's Optimist, which is difficult to remove when you're using nail polish remover in the dark.

Layering with Butter London's Knackered

Part of my new acquisition is Butter London's Knackered.

It's a beautiful true duochrome with holographic glitter in it that is a must have for layering. I personally didn't like it on my bare nails and was going to give it away. But then I layered it over black and was really impressed.

Of course I can't capture the duochrome in today's lighting- I'm stuck inside because of Hurricane Sandy! But you can see it in the bottle at the very least. I also can't really think of a true dupe of Knackered which is great considering I feel like so many colors this fall have had several repeats.

Forgive the chipping- I didn't use Seche Vite for this and that's the only top coat that prevents chips the day after a manicure is done for me.

YAYYY

It's been a roller coaster of a ride the past month and a half but I've FINALLY settled into my new place. I've been here for a while, but didn't want to establish a posting schedule again until I got everything in the right place, including my nail polish. It also took my landlord an ungodly amount of time to get everything in proper order.

Well, that's not true. My collection is somewhat still scattered throughout several boxes I have yet to unpack.

I started a new position, which I mentioned- I've already been promoted twice. First to full time, then to a higher position within the company. Getting all my training out of the way, I've worked a cumulative of 55+ hours each week for the past month and a half.

But I've also been expanding my collection. I've accumulated a total of 21 new bottles, which will be indicated in my current collection page in bold. I also have a manicure that I'll be posting very soon!

But the point is- I'm back.

Update

Hi Guys!

I'm in the middle of a sudden move! My nail polish is currently packed up. However, once I'm settled, I'll be posting again. :)

Non-Nail Wednesday

Ok so I worked from 8:30 am until 9:00 pm so yeah this is coming late. :( IM SO EXHAUSTED! I'm doing the same thing tomorrow. Comparatively, Friday is a shorter day and hallelujah I am off on Saturday for once. Training for the new position is fantabulous and life is peachy.

However, I managed to get three pairs of shoes today for mega cheap (we're talking under $35) and some Butter London nail polish for only $11. So, needless to say, Michele is quite the happy camper!

Okay, so here's one of the shoes I purchased today- I also got a pair of nude flats and basic pumps because I actually have more non-basic shoes than I do just plain wear-with-everything. Yeah... that just needs to be corrected.

I'll be pairing these with a caviar mani super soon. No idea what I'll wear with them quite yet but they'll be worn super soon.

Oh, on another note, look for my Julep box post. I got it today and I am super excited for the colors in it. I got a pinky-red and a gold frost.

Whatcha think of the shoes?!

Sunset Gradient

Happy Tuesday! I hope you had a great day. Apart from my poor feet, I had a good day. The morning was decidedly meh but the day picked up as I started my new and improved job!

Tomorrow I'm debuting something different from nails. I'll post it on Wednesdays- I haven't decided on every Wednesday or every other Wednesday, but we'll see. :)

Last night I did this mani- you can tell because even with a top coat, the next day I will almost always have tip wear. I also did not feel like cleaning it up last night so the clean up that I did this morning was er, a little hairy, because it was the first thing I did after rolling out of bed. HOWEVER, I love the colors. Do I love the mani? Uhm... well I'm taking it off as soon as this post is written.

It reminds me of a sunset at a beach. I definitely thought of home- I was going to add some yellow and maybe a few black lines to mimic the silhouette of a seagull or two BUT that will wait for another day when I  have thought more about how to go about this.

The polishes I used are:

China Glaze: Bahamian Escape

Essie: Tart Deco

SOPI: High Maintenance

Peter thinks it looks like parrot inspired. So, is a sunset, or a parrot?