IBD Just Gel Mad About Mod Collection Swatches

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I have 6 of the 8 polishes from the IBD Just Gel Mad About Mod collection to show you today.  I was pleasantly surprised by this collection!  While darker for fall, there is still a nice variety of colors and finishes.

Before I get into the individual swatches, just a quick reminder that there are only 3 days left to enter my Nails for a Cause Giveaway!

Now for the swatches.  First up, Happliy Brighter After.  No, that's not a typo.  At least not on my part.  Happily is actually misspelled on the bottle.  Funny, but it certainly doesn't impact the polish inside.  This is a gorgeous, muddy orange cream.  I really wish I had this one a few weeks ago for Halloween.

Next in the line up is a golden copper shimmer called Go-Go Above and Beyond.  This one really surprised me.  I was expecting more of an orange tone and really didn't think it would compliment my skin tone based on the pictures I saw of the bottle, but this is a copper I will actually wear!

Perfectly Paisley is a super dark plum cream.  It's so dark it almost looks black, but the purple is definitely there.  I love it!  I actually wore a dress in this exact color to a Christmas party a few years ago.  It looks great on pale skin.  Surprise bonus: this one is a perfect two coater.  Of course, I swatched 3 anyway for consistency, but the third wasn't needed at all.  Without the third coat, the plum tone is a little more obvious.

I Mod You is a deep, oxblood red cream. This one is also a 2 coater. While gorgeous, this one is probably my least favorite of the collection.  Not because I don't love it, I just love it a little less than the others.

Cuter than a Scooter is...well...cuter than a scooter!  This one is my absolute favorite of the 6 and is the one I chose to wear for the rest of the week.  It's dark pink that is loaded with shimmer.

The light box picture doesn't do this one justice.  It accurately captures the base, but leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the shimmer.  It's the shimmer that makes this polish and turns it from pinkish red to true pink.  So I abandoned the light box and took this next shot under the ottlite.  See how the shimmer makes it appear to glow from within?  Perfection!

Finally, I have Thistle My Whistle.  This is one of three glitters from this collection, and the only one that really peaked my interest with its combination of blue and black glitter of different shapes and sizes.  Unlike the glitters from the last two collections, this polish is packed with glittery goodness.  I didn't have to store it upside down or dig the glitters out.  A good shake was all I needed to get ample amounts of glitter in every shape and size.  This is three coats over the natural nail.

And here it is as one coat layered over Happliy Brighter After.  You can see how loaded it is based on just one coat.  Again, where was this color during Halloween!?!?

Lets take a closer look.  I spread a blob over a piece of white paper to show the various sizes of glitter.  You can also see in this picture that the blue glitter takes on a purplish tint at some angles.  I'm seeing at least 3 different sizes of blue hexes and at least 4 different sizes of black hexes in addition to black strip glitter.

Finally, as I mentioned above, I chose Cuter than a Scooter as the base for the mani I'm wearing this week.  Details below.

Base Color: IBD Just Gel Cuter Than a Scooter
Stamping Polish: Konad Black
Stamping Image: MoYou London XL Pro Collection 14

That's all for today.  Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

~Michelle

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Nails for a Cause Giveaway: Children’s Hope in Action (CHIA)

Hello lovely readers.  I'm extremely excited about this post as I have been planning it for about a month!  I have decided to do a quarterly post and giveaway to raise awareness of causes that I believe in. My first cause was an easy pick. Children's Hope in Action (CHIA) is an awesome organization that is doing incredible work.

They also have the cutest logo I've ever seen, so I couldn't resist attempting it in nail art.

I may have butchered it just a little. Here’s the actual logo.

CHIA is a grass roots, non-governmental organization based in Hoi An, Central Vietnam. They are working to assist disabled children and those in poor and disadvantaged situations in rural areas by providing health services, disability support, education, sanitary living conditions and housing, and residential care for youth who live too far from schools and otherwise would not have the opportunity to gain an education. This region was hit by a typhoon on October 15, which increased the already high need for assistance with sanitary living conditions.

Like all grass roots organizations, CHIA relies heavily on word of mouth and donations to provide their services. So, even if you aren’t in a position to donate to their cause, you can help get the word out about who they are and what they do by liking/sharing their facebook and twitter pages. Of course, a little incentive to help me spread the word never hurts, right?

I have partnered with my nail supplier to put together an awesome giveaway prize of OPI hand and nail care items. Feel free to check out his ebay store. Onto the giveaway details: 

The Prize:

ONE lucky winner will receive:

• One 6.6 oz bottle of OPI AvoJuice in Holly Berry
• One 6 pack (1 oz of each fragrance) OPI AvoJuice sampler
• One OPI Mini Cuticle Nipper
• One 0.25 oz OPI Avoplex Cuticle Oil
• One 1 oz Avoplex Exfoliating Cuticle Treatment
• One 1.7 oz Avoplex High-Intensity Hand & Nail Cream

The Rules:

• The giveaway will run through November 20, 2013.
• Entries will be collected via Rafflecopter only.
• The winner will be selected randomly via Rafflecopter and announced on November 21, 2013.
• The winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be selected.
• This giveaway is open to U.S. and International readers!
• All entries will be verified.

Good luck! And thank you in advance for helping me spread the word about this very worthy cause.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Michelle

P.S. If you have a cause that is near and dear to your heart and would like for me to consider it for future giveaways, please email me at manictalons@yahoo.com with more information about the organization.

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More Couture Swatches

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Hello lovely readers.  I'm slowly but surely working my way through the swatch pics I took this past weekend.  Funny how selecting, cropping and watermarking the best shots takes longer than actually swatching the polish. Today, I have 3 more Couture Gel Nail Polish colors to show you.

First up is one that really surprised me.  Guilded is a medium toned gold shimmer.  I usually don't wear gold as I find it washes me out, but this one is a great match for my skin tone.  It's gold, but with a touch of bronze.

I apologize for the slight blur.  I check my photos for color before soaking off, but I didn't blow them up this time to make sure they were sharp.  I swatched 10 colors this past weekend and at least 3 are photo fails.  :(

Next is Royalty.  This is a gorgeous royal blue jelly.  I'm not a huge fan of jelly polishes as I can't stand VNL, but they do add amazing depth when layered over glitters, so I keep a few in my collection.

Finally, one of my all time favorite pinks.  This is Oui Madame.  It its a classic light pink with a frosty finish.  And believe me, it is amazing paired with black.  :)

I was hoping to have a few more pictures edited and ready to go for this post, but it has been a long day and I hear my pillow calling my name.  So three will have to hold you over until next time.  :)

~Michelle

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Weekly Mani: Peace, Love and OPI

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This week's mani is a dark one.  What can I say?  I'm in mourning.  Ok, fine...that's a bit dramatic.  The truth is, I needed to take the length down a bit as they had gotten so long I could barely unfasten my son's straps to his car seat.  So I started filing.  I should mention that I hate filing my nails.  I always end up taking off too much on one and having to fix the others just to over-file another.  It becomes this horrible cycle that continues until I have lost way more length than I intended.  That is exactly what happened last night, and I ended up losing 5mm of length when I was aiming for 2mm.  Now they feel like nubs, and my fingers look short and fat.  Since I tend to do this every time I try to take down the length, I have started defaulting to dark colors when it happens.

The good news is I have the awesome Peace, Love and OPI that I have swatched but haven't actually worn.  Of course, even though it's an incredible polish on it's own, I couldn't leave it "plain" so I stamped it.  Details below.

I had a hard time capturing the shift this time.  I have no clue how I managed to do it before.  A happy accident, I suppose.  So I'm going to show you two different shots.

Base: 2 coats of OPI Peace Love and OPI over 1 coat of Couture Little Black Dress
Stamping Polish: Mundo de Unas Black
Stamping Image: XL Y from Ali Express

Here's the original swatch picture that captures the shift much better.  You can also see why I layered it over a black base this time.  (Oh how I miss that length!)

That's all for today.  I have a ton of swatches to edit from today, so look for those later in the week.  Oh, and I also have 6 polishes from the IBD Just Gel Mad About Mod collection headed my way, so look for those some time next week.  I plan to swatch them as soon as they arrive.  :)

~Michelle

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A Little Off Topic: Bootie Babe Swatches and Review

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I sincerely believe that there is an immature teenage girl trapped inside us all.  I know I have one.  When I heard of Bootie Babe polishes in their little butt shaped bottles recently, I had to check it out.  I then spent a good 15 minutes reading the names and giggling.  If you haven't checked it out for yourself, go ahead and click the link above now.  Trust me, just do it.  You can come back and read the rest of this post and thank me later.

After doing a little research and learning that some of the colors will double as stamping polish, I had to order a few to test out.  I won't lie, I swatched them for the giggles I am getting just writing this post, despite the fact that I have completely forgotten how to apply RNP after using SOG for so long.

My RNP swatching adventure has taught me two things:  1) bloggers who swatch entire collections of RNP must be the most patient people in the world.  Nothing like waiting on wet nails to dry.  I can swatch 6 SOG colors in the amount of time it took to swatch just 2 of these.  2) I am way too impatient for the task.  I applied one of these colors three times before giving up and photographing them wet to avoid smudging them yet again.  So please excuse the dry skin.  I was afraid to oil!  But, I digress.

I ordered two polishes.  Honky Badonky and Pacific Rim (yes, I snickered when I typed that one).  When the package arrived a few days later, I found they included Whale of a Tail as a free gift.  While it isn't a color I would ever wear because it looks horrible on my skin tone, I swatched it anyway.

Let's start with Whale of a Tale.  This is a yellow with a jelly-ish cream finish.  I swatched three coats, and you can clearly see VNL.  I found the consistency to be extremely thin and watery.  Not a winner in my book.  But hey, it comes in a butt shaped bottle.  In a package clearly marked with the return sender "SuperBooty LLC".  I don't even want to know what my mail lady thought when she delivered it.  lol

The next one is a little better.  This is Pacfic Rim.  It's also extremely thin and watery, though I suspect this one is supposed to be sheer.  Again, this is three coats.  Pacific Rim has a bit of a purple/blue/green color shift, but it is very subtle.  It reminds of me of IBD Just Gel Jasper Casper.

Finally, here's Honky Badonky.  This is one of their "Holo" collection.  It is not holographic, but rather is a duo-chrome with a nice gold to maroon color shift.  It too is thin and watery and is slightly streaky after three coats.  I suspect it will layer beautifully over black, though.

So, all in all, the formula on these doesn't impress me.  However, they do have one redeeming quality (other than the awesome names and butt shaped bottle).  Pacific Rim and Honky Badonky stamp quite nicely over dark colors, which is surprising for such a thin consistency.  Whale of a Tale does technically stamp too, but it is too bright to show up well over white and does not show up at all over black.  Since I bought them for the stamping potential, I'm happy with my purchase and will likely order the rest of the "holo" collection at some point.  I'm a sucker for a duo-chrome stamped over black.

Again, for those bloggers out there who swatch RNP, you have my utmost respect!  I'm going back to my own little sand box now and leaving this one to you.  :)

~Michelle

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Sally Hansen Gel Color Limited Edition Swatches

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It seems that glitter is the current trend in SOG.  When I saw that Sally Hansen Gel Polish has released a glitter line, I was intrigued.  Naturally, I had to pick up a few to try out.  The four I have swatched today jumped out at me based on the boxes.  The colors inside are definitely not what is pictured on the box, but I feel that the glittery goodness inside is somehow better.

First up, Funfetti.  The name really says it all with this one.  Think two sizes of multi-colored metallic glitter in a clear base.   The picture on the box shows red and green glitter, but that is certainly not what is inside.  I'll let the pictures do the talking for this one.

Ok, so this is definitely a fun, confetti explosion.  Silver, Red, Pink, Blue, Green, Copper...too many colors to list.  Let's take a closer look. 

But wait, you really have to see it over black to fully appreciate the glittery goodness.

Next, I have High Society to show you.  The box depicts a shimmery blue polish.  Nope.  This one is blue glitter with scattered silver glitter in a clear base.  It is mostly opaque in 3 coats but would be better as 2 coats over a matching base. 

How about a closer look?  I love the silver glitter in this.  It gives it that element of surprise and added depth. 

Of course, when I saw this next one, I couldn't resist picking it up.  The box for Glitter Chatter shows a shimmery pink, so I was not prepared for the awesomeness I found inside.  This one is a pink jelly base with fine, scattered holo shimmer and a few larger silver glitters thrown in.  If it wasn't Halloween week, I would still be wearing this one.  It absolutely sparkles without being too strong.

Of course, the light box photo didn't pick up that subtle holo shimmer I mentioned.  The slightly blurred close up does a much better job. 

Finally, Glisten Up appears to be a shimmery grey on the box, but it is actually a charcoal grey base that is loaded with glitter.  The majority of the glitter is silver, but there are a few colors thrown in as well.  I don't even know how to describe it, so I'll just show you. 

You can see the colored pieces a bit better in the closeup.  Blue, green, pink and copper. 

I'm very tempted to go back and get the rest of the colors in this release just to see what's inside that little misrepresentation of a box.  I will say this: while Sally Hansen completely flubbed the boxes on these, the dots on the display are a much closer match to the actual polish.  If any of these strike your fancy, grab them while you can as they are limited edition colors.  I found them at CVS.  :)

~Michelle

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Messy Manision Stamping Plate Review plus 4 bonus Ink swatches - Pic Heavy

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I have something different to share today in addition to my usual weekly swatches.  About a month ago, Julia from Messy Mansion contacted me to tell me I won the birthday giveaway on her facebook page and could choose 3 of her stamping plates as my prize.  I can't begin to tell you how excited I was or how hard it was to choose just three of her awesome designs!  And she even kindly allowed me to wait for a plate that wasn't even available yet for purchase.  They came in Friday, and I couldn't wait to review them.  But wait, there's more!  She also included a blogger sample.  So I have four of her awesome plates to show you today.

I can't begin to say how amazing these plates are.  They stamp like a dream!  The images are crisp and well etched, the surface of the plate is smooth so cotton doesn't get stuck when you clean them, and the designs are just too cute.  I'm also amazed at the excellent customer service and quick shipping.  These babies made it all the way from Australia to the U.S. in just over a week. But what thrills me most is the full nail image size.  I have the hardest time finding images that fit my thumbs without having to stretch them.  These fit with room to spare!  My thumb nails are 22 mm long and 16.5 mm wide (measuring across the c-curve).  The full nail images on these plates are 24 mm high by 18 wide according to my measuring tape.  But unlike many of the larger images out there, they are detailed so that they also work well with shorter and/or narrower nails (like my pinkie nails, which measure 16mm long and 12 mm wide across the c-curve).  Julia really nailed it on the designs.

So, onto the plates.  First up, MM06.  Let's take a closer look at this French inspired beauty.

This plate taught me a quick lesson.  My stamping skills need some serious work.  I can't stamp straight lines to save my life.  Thank goodness I use SOG.  Otherwise, I would have wrecked a hundred manis just trying to do these images justice.  But I digress.  Note the detail in that center image.  Look how beautifully it transfers to the stamper.  Not a single dot is missing.  The only flaws are the result of my poor scraping in the thicker portion of the flourish.

I had a really hard time choosing which images to show on this plate.  But I stamped a few to show you how they transfer to the nail.

I couldn't stop at just that, though.  The chandelier image in the top right was just begging for more attention...and crystals!  Don't you agree?

I tested this plate over a base of Ink Fallen Shadow.  This is a gorgeous, baby blue cream.  Since I was focusing on the stamping in the photos above, here's a color accurate swatch picture.

Moving on, the next plate I want to show you is MM12.  This is the plate I waited for.  Who doesn't love a plate of nothing but chevrons and zig-zags?  Look at the detail in that image in the center left!

And because I'm sure you're wondering, all of that detail transfers to the stamper beautifully!

Here are my test images.  Sadly, I didn't do that crazy image above justice.  I used a slower drying polish that smushed a little as I stamped it.  I know better than to stamp too quickly with that one, but I didn't even realize I had done it until after I applied the top coat.  :(

I tested this plate over a base of Ink Rose Fantasy, a bright, shimmery pink.  Here's the color accurate swatch.

Moving on to MM19.  This is the blogger sample Julia slipped in with my prize plates.

I don't know how she knew that I was torn on choosing this one instead of the first one I showed, but she apparently had a hunch.  I am so glad she did.  This plate has so much awesomeness I couldn't decide on just four images.  Looking back, I wish I had picked a different color for the stamping.  The shimmer in this bronze makes it hard to see the actual images.  But it is one of the easier colors I have for clean up, so I went with it to cut back on the staining.

Though I have shown 5 of the images above, I just had to throw in this tree image too.  Also, it shows how the images fit my thumb without the distortion from stretching.  Yea!  And yes, my thumb nail is crooked.  That is one of the reasons you never see it in my photos.  That, and when I swatch I only paint four fingers.  ;)  But look at these trees!

I tested this plate over a base of Ink Cameo.  Cameo is a gorgeous mint green with a subtle shimmer.

You can see the shimmer better in this close up.

Finally, the one Messy Mansion plate I didn't have any trouble choosing.  MM07.  I have been lemming this plate since I first discovered Messy Mansion earlier in 2013.  I don't know what it is about roses that get me, but I just can't resist them.  And that leaf image in the center is the perfect balance between stamping image and background color.

Of course, just as with the others I have shown you, this one stamps beautifully.  I did not top coat over this one since the base is the the one I am wearing for my weekly mani (below).  But I think you can still see how well the images stamp.  :)

I tested this plate over a base of Ink Ruby Red.  The picture above is edited to show the stamping better in a failed attempt to reduce the glare.  Here is a true color swatch.  I was a bit shocked when I opened the bottle on this one.  As a July baby, I am very familiar with rubies, and this is NOT a ruby red.  I consider it more of a copper toned red.  It's gorgeous and perfect for fall.

All said and done, I am a HUGE fan of Messy Mansion now.  My husband will surely hate Julia for giving me the opportunity to try these plates through her contest and the blogger sample, because now I know I need them all!  And I hear she's working on stamping polish as well.  :)

And finally, here's my mani for this week.  I absolutely love the color combination for fall, and the images are so elegant.  The bronze stamping polish really pulls out the copper tones in the base color.  It makes me a very happy girl.  Details below.

Base Color: Ink Ruby Red
Stamping Color:  Mundo de Unas Bronze
Stamping Image:  Messy Mansion MM07

Whew.  That's all for tonight.  I spent quite a bit of time on this post, so I likely will only have one other to share this week.  But it was worth it, right?

~Michelle

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Couture Gel Nail Polish Contest - Enter Now!

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Couture Gel Nail Polish shared on their facebook page that they are having a Halloween Nail Art Contest.  To enter, just send in a picture of your Halloween themed mani using Couture gel polish.  The entire mani doesn't have to be Couture.  As long as it uses one Couture color, it qualifies! 

I sent in my entry.  Want to see it?  How about a swatch of the base color first?  I'm over black and orange at this point, so I went with Couture Share My Yacht? as my base.  Share My Yacht? is a gorgeous color that I just can't describe.  In some light it looks purple.  In other light it looks blue.  This one gives me fits when it comes to organizing my swatch sticks by color.  But it's so gorgeous!

I then used Couture Little Black Dress for french tips and a black cat.  The cat's eyes are Couture Aloe Very.  I decided it needed just a little something extra, so I added a few generic crystals.

You still have time to enter the contest too!  If you used Couture in your Halloween mani, send in a picture for a chance to win.  :)

~Michelle

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