Meet my Nemesis: Couture Spa Day

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Hello Loves.  Every blogger has at least one polish that she absolutely hates to love.  For me, that polish is Couture Gel Nail Polish Spa Day.  It is such a gorgeous color, applies perfectly and wears wonderfully.  So why is this polish my nemesis?  The answer is simple.  It stomped my photography butt.  No joke, I have swatched this color on six different occasions and have yet to capture it perfectly.  I have tried custom white balance settings, custom picture modes, different lighting, the works.

2000+ pictures later, and I believe I finally got it.  Ok, so here she is - my nemesis.  This little beauty is Couture Spa Day.  As I mentioned, it is nearly impossible to photograph.  In some lights, it appears more green.  In others, more blue.  As a lover of teals, this one quickly became the polish I hate to love.  It isn't the best color for my skin tone, but I wear it anyway.  :)  In this shot, you can see the green tones fairly well.  Note the stark difference between the color on my nails and the dot on the bottle.

In this next shot, you can see the blue tones more.  This shot was taken with the exact same lighting (lightbox) and same camera settings as the picture above.

Now that you've seen the most color accurate shots I can get, allow me to show you a few of the bad ones.  The pictures below are not edited at all - not even touched up.  I'm showing this collage for one reason: I have noticed comments on several blogs accusing bloggers of color correcting their photos.  If you see a swatch picture that doesn't seem quite right - especially if it is a blue/green shade - please consider that there are many factors that impact color: camera settings, lighting, monitor settings, and even viewing angle if you use an LCD display (just for fun, if you're on a laptop, try tilting your screen while looking at the image below).  Most of the bloggers I chat with regularly do not color correct their photos, so if a color isn't quite right, one of these things is likely to blame. :) 

~Michelle

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Love is in the Air with Couture

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Hello Loves.  I have a few swatches to show you today in addition to a little nail art.  This design was inspired by a photo posted to instagram by b_jessica_3, the creator of Drip Drop Nail Paint.  If you aren't already following her, you really should.  Her nail art is marvelous. 

Onto the art.  This is my interpretation of her love design.  As usual, details and additional swatch pictures to follow.

I started with a base of, you guessed it, Couture Gel Nail Polish Dance til Dawn.  I seriously love this polish!  It is my perfect soft white, and I'm going to need another bottle before long.  You can see my swatch pictures of Dance til Dawn here.

I then used a small dotting tool to add the letters, dots and hearts.  I used three Couture colors.  The first is Couture Red Carpet.  I have used this one in a previous mani, but didn't get swatch pictures then.  Red Carpet is a gorgeous, classic red with a pink shimmer.

The next color in this design is Couture Off The Shoulder.  Off the Shoulder is a sweet, classic pink cream.

 

I also used Couture Sweet Cheeks, which is a slightly muted version of Off the Shoulder.

 

I hope you like this design.  Be sure to check out B_Jessica_3 on instagram to see the mani that inspired this one!

~Michelle

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IBD Just Gel: Fancy Fingers, North Wind, Pretty in Pewter and Road toParis

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Hello loves.  Now that the holidays are behind us, I'm working through swatching my stash again.  Today I have four of my favorite IBD Just Gel polishes to show you.  These span several releases and are not part of collections to my knowledge, but I love them just the same.

First up is the gorgeous light blue known as Fancy Fingers.  This one has a nice, subtle shimmer with a few iridescent glitter pieces thrown in for good measure.  It is a bit on the sheer side, so I usually wear it over a nude base.  However, for the purpose of showing the true color and consistency, this is 3 coats without undies.

 

 

This next little beauty is North Wind.  I love the silver-pink tone and extreme frosty finish.

Pretty in Pewter is one of my all time favorite greys.  The blue undertones and subtle, scattered holo gold shimmer makes this one unique from all the other greys in my collection.  It is a bit sheer on it's own, but layered over nude undies, it is so pretty I hate to even add art on top of it.

 

 

The final polish I selected to show you today is Road to Paris.  This one is simply amazing.  I want to call it a wine with a golden shimmer, but in reality it is more of a rose-copper.  It has a slight pink shift depending on the lighting.  Sadly, this one is also a bit sheer and looks best over undies.

 

 

What do you think? Will these little beauties make their way into your collection?

~Michelle

*All affiliate links connect to Ebay sellers I have personally purchased from and are trusted sellers.

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Tips and Tricks: Gradient Stamped Hearts

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Hello loves.  I decided to try a new stamping technique this evening called gradient stamping.  I don't know who came up with this technique, but I seriously love it!  I have been wanting to try it for a while now and just got around to it tonight.

I'm pretty sure this exact design has been done before - same image and all, but I don't remember where I saw it.  If you recognize it, please let me know in the comments so I can give credit. :)  I am completely head over heels for the finished look, although it does remind me of those crazy laser photo backgrounds that were so popular in school pictures in the 80s.

I started out with a base of Ink Blackout.  I didn't do a swatch picture of this one because my bottle is one of the manufacturer flaws floating around.  Blackout should be a pure black creme.  Mine has silver shimmer.  I love that I have one of the flawed bottles, though.  It makes it unique to my other blacks.

I then chose three of my pastel Mundo de Unas stamping polishes for the gradient and the interlocking hearts image from Pueen 41.  The polish colors are Pink, Lilac and Pastel Blue.  Mundo de Unas polishes are amazing.  When I ordered, I chose only colors that stamp well over black and I don't regret that decision one bit.  Not only are they super opaque, but I also love that they are slower to dry than many other stamping polishes so I have a little more time to position the stamp.

I then applied stripes of each color to the image.  I usually only paint half of the image with stamping polish to reduce waste, but in this case painting the entire image gives you more control of where each color ends up.

Scrape in the same direction you applied the stripes to keep the colors from mixing too much.

I used my XL Squishy stamper for this manicure, but it was really hard to see the colors on the white pad.  So I picked up the image with the darker pad on my Magno stamper to show you how it looks before being placed on the nail.  Please excuse the skips in the image as I haven't prepped this pad yet.  But you can see the subtle gradient between each of the colors. 

Here's another shot of the finished mani.  This is a technique I will definitely try again, and hopefully I can move a bit quicker next time.  You can see a few blank spots in the lines in this shot.  This is the result of waiting a little too long between scraping, picking up the image, and transferring it to the nail.

What do you think of gradient stamping?  Do you love it as much as I do?

~Michelle

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Origami Owl inspired Nail Art

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Hello loves.  I am super excited about today's post.  For years, an Origami Owl living locket has been high on my wish list.  I have hinted at every single holiday hoping my dearest husband would get me one.  Sure, I could have just ordered one for myself, but what fun is that? ;)  This year, I kind of gave up and didn't mention it.  I accepted that he just isn't great at taking hints.  So I was genuinely surprised when I found this gorgeous locket hanging from the Christmas tree.  I love it so much I just have to show it to you! :)

Origami Owl is a company that allows you to build your own "Living Locket" that combines the beauty of a locket with the customization of a charm bracelet.  My husband did a wonderful job of choosing charms that represent the things I love.  The puppy paw is for my work with Boston Terrier rescue.  The two boys represent my children (with their birth stones).  The blue gem is my husband's birth stone.  The lady bug for good fortune.  The Mom charm for my wonderful mother who is also my best friend.  The cross because I always wear a cross as an outward representation of my faith.  And finally, the plate in the back that says "blessed" because I am clearly blessed.  :)

Naturally, I had to do a little nail art inspired by my locket.  Details to follow.

The base color for this mani is Ink Pure Bliss. Pure Bliss is a gorgeous, lavender (or maybe periwinkle?) pastel cream.

I then stamped the owl image from Pueen 40 using Mundo de Unas black.  The dots are freehand, also with Mundo de Unas black. Please excuse the staining on my hands in these pictures.  I was playing around with a few stamping plates, and black polish is known for staining your skin.

Do you love the Origami Owl locket as much as I do?

~Michelle

*Note: The Origami Owl links above will direct you to the webpage of my Origami Owl Representative. I do not receive compensation if you purchase through her link. She, however, will receive commission on any purchases. You may also visit Origami Owl directly by clicking here.  The Ebay affiliate link for Pure Bliss will direct you to a seller I have personally purchased from and trust.

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L'Oreal Colour Riche Gold Dust: Rough Around the Edges

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Hello Loves. I'm deviating from the gel swatches today to show you my newest love.  Loreal Colour Riche Gold Dust Rough Around the Edges.  This one caught my eye while shopping the other day, and I just couldn't leave it behind.  I'm a little behind the rest of the polish world when it comes to textures.  I didn't think I would like the rough feel, so I held out and avoided buying one to try.  I gave in and picked one up a few weeks back, and now I'm hooked.

I have only tried a few textures from different brands so far, and I haven't loved them all.  But this one...I predict this one will be used as an accent in many of my manicures in 2014.  I love the black base with the silver glittery finish, and I was shocked that it only needed two coats!  I really like this collection so far!

This is an angle I likely won't show very often thanks to my crooked middle finger.  That nail gives me fits!  I never know whether to shape it so that it the edge is straight when my fingers are extended or so that the edge is straight when posed with the polish bottle.  Since most of my pictures are with the bottles, I tend to shape it for that.  lol

I think I'll go back and get a few more from this collection.  If my memory serves me, they all have that added sparkle, and I really like the formula!

~Michelle

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Weekly Mani: Stamping Challenge - Your Favorite Flower

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Hello Loves.   I decided to participate in the Adventures in Stamping weekly challenge this week. This was an easy one for me since I tend to lean toward floral nail art.  The difficult part was picking my favorite flower!  When it comes to actual fresh cut flowers, stargazer lilies have been my favorites for years.  Recently, I have started moving away from them.  They are so common in funeral arrangements that I have begun to associate the fragrant blooms with loss and sadness.  I know, it's crazy.  But they say that scent is the strongest sense tied to memory, so I guess it was bound to happen at some point.  So I chose the rose as my favorite flower for this one.  I tend to gravitate toward roses for nail art, and what girl doesn't appreciate a vase of roses? 

I absolutely LOVE how this mani turned out.  So simple, yet there is a lot going on with this one.  As usual, details to follow.

The base for this mani is Couture Gel Nail Polish Dance Til Dawn.  I used this base for another mani but the swatch pictures didn't turn out.  Thankfully, I got decent pictures this time.  Dance til Dawn is a soft white that leans slightly tan.  I absolutely love it!

Here's a comparison shot between Dance til Dawn and Couture's pure white Ooh La La French.  This is one of the pictures that didn't turn out from the last swatch attempt, so please excuse the strange skin tone.  The polish colors are accurate on my monitor.

I then stamped the middle and ring fingers with part of the long rose image from Messy Mansion MM07 and used my squishy stamper to slightly curve the stamp around the side of each the nail.  I used Spoiled 2 Weeks Sober as the stamping polish.

Finally, I added two coats of The Reign of Studs from L'Oreal's Colour Riche Gold Dust collection to the thumb, index and pinkie nails. 

I am completely head over heels for the Gold Dust polishes!  I love the added sparkle and they are extremely easy to apply.  After trying this one, I went back and grabbed three more shades.  I wanted them all, but I decided to stick with the ones I knew I could coordinate with my gels.  Look for swatches of those soon.  :)

I'm actually loving the textured polishes all together.  I do a lot of swatching on the weekends and I only soak off one hand until I'm ready to do my final mani.  So at any given point in time, my weekend hands are not going to match.  It never fails that I'll be in the middle of swatching a color that completely clashes with the art from the week before on my right hand, and my dearest husband will decide he wants to go out to dinner.  I'll sacrifice a lot for my readers, but I'm not about to go out in public with clashing hands.  Textured polishes have become my savior!  They apply quickly and dry super fast, so I can throw one on over my crazy mismatched gel and run out the door.  Not to mention if you bump one before it is completely dry, no big deal.  It's textured, so you're not even going to notice.  Yea! 

~Michelle

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Red Carpet Manicure: Postcards from Milan and Embelish Me Select Polishes

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Hello loves.  When I popped the tops on these polishes at Ulta before Christmas, I knew I had to have them.  I almost bought them that day, but I was on a strict buying ban imposed by my husband until after the holidays.  Thankfully, my Ulta had them in an obscure location, so the display had barely been touched when I went back a few days ago.  Added bonus - they are now marked down to 50% off!  Score!  I have seen reports that they are on clearance at all Ulta locations, and I did find some of them on Ulta's website as well so if you like one, be sure to grab it while you can since they are limited editions.  :)

Onto the swatches.  This first one is the reason I went to Ulta before Christmas.  This beauty is Behind the Scenes from the Red Carpet Manicure Postcards from Milan collection. I couldn't resist seeing it in person after seeing Andrea's swatch on Chickettes in late November.  I'm a sucker for a hunter green, and the golden shimmer is an added bonus.

On the Catwalk is also from the Postcards from Milan collection.  This one is a gorgeous medium grey with a golden shimmer.  All of the polishes from the Postcards from Milan collection have the golden shimmer, and I love how it makes this grey really pop.

 

As a side note, I now have "I'm too Sexy" by Right Said Fred running through my head.  Yes, I know I just dated myself with that one, but come on.  You know you want to sing it with me:

"I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I shake my little tushy on the catwalk"

You're welcome. ;)

My final selection from the Postcard from Milan collection is I Own the Runway.  This is a stunning maroon with that same gold shimmer that is seen throughout the collection.

The final gel I have to show you tonight is from the Embellish Me collection.  The one polish that really stood out to me in this collection is So Icy.  So Icy is an incredible silver leaning, light grey base with ultrafine holographic shimmer.  I tried to capture that shimmer, but the pictures do not do it justice!

Let's take a closer look.  You can see a little bit of the shimmer here.

 

~Michelle

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