The Lazy Days Of Summer Challenge: Day 3-Flag Day

Here I am, on day 3 of The Lazy Days Of Summer Challenge!  Today's theme is "Flag Day", and with the 4th of July coming up, I couldn't wait to try out a manicure idea I had in my head, using my new Wet N Wild "Stars & Stripes" polish that my friend Brandi sent me :)

Here is what I did.

I used Sally Hansen "Thinking Of Blue" as a base on 2 of my nails then topped it with Wet N Wid "Stars & Stripes).  For the other 2 nails, I did a white base color and then used my red striping tape:

BUT WAIT!  You need to see my thumb too, because it is my favorite:

Bam!

 American Flags & Fireworks go together like peas & carrots (Forest Gump?).

For my thumb, I used OPI Onyx as my base color.  I then took a small brush and painted Julep Sienna (gold) on.  After that, I went over it with China Glaze "Electrify".  Explosive!

L-R: Thinking of Blue, WnW Craze White, Onyx

L-R: Stars & Stripes, Sienna, Electrify

So there you have it!  I feel like my pictures are crap today, but at least you get the idea.  (Side note: I really need a new camera, but don't want to break the bank.  Any suggestions?)  Are you going to do an Independence day manicure this year?

China Glaze Fast Track Nail Polish (Hunger Games) Plus Comparison

Another one from China Glaze's Hunger Games collection!  This is "Fast Track", and it's a taupe colored polish with gold flake glitter particles.  I thought that this was close to my Essence Colour & Go "Irreplaceable", so I ignored this color at first.  Then, upon the realization that I only needed this one polish to complete my HG collection, I threw it in my basket at Sally's (OK, placed it, not threw).

(2 layers)

Sunlight

Bleh.  I really don't like this color on me.  I do not think it compliments my skin AT ALL.  That being said, I think it would be really pretty on someone with a warmer skin tone.

Flash

 OK, this picture below does sorta make me love it a little more.  Look at the gold!  Really pretty:

Close up!

Here is my comparison to Essence "Irreplaceable":

As you can see, the Essence polish is cooler and lighter which in turn makes it more suitable for my skin tone.  These colors are not twins, but they are definitely second cousins :D

You may be able to find "Fast Track" in your Sally's clearance bin right now.  Essence is sold for 99 cents at Ulta and other retailers!

The Lazy Days Of Summer Challenge: Day 2- Summer Ombre

I'm on day 2 of The Lazy Days Of Summer Challenge!  Today's theme is "Summer Ombre".  The first thing I thought of was the colors of a summer sunset:

Source

So those are the colors I had in mind when I chose my polishes:

 L-R Zoya Kalmia, Myrta, Rory, & Chloe, Julep Kate

I did Julep Kate on my pinky and then topped her with Zoya Chole.  For each of the other nails, I used just 2 layers of polish.

Here's a shot with my thumb.  I used the same colors, but striped them on instead:

Here's the other themes I will be working on soon!

Don't forget to check out my fellow challenge participants!

Julep Hayden, Some Sequins, & A Comparison

Here are some pictures of Julep Hayden!  Described as a neon peach creme, this is another almost-one-coater  (I did 2 here).  These pictures are with no topcoat . As you can see, it dries to an almost matte/rubbery type finish:

  This is definitely a unique color. I cannot say I own anything like it!

For a fleeting moment, I though maybe this was close to Essie's A Crewed Interest.  Turns out they are not even from the same planet:

Yep. It's def a 'nope'.

AND THEN, I decided that I wasn't done.  Maybe it's because the boys are out of school and my days aren't as scheduled as usual, but I've been overdosing on nail art.  Here's what I used:

 These little packets are from Sally's. I thought they were great because they allow you to try many different embellishments in one set.  The crappy part is, they are not resealable, so once you open up a section you need to figure out where you are gonna store those suckers.  I used an empty mineral container that I cleaned out:

Pardon the low lighting in this pic, but I wanted the iridescence to really show up!

I love how these look, but you can "feel" them (much like gritty glitter) so if that sort of thing bugs you, you probably will be driven up a wall by these :)  I do find that using that half-gone, thick, gloppy bottle of Seche Vite (you know you have one) helped to smooth it out a bit.