Spring Green

Wow, I didn't really plan to take such a long break from blogging. At first I stopped posting due to being busy with finals and high school graduation. Once you get out of the habit of doing something it can be hard to get back in.

Before I start rambling too much I'll start with what's on my nails at the moment! (Since that is the purpose of this blog after all..)

Click on the pictures to see them in more detail. I started this manicure off with Sally Hansen Green With Envy, a pretty lime creme. It covered in almost one coat and was pretty easy to apply. I layered OPI Simply Smashing over it, a yellow green tennis ball colour. It was part of the first Serena Williams set.

I like the way this layering combination looks in the shade better than in the sunlight. Taking pictures in the shade was also more comfortable since its about 100 degrees here!

A lot has happened since I last posted so I wanted to give an update on that. I graduated high school in May, went on vacation to California after that and had my 18th birthday June 17th. I recently enrolled in a college in my hometown. I have no idea what I want to do after college; I'm going for an English major.

Other than going on vacation with my family, this summer I've been spending time with my boyfriend and learning Japanese. I've always wanted to learn a second language and Japanese is one I've always loved. I like the way it sounds and the way the written language looks. I think I've made pretty good progress with my learning, especially with all the time I've had this summer.

Peace and Love,
Serena

Hard Candy Beetle ~ Amazing Duochrome

I can't until this school year is over! Its finally starting to sink  in that I will be graduated from high school in less than a month. Hopefully then I can get back to regular posting schedule. I haven't even been doing my nails that often...


Anyway, about a week ago Chase surprised me with this really cool nail polish. I always wanted Orly Space Cadet since I saw swatches of it online. I never found at Sally's and I didn't ever order it online. I found out Hard Candy Beetle was similar but I couldn't find it either. So it was a huge surprise that Chase picked it up for me! Judging by pictures it seems to be an exact match to Orly Space Cadet and its 5 dollars vs. 10 dollars for the Orly.

It was a little sheer...in really bright sunlight I could see a visible nail line even after three coats. But in normal lighting it isn't noticeable. I love colour like this; I can see pink, purple, green and yellow in just this one colour.  The duochrome effect is extremely noticeable in the shade.

While looking through photos on my computer I found this extremely adorable picture. I can't believe I took this picture but never posted it on facebook or on here!

This picture is of my boyfriend's kitty Riku. He stayed over at my house once because his apartment needed to be sprayed for insects. He climbed in our Christmas tree and refused to come out. We had to lure him out with cheese. =P I was afraid he was going to knock of the tree! He knocked over a dining room chair once so I don't underestimate him. No matter how much trouble he causes I can't get mad at him....he is too cute!

I  haven't been regularly posting so I haven't been checking new followers. For this post only, comment with a link to your blog so I can check it out!

Peace and Love,
Serena

Subdued Spring Nail Art (I'm back!)

Wow, somebody should have warned me that the end of my senior year would be so busy. I really can't wait until this year is over! In addition to school stuff I have been working hard learning Japanese. =D  Hopefully I can get back to a regular schedule of blogging....I really miss it and I feel bad when I can't post. I also miss reading and commenting on other blogs.

Anyway, enough excuses...on the the real post.

I wanted to wear Zoya Kelly on it own this time since last time I wore it the colour was completely changed by China Glaze Lighthouse. When I first got it I thought about doing white Konad on it. This time I did. I used a flower patter on the tips of my nails. I tried to get it to stamp diagonally but I stamped it straight for the most part.

Zoya Kelly is one of my favourite nail polishes. It goes on smooth and its almost opaque in one coat. Zoya's brushes are also easy to use. I have heard that some people have problems with Zoya with quick dry topcoats but I have never had a problem with that. Wear time isn't any better or worse than most other polishes. I use Orly Ridgefiller base coat and China Glaze Fast Forward topcoat.

Its been awhile since I blogged so how is everyone? Are you as busy as I am this time of year? Any interesting new collections being released soon? Fill me in!

Peace and Love,
Serena

Japanese Nail Art ~ Pray for Japan!

I'm sure by now most of you know about the tragedy in Japan that happened March 11th. I've been following the whole thing closely since it happened and its really upsetting to me. I wanted to do some Japanese nail art as a tribute. I got a new white polish since the one I had before was streaky and thick. I bought Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On and it isn't any better. I really need to invest in a good white polish! I used LA Colors Art Deco striper to paint the kanji and Joe Fresh Cherry for the red. The two kanji together mean "Japan" in Japanese. The kanji is prounounced "Nihon".

This whole disaster feels somewhat close to me since I've been involved in Japanese culture all my life. I've mentioned a few times that I'm learning Japanese. Its been going well and I've been making Japanese friends online. I also follow American bloggers living in Japan. When I heard about the earthquake and tsunami I was immediately concerned for all my friends and bloggers/youtubers I follow. Thankfully, they are all safe but things are rough over there.

There is a lot of information out there, some is accurate and some is not. If  you're looking for reliable sources there are links at the end of this post that are helpful. Especially the first link.

http://www.tofugu.com/2011/03/11/the-biggest-earthquake-ever-recorded-japan/ - At the end of this post there are some really good sources of accurate information.

I've heard that the news here is somewhat exaggerated, especially concerning the Fukushima nuclear situation.

If you can please donate to Japan...any amount helps. I don't really have any money to donate but I'm going to see about doing some fundraising at my school. This seems to be the best way to donate:

http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html

Peace and Love,
Serena

Iridescent Shatter

こんにちは!

 I got OPI Black Shatter a few weeks ago and I was thinking of something fun to do with it. The week before last I tried shatter over one of the OPI Texas "sorbets" and I didn't really like the way it looked. I wanted something really cool to put under it and I finally thought of Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure. I put China Glaze Four Leaf Clover on first, then put Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure over it. Hidden Treasure is one of my favourite polishes because it transforms any colour. I especially like it over green and purple. Lastly, I put OPI Black Shatter on top of it all.

As always, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger! (I also think they look better in full size.)

Unfortunately, Hidden Treasure isn't available anymore but Nubar 2010 is pretty  much an exact match. I love how the yellow and green shows through the shatter effect.  I still haven't checked out the China Glaze Crackle polishes yet but I like the look of the white, grey and purple one. It seems like crackle polishes are the big thing lately. I really like the look of it but I have a feeling its going to be way overdone.

Do you have Black Shatter? (Or any other crackle polishes)
How do you feel about the crackle trend?

Peace and Love,
Serena

Odd layering combination - Zoya Kelly+China Glaze Lighthouse

I can't believe its March already! The weather is really nice today which is great for taking nail photos. I recently got Zoya Kelly in mail (it was backordered from the 3 free promotion) and I also bought China Glaze Lighthouse. I didn't know which colour to get from the Anchors Away collection so I had Chase choose. I was surprised  he chose Lighthouse since he normally hates yellow. He describes it as "the sun in a bottle". When  he saw Zoya Kelly he told me I should layer Lighthouse over it. I didn't have any other ideas of what I should do with my nails so I tried it.

I was skeptical at first but I really like China Glaze Lighthouse. I don't think I would wear it on its on since its so sheer but I do like it for layering. I tried it over a turquoise colour on a nail wheel and it looked really pretty. It has a green-golden look to it when put on top of Zoya Kelly. I really like it.

I really want to wear Zoya Kelly on its own sometime. Its a gorgeous grey that leans slightly purple. It was almost a one coater. I might even do a Konad with this colour soon...it seems like it would work well for that.

On an unrelated note...I mentioned a long time ago that I got a 28 dollar nail file for Christmas. Since I mentioned it on here I want to a review for it soon. So tell me in the comments what you want to know about it...and what you look for in good nail file. I would appreciate your feedback so I can't write a good review. =)

Peace and Love,
Serena

Spring Stripes

The weather here in Oklahoma has gone from blizzards to 70 degree, spring-like weather. All in one week. The weather is so unpredictable here. I really hope it stays this way for awhile but who knows what the weather will be like next week! This warmer weather has inspired me to wear spring green on my nails.

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Green With Envy as the base and L.A.Colors Art Deco stripers in purple and green. I've never seen Green With Envy before so I think its new for spring. I've always like Xtreme Wear polish. (I don't like how they spell 'extreme' though..) This one applied nicely in two coats.

Chase said this reminded him of candy. =)

I probably should have waited longer before applying topcoat...the purple stripes smeared a little bit. For Valentine's Day Chase got me something I've needed for a long time....a place to store my nail polish! For some reason I've never been fond of the nail racks you hang on the wall. I wanted something that would give me lots of space (room to grow!) and would be easy to move. Basically its a 3 drawer shelf and it has wheels on the bottom. I'll post pictures of it later, I'm typing this at school right now and I didn't take pictures of it yet. Before this all my polish was in an old Sephora box that was falling apart. The rest that couldn't fit in the Sephora box was scattered about my room and computer desk. =P

Who's ready for spring?
What do you use to store your polish?
Peace and Love,
Serena

Zoya Crystal + Snowpocalypse!

WOW. I haven't blogged in awhile. Weather has been crazy blizzard like lately so I've been staying in a lot. Snow days are kind of fun every once in awhile but we've had so many I will have to come back to school even after I've officially graduated! I don't like that idea but we have gone way over our allowed snow days.

I got my Zoya 3 free order in about a 2 weeks ago (minus Zoya Kelly, which was backordered). Zoya Crystal seemed like the perfect icy blue to wear during this cold weather. It went on kind of sheer at first but built up nicely in only 2 coats. The colour is beautiful and has gold flakes in it. It looks really glittery but isn't gritty at all. My pictures don't really show how pretty it is, I had to take them quickly before my fingers froze off. I had never tried Zoya before and I'm impressed so far. The brushes are really nice and easy to use and I haven't had any chipping after a week.

I don't know about the rest of you but we have lots of snow! My boyfriend actually ventured out in the snow and it took him 2 hours to get to my house. (It normally takes 5-10 minutes.) One of those hours was spent shoveling his car out of the apartment parking lot. His car ended up getting stuck right in front of our house. My dad helped him get unstuck.

Have you tried Zoya polishes?
How is the weather where you live?
Peace and Love,
Serena

沢 - "Swamp" - China Glaze Zombie Zest

China Glaze Zombie Zest is one of those "ugly pretty" colours. Its also a colour I would have never worn on my nails a year ago. Thankfully, my horizons are a little more broad. Zombie Zest is pretty sheer; After applying the first coat I thought I would surely need four coats! I only used three though and it turned out fine. I think it looks best in the shade so I didn't take any direct sunlight pictures of it.

Zombie Zest is from China Glaze's Halloween 2010 collection. I didn't get it until the beginning of January though. Sally's had it on clearance for 2.99. Zombie Zest is the perfect name for this polish. In addition to zombies, it reminds me of moss and swamps. I can't say I've received compliments on this colour...more like odd stares!

I feel a lot better now..my throat still feels a tiny bit sore and I still have a cough. I went to the doctor after five days of being sick and learned I got the flu. (My first flu believe it or not!) Unfortunately in order to start flu medicine you need to go to the doctor within the first 3 days so they couldn't do much for me. They did prescribe a heavy duty cough medicine for me but its disgusting. I missed a lot of school last week so I have some catching up to do - not fun at all!

Do you like "ugly pretty" colours?
Peace and Love,
Serena

紫 & 銀色 - Essie Sexy Divide Konad

The Japanese in the title means "Purple and Silver". I was going to post this yesterday but I got sick. I'm still not feeling 100% better but I wanted to get this posted before it chipped. I'm surprised at how well I did the Konad considering I feel terrible. My right hand is a disaster though!

Sexy Divide is much prettier when there is actually some sunlight. My Walmart's Essie display was finally put up so I picked out three colours. (Sexy Divide, Beach Bum Blu, and Sew Pysched.) Chase, my boyfriend, bought these for me. =) I had never seen Beach Bum Blu before, it turns out its a Wal Mart exclusive shade. I know some people don't like the fact that Essie is now in Wal Mart but to me its a good thing. The only other Essie I have is Matte About You. The nearest place for me to purchase Essie is Ulta, which is about an hour away from me. The bottle is a little different so you can tell which ones are from Wal Mart. At my Wal Mart these were $7.25 each. I also heard somewhere that they changed some of the names, which I think is kind of silly. (Velvet Vouyeur, Velvet Voyage)

Have you seen Essie at your Wal Mart yet?
Peace and Love,
Serena

たまむし ~ Layering with Sinful Colors

Hello! How are you? Cold? Sorry I haven't posted in awhile... School started and then after that we had some snow and ice. The snow is kind of melting (even though its still freezing cold.) so I can finally stand to be outside to take pictures. The last time I was at Walgreens I picked up a Sinful Colors polish called 'Let Me Go'. I was always curious about since it looked like a pretty, iridescent shade. Its extremely sheer so I layered it over my go-to purple, China Glaze Grape Pop. Grape Pop is my favourite purple because it can look good in one coat if you apply it carefully. It also works nicely with Konad. (Speaking of Konad...I haven't done that in awhile!)

I love green and purple together...this sort of reminds me of Rescue Beauty Lounge Scrangie. I'm not exactly sure how close it is since I don't own Scrangie (that sounded weird...) but it would be a good cheap alternative. (1.99 at Walgreens)

Speaking of Scrangie...she mentioned her inspiration for the colour was the iridescent wings of a beetle. The Japanese part of the title of this post roughly means "iridescent wings of an insect". I've been trying to learn Japanese for the past few months so I'm using as much of it as possible whenever/wherever I can.

If you have RBL Scrangie let me know how close this layering combination is to the real thing!

Peace and Love,
Serena

First Manicure of the New Year - OPI The Show Must Go On

Happy (late) New Year! How has it been so far? Mine has been pretty good. I got a set a Burlesque minis for Christmas and the one that appealed to me the most was 'The Show Must Go On'. Its a pretty red-ish pink that shifts orange in certain ligthing. It looks gorgeous and unfortunately I wasn't able to capture how cool it really is. That's partially because I waited too long and partially because colours like this can be tricky to photograph.

I took the picture with China Glaze Peppermint Cuticle Oil since its hard to take pictures with the mini bottles. I recommend checking your Sally's clearance section; I found tons of discounted polishes at mine, especially ones from holiday collections. I also picked up this cuticle oil since they had a whole container full of them for .99 cents each. I actually really like it and the peppermint smell is nice.

On an entirely different subject...I have some cute pictures to show you! When I asked my boyfriend Chase what he wanted for Christmas the only thing he said he wanted was a kitten. So I got him one. He is so cute but don't let that fool you...he's a troublemaker as well! It was nearly impossible to take pictures of him. Most of them came out blurry. He even tried to attack the camera.

His name is Riku and he was about 8 weeks old when we got him. He's so small he gets in to everything but he is so adorable you can't be mad at him.
Once again, Happy New Years! Have you made any New Year's resolutions?
Peace and Love,
Serena