tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49709845521545034582024-02-20T13:12:09.140-06:00Lacquer LoveSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-44580568738175947612011-07-26T16:49:00.002-05:002012-02-07T18:54:50.818-06:00Spring GreenWow, 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.<br />
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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..)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S96bRNy1MMg/Ti8yw3B6YzI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/8zSetSlCoeo/s1600/shadeopi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S96bRNy1MMg/Ti8yw3B6YzI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/8zSetSlCoeo/s320/shadeopi.JPG" width="270" /></a></div><br />
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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-clAuPql3zR4/Ti8z8ii2VqI/AAAAAAAAAZU/2QCm24TMn5Y/s1600/sunlightopi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-clAuPql3zR4/Ti8z8ii2VqI/AAAAAAAAAZU/2QCm24TMn5Y/s320/sunlightopi.JPG" width="275" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sIYxGzdV0OE/Ti80ERQ9xsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/kOFd9BrwBQI/s1600/shadetree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sIYxGzdV0OE/Ti80ERQ9xsI/AAAAAAAAAZY/kOFd9BrwBQI/s320/shadetree.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>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!<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-83805084284489820152011-04-29T20:25:00.001-05:002011-04-29T20:27:47.177-05:00Hard Candy Beetle ~ Amazing DuochromeI 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...<br />
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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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCWwksSzrHA/Tbtilc7bZ5I/AAAAAAAAATs/jGrf63JWRYo/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TCWwksSzrHA/Tbtilc7bZ5I/AAAAAAAAATs/jGrf63JWRYo/s320/049.JPG" width="308" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">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.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">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!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nrLON73IWrU/Tbtj9hYRKsI/AAAAAAAAAT0/XGm52LFkZvs/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nrLON73IWrU/Tbtj9hYRKsI/AAAAAAAAAT0/XGm52LFkZvs/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>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!<br />
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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! <br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-86852707740828455142011-04-12T20:13:00.000-05:002011-04-12T20:13:38.865-05:00Subdued 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.<br />
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Anyway, enough excuses...on the the real post.<br />
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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.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-permjufNxro/TaT4pWzXXEI/AAAAAAAAATo/2lgH-m1mb3o/s1600/DSC_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-permjufNxro/TaT4pWzXXEI/AAAAAAAAATo/2lgH-m1mb3o/s320/DSC_0017.JPG" width="253" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>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.<br />
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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!<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-57915376392825194472011-03-16T14:34:00.002-05:002011-03-16T17:55:37.301-05:00Japanese 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".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dfvygTJNAK4/TYEJ-vJXYtI/AAAAAAAAATQ/SXeCU5zjOvs/s1600/DSC_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dfvygTJNAK4/TYEJ-vJXYtI/AAAAAAAAATQ/SXeCU5zjOvs/s320/DSC_0001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FWWXmMokmJs/TYEKEIdPJ6I/AAAAAAAAATU/RyGMtyNNX50/s1600/DSC_0008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FWWXmMokmJs/TYEKEIdPJ6I/AAAAAAAAATU/RyGMtyNNX50/s320/DSC_0008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YvBrCh1RNO8/TYEKKpxPvjI/AAAAAAAAATY/nrPW1Cq-cfg/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YvBrCh1RNO8/TYEKKpxPvjI/AAAAAAAAATY/nrPW1Cq-cfg/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://www.tofugu.com/2011/03/11/the-biggest-earthquake-ever-recorded-japan/%20">http://www.tofugu.com/2011/03/11/the-biggest-earthquake-ever-recorded-japan/ </a>- At the end of this post there are some really good sources of accurate information.<br />
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I've heard that the news here is somewhat exaggerated, especially concerning the Fukushima nuclear situation.<br />
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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: <br />
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<a href="http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html">http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html</a><br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-84134202317808543882011-03-09T17:47:00.002-06:002011-03-09T18:09:47.921-06:00Iridescent Shatter<span id="search"> こんにちは</span><span id="search">!</span><br />
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<span id="search"> </span>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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ff3EMU4sohU/TXgNsRibPUI/AAAAAAAAATA/HGDWnQ0oCII/s1600/016+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Ff3EMU4sohU/TXgNsRibPUI/AAAAAAAAATA/HGDWnQ0oCII/s320/016+%25282%2529.JPG" width="290" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uNpD-F51_is/TXgODgirlWI/AAAAAAAAATE/tyqGMKyiLZ4/s1600/001+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uNpD-F51_is/TXgODgirlWI/AAAAAAAAATE/tyqGMKyiLZ4/s320/001+%25282%2529.JPG" width="308" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jbax-nL4ydc/TXgOIXvgneI/AAAAAAAAATI/NTI7awVKJWA/s1600/007+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jbax-nL4ydc/TXgOIXvgneI/AAAAAAAAATI/NTI7awVKJWA/s320/007+%25282%2529.JPG" width="259" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R7AMBavDFUc/TXgONjJBNCI/AAAAAAAAATM/zUoWDXmZOjs/s1600/001+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-R7AMBavDFUc/TXgONjJBNCI/AAAAAAAAATM/zUoWDXmZOjs/s320/001+%25282%2529.JPG" width="308" /></a></div><br />
As always, you can click on the pictures to make them bigger! (I also think they look better in full size.)<br />
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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.<br />
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Do you have Black Shatter? (Or any other crackle polishes)<br />
How do you feel about the crackle trend?<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-22572608351881249672011-03-01T18:17:00.000-06:002011-03-01T18:17:31.223-06:00Odd layering combination - Zoya Kelly+China Glaze LighthouseI 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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qwwxzkk9-48/TW2JN4zZdgI/AAAAAAAAAS4/BIy8Ri3TTdI/s1600/028+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-qwwxzkk9-48/TW2JN4zZdgI/AAAAAAAAAS4/BIy8Ri3TTdI/s320/028+%25282%2529.JPG" width="304" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mMla--8a0Xk/TW2JTVOZ3FI/AAAAAAAAAS8/LjHxSGyCK70/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mMla--8a0Xk/TW2JTVOZ3FI/AAAAAAAAAS8/LjHxSGyCK70/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>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.<br />
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I really want to wear Zoya Kelly on its own sometime. Its a gorgeous grey that leans slightly purple. It was <i>almost</i> a one coater. I might even do a Konad with this colour soon...it seems like it would work well for that. <br />
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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. =)<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-65019300649461233832011-02-17T13:14:00.000-06:002011-02-17T13:14:17.153-06:00Spring StripesThe 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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-vgwcZFOJI/TV1xEo84RwI/AAAAAAAAASs/jRfcoS1sNFA/s1600/stripetree-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-vgwcZFOJI/TV1xEo84RwI/AAAAAAAAASs/jRfcoS1sNFA/s320/stripetree-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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.<br />
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Chase said this reminded him of candy. =)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp_SXIkjdFY/TV1xucDsOqI/AAAAAAAAASw/KDsWfCMyiUU/s1600/bottle_stripe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp_SXIkjdFY/TV1xucDsOqI/AAAAAAAAASw/KDsWfCMyiUU/s320/bottle_stripe.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uB49V0QhZSQ/TV1xyEVZXbI/AAAAAAAAAS0/SAsctAaZKHw/s1600/bottlestripe2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uB49V0QhZSQ/TV1xyEVZXbI/AAAAAAAAAS0/SAsctAaZKHw/s320/bottlestripe2-1.jpg" width="287" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
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Who's ready for spring?<br />
What do you use to store your polish?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-31128373828104976062011-02-11T22:14:00.000-06:002011-02-11T22:14:54.094-06:00Zoya 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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq_mOoTIOG4/TVYIm44xitI/AAAAAAAAASc/kmcAQNKg-no/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq_mOoTIOG4/TVYIm44xitI/AAAAAAAAASc/kmcAQNKg-no/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="243" /></a></div><br />
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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Have you tried Zoya polishes?<br />
How is the weather where you live?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-60411326160292309452011-01-26T17:21:00.001-06:002011-01-26T17:22:17.936-06:00沢 - "Swamp" - China Glaze Zombie ZestChina 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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TUCqsDI4RGI/AAAAAAAAASQ/RrfietzgCbU/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TUCqsDI4RGI/AAAAAAAAASQ/RrfietzgCbU/s320/013.JPG" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TUCqxP923vI/AAAAAAAAASU/r9na3_aFC-Q/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TUCqxP923vI/AAAAAAAAASU/r9na3_aFC-Q/s320/014.JPG" width="286" /></a></div>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!<br />
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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! <br />
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Do you like "ugly pretty" colours?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-40500047766184370972011-01-18T17:23:00.001-06:002011-01-18T18:27:24.069-06:00紫 & 銀色 - Essie Sexy Divide KonadThe 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!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TTYcs7SiskI/AAAAAAAAASI/jjSh4i6JmfM/s1600/004+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TTYcs7SiskI/AAAAAAAAASI/jjSh4i6JmfM/s320/004+%25282%2529.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TTYc7bweMwI/AAAAAAAAASM/aOCj-uSWtBQ/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TTYc7bweMwI/AAAAAAAAASM/aOCj-uSWtBQ/s320/006.JPG" width="294" /></a></div>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)<br />
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Have you seen Essie at your Wal Mart yet?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-22370416499288451042011-01-12T16:43:00.000-06:002011-01-12T16:43:46.252-06:00たまむし ~ Layering with Sinful ColorsHello! 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!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TS4qfgVU1KI/AAAAAAAAAR8/Y6LDCZSi19g/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TS4qfgVU1KI/AAAAAAAAAR8/Y6LDCZSi19g/s320/029.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TS4qlUhFvrI/AAAAAAAAASA/VMlECwe-DFo/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TS4qlUhFvrI/AAAAAAAAASA/VMlECwe-DFo/s320/009.JPG" width="272" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TS4qpw6vK_I/AAAAAAAAASE/TF3EasWibf4/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TS4qpw6vK_I/AAAAAAAAASE/TF3EasWibf4/s320/003.JPG" width="277" /></a></div>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)<br />
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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.<br />
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If you have RBL Scrangie let me know how close this layering combination is to the real thing!<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-55401661424089644512011-01-03T17:56:00.000-06:002011-01-03T17:56:36.347-06:00First Manicure of the New Year - OPI The Show Must Go OnHappy (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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJgEOlRSfI/AAAAAAAAARw/tO0FoS8DgDM/s1600/052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJgEOlRSfI/AAAAAAAAARw/tO0FoS8DgDM/s320/052.JPG" width="283" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJf-iVh06I/AAAAAAAAARs/UWCvtymwRrU/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJf-iVh06I/AAAAAAAAARs/UWCvtymwRrU/s320/036.JPG" width="256" /></a></div>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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJhUAgAHyI/AAAAAAAAAR0/_1OpnxIsTWo/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJhUAgAHyI/AAAAAAAAAR0/_1OpnxIsTWo/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJhdc1gpvI/AAAAAAAAAR4/maF5BOlF7MA/s1600/001+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TSJhdc1gpvI/AAAAAAAAAR4/maF5BOlF7MA/s320/001+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>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.<br />
Once again, Happy New Years! Have you made any New Year's resolutions?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-79175763819194895472010-12-27T08:42:00.002-06:002010-12-27T08:42:00.259-06:00Grunge Nails ☆How was everyone's holiday? I had a good one. On Christmas Eve I spent time with family and Christmas day I just spent time with my boyfriend, sister and parents. I got 3 OPI mini sets for Christmas: Go Goth, Swiss, and Burlesque. For this manicure I used Obscurity (a matte black) and Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous. (a sparkly gunmetal grey).<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TRgdOq2ho2I/AAAAAAAAARo/m8fYGT7Mt0E/s1600/wallet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TRgdOq2ho2I/AAAAAAAAARo/m8fYGT7Mt0E/s320/wallet.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried to make a gradient effect with the gunmetal grey colour but it didn't turn out exactly like I pictured. I still like it though, its very grunge looking. We didn't have any makeup sponges so I used a semi-fluffy craft brush and patted the grey on top of the matte black. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It only took 2 coats of the matte black to be opaque. I was pretty impressed with it, normally I have trouble with matte polishes. I also didn't have as much trouble with the mini bottles as I normally do. They haven't changed or anything, I guess my application must have improved. I think Lucern-tainly Look Marvelous would look spectacular on its own with top coat. Lightly applied here it doesn't look too glittery but in the bottle it flashes blue and pink sparkles. </div><br />
My mom got me a really neat nail file for Christmas and so far I love it. It works so much better than emery boards and I even like it better than the glass and crystal files. After I use it for awhile I might review it if you're interested. Its a little pricey ($28) so I'll let you know if I think its worth purchasing.<br />
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What did you get for Christmas? How was your holiday?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-89963230031214479302010-12-23T14:47:00.000-06:002010-12-23T14:47:54.786-06:00Happy Holidays! (Red and Silver Nail Art)I can't believe its Christmas Eve tomorrow...time flies! I'm not much of a holiday nail person, but I wanted to use some festive colours.I used 3 coats China Glaze Thunderbird as the base and then painted silver X's on my nails with L.A. Colors Art Deco silver striper. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TROzvlkgPNI/AAAAAAAAARU/Qqlbe0Pvg20/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TROzvlkgPNI/AAAAAAAAARU/Qqlbe0Pvg20/s320/003.JPG" width="268" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TRO0BVJeSGI/AAAAAAAAARY/2-I2J94GDxc/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TRO0BVJeSGI/AAAAAAAAARY/2-I2J94GDxc/s320/006.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>I wish the sun would have come out today! I took these pictures this morning before going out for sushi with my aunt. She is the only one who will go with me so I'm glad she is back in town. =) I'm thinking about changing the layout of my blog after the new year...any ideas on colours I should use?<br />
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I'm really hoping to get some neat nail art stuff for Christmas this year. What's on your wishlist?<br />
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Peace, Love, and Happy Holidays!<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-1122319116940310262010-12-13T17:36:00.002-06:002010-12-13T17:43:48.740-06:00Christmas Confetti<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Yay! Finally I have a new blog post. =) I've been waiting to use China Glaze Party Hearty since the last week of October, when I first purchased it. I wanted to wait until closer to Christmas to wear it. I'm not really a seasonal person. Last Christmas I was wearing neon green. This colour has been layered over emerald green, silver, gold, white, black, and red by other bloggers so I wanted to think of something different. I chose to layer it over Joe Fresh Mint, a pretty mint green. It took three coats to become opaque. I painted one coat of Party Hearty, then touched up a few areas that didn't have as much glitter. It wasn't as gritty as I thought it would be but it definitely needs topcoat. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQao153V7AI/AAAAAAAAARA/u9kRX1fb5Xw/s1600/DSC_0027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQao153V7AI/AAAAAAAAARA/u9kRX1fb5Xw/s320/DSC_0027.JPG" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQapHiGVMnI/AAAAAAAAARI/_V69EiIsuDc/s1600/DSC_0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQapHiGVMnI/AAAAAAAAARI/_V69EiIsuDc/s320/DSC_0036.JPG" width="306" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQapBetvJFI/AAAAAAAAARE/DUFGq_zV5hM/s1600/DSC_0048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQapBetvJFI/AAAAAAAAARE/DUFGq_zV5hM/s320/DSC_0048.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQapPOrqIzI/AAAAAAAAARM/Cnk3huHF6JU/s1600/DSC_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQapPOrqIzI/AAAAAAAAARM/Cnk3huHF6JU/s320/DSC_0050.JPG" width="296" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My mom bought that cute violin ornament you see in the last picture. Both me and my sister play the violin. I love this combination, I wasn't sure if it would look good but I've received several compliments on it. I have a feeling it will be my only Christmas manicure. I'm just not in to doing seasonal stuff. I do whatever I get inspired to do. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I need recommendations for a really moisturizing cuticle oil/hand cream. I already have dry skin and it is getting really bad in this cold weather. Solar Oil hasn't been working for me ever since it got cold.Thankfully it hasn't snowed yet!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was tagged today by <a href="http://squovalicious.blogspot.com/">(Squoval)iscious</a>! with an award/questions tag. I was surprised to find I wasn't following her yet! She has some really beautiful designs on her blog and I am thankful she tagged me.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQavnVFKIwI/AAAAAAAAARQ/qTBY_vEpKjY/s1600/meencanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQavnVFKIwI/AAAAAAAAARQ/qTBY_vEpKjY/s1600/meencanta.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">1. Why did you create the blog?</span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
I had been reading nail blogs for a year and finally decided I wanted to create one too. I liked the idea of sharing my manicures and I was just getting in to nail art too. The community is my favourite part; I love receiving feedback from the comments.<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">2. What kind of blogs do you follow?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
Mostly nail and beauty blogs. I am following a few random blogs, like a Beatles photo blog and a couple blogs about Japan. <br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">3. Do you have a favorite make-up brand?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
I'm not much in to makeup but I do like Fyrinnae. I love smaller companies because they always seem to have excellent customer service and unique products. Their products are often cheaper as well.<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">4. And a favorite clothing brand?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
Not brand conscious at all! I can't really think of too many brands, I just wear what I like. <br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">5. What make-up products are essential for you?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
Lip Balm, mascara, lip gloss, sunscreen. I only wear eye makeup occasionally when I feel like it! <br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">6. What's your favorite colour?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
Purple or teal. <br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">7. What's your favorite perfume?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
I don't have a specific one. I like fresh scents like lemon, mint, cucumber. On the other hand, I enjoy fruity scents too. I really like most scents except sugary, vanilla, and cookie type scents.<br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">8. What's the film you liked the most?</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;">Ehh...I don't know. xD</span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.5px;"><b>9. What countries would you like to go?</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><br style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;" /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I've already been to Germany and Austria but I would LOVE to go again. I also want to visit South Korea, Australia, the UK, and Japan. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I tag/award <a href="http://starvingnailaddict.blogspot.com/">Starving Nail Addict!</a> I love her designs. =) </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I realized I haven't updated my blog link list in awhile so I am going to do that now. There are a lot of blogs I need to add to it. Also, I checked to make sure I am following everyone who is following me. If you follow me or comment on here I will most likley check out your blog and follow. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's nice to post again...thanks for reading!</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Peace and Love,</span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12.5px;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Serena. </span><br />
</span></span></span></span></span></div>Serenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-60877985447924794502010-12-11T17:05:00.000-06:002010-12-11T17:05:42.200-06:00Update: Time flies when you're writing essays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQQB8pJpkuI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/03q8WJzDpkA/s1600/tentacruel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TQQB8pJpkuI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/03q8WJzDpkA/s320/tentacruel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Essay + Finals= no posts. I can't believe how long its been since I posted anything! I have been seriously <i>swamped</i> with school work, essays, etc. that I haven't had an extra time to blog. I haven't even been commenting on blogs as I usually do. December 17th is my last days of school for this semester so I will get back in to the swing of things then! I wanted to do this quick update just to apologize and let all of you know what was going on. If you're interested in more random details about my life and what has been going on the last few weeks, keep reading. If not, I will have a relevant post up Sunday or Monday! The picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post. I added it in for two reasons: 1. It accurately depicts what has been going on inside my mind (pure chaos) and 2. I can't write a post without adding pictures.<br />
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Procrastinating my online class was not a good idea. Most of the insane work I have been doing lately has been my online Government class. It's a semester long course and is required for graduation in the state of Oklahoma. I had to take it online because my schedule couldn't fit another class. My schedule is like this: 1st hour: Orchestra, 2nd hour: Math of Finance, 3rd hour: Chemistry, 4th hour: British Literature. Next I have lunch then I go to a technical/vocational school in my area. I take a class called "Graphic Communications" which includes graphic arts/design, photography, printing, page layout, screen printing, typography, and bindery. We learn Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and a little bit of Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks. So long story short, due to Orchestra and my Graphic Arts class I didn't have time to take Government at school. At this point I really want to avoid online classes. The particular program they use for online classes is irritating. I have a teacher overlooking my course who grades projects and essays. She also has to unlock tests for me. I'm not sure why she has to do that...my counselor mentioned something about students skipping the essays and assignments and just doing the tests. My response to that is: wouldn't you fail the class if you skipped all the work and just did the tests? I have never in my life taken a class that had so many reports and essays. In total I have written 7 essays for this class in one semester. 1,000 word essays on Feudalism, Open Door policy, the U.S. Senate, political parties, etc. Another thing that irritated me about this online class is that when I submitted my essay it entered it in as a zero until it was graded by the teacher. The first time I turned in an essay I freaked out because my grade dropped from an A to D. I wish it would have just marked it as N/A or something like that until it was graded.<br />
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Besides my Government class I had a six to eight page research report for English, worth 1000 points. I got it done, it wasn't too bad and I am confident I did well on it. I won't know for awhile though, seeing as she has probably one hundred of them to grade. I procrastinated more than I should have on it but in the end it got done. I can't believe the first semester of my senior year is almost over. Time flies when you're <s>writing essays</s> having fun!<br />
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Congratulations if you read this far, sorry for rambling/complaining about my life. I'm more than ready for Christmas break, hopefully I will have time to post more often then.<br />
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Since I actually I have some free time right now I'm going to relax, comment on some blogs and do something fun!<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-39532074110394952532010-11-28T17:12:00.000-06:002010-11-28T17:12:19.528-06:00Nail Fraud ReviewAbout a week ago <a href="http://www.nailfraud.com/">Nail Fraud</a> posted on their <a href="http://www.facebook.com/NailFraud?ref=search">facebook page</a> that they were giving out one free kit to anyone who sent them an email with their name and address. I had seen Nail Fraud on a blog once and wanted to try them out, so I sent in my information. Yesterday I got them in the mail and decided to use them today. I was sent 1 kit which includes 20 nail 'stickers' and an emery board. The instructions say to clean your nails using acetone or polish remover (regardless of whether or not you have polish on) and fit the stickers on your nails. The set comes with different sizes and for the most part I didn't have trouble fitting them onto my nails. It was a bit difficult to line them up straight and get them on your nails smoothly. I did have a few bumps. These decals are stretchy though so you can pull them to conform to your nails. Pulling them can also help take out creases. Here is how mine turned out:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLak7r0MfI/AAAAAAAAAQs/aNvSgQ_xGic/s1600/bottle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLak7r0MfI/AAAAAAAAAQs/aNvSgQ_xGic/s320/bottle.JPG" width="274" /></a></div><br />
These reminded me a lot of Incoco nail appliques, except these come in fun patterns. I wanted to like these but there are many things that prevent these from becoming an A+ product for me. The sticker started to come up less than an hour in to wearing these, so I put top coat over them and so far they have stayed. (I've been wearing them for about 3 hours now.) Also, they are a bit difficult to apply and not all your nails will come out perfect. I'm not sure if you can see the imperfections in my nails in the picture. (click to enlarge the images) The packaging says they're fast to apply but this product isn't really any quicker than painting your nails. I will probably keep these on until I get bored with them or they start coming off. Without topcoat, these don't last at all. One thing that bothers me about the website is that the leopard pattern on there doesn't match the one I have, which makes me wonder how accurate their product pictures are.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLgAAuzYfI/AAAAAAAAAQw/8v5KQwwRHUo/s1600/closeup.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLgAAuzYfI/AAAAAAAAAQw/8v5KQwwRHUo/s320/closeup.JPG" width="280" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLgNYSI5HI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/BcqgP2ED3CM/s1600/nailfile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLgNYSI5HI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/BcqgP2ED3CM/s320/nailfile.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Pros: Fun patterns, relatively easy to apply once you get the hang of it, comes with more than needed in case you mess up.<br />
Cons: Only available on their website, $12 for one application, inaccurate pictures, requires topcoat to last for more than an hour.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLgYXn7PpI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/Znm6hI0K-iA/s1600/leftover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TPLgYXn7PpI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/Znm6hI0K-iA/s320/leftover.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm not really sure if I recommend these or not. They are pricey and I wasn't impressed with the wear (before I applied topcoat) but they are kind of fun and the designs are cute. I'm curious how they compare to Incoco so I might test those out as well. The only reason I haven't yet is because their colour selection (in my local Walgreens) is really unimpressive. I will have a final verdict on the wear of these at the beginning of my next post.<br />
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I have been so busy lately with finals, research papers, the holidays, etc. I haven't been able to post two times a week as usual and I haven't been commenting on other blogs either. I will probably only post once a week until Winter Break starts. (December 17th) I can't wait to be off school again...these essays are killing me! >.<<br />
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Have you tried Nail Fraud or Incoco? What did you think of them? Do you think they're worth the money? Let me know what you think.<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-61720611582791907022010-11-22T20:15:00.001-06:002010-11-22T20:19:05.954-06:00Peace On Earth (China Glaze Holiday 2010)I LOVE THIS COLOUR. I'm really happy China Glaze included this in their 2010 Holiday collection; it is an unusual colour, especially for a Holiday collection. This would be my first olive green polish and I can already tell it won't be my last. I also love the name, Peace on Earth. About a year ago I probably would have cringed at a colour like this. (That was back when I wouldn't wear anything but purple or teal/turquoise/blue-green on my nails.)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOsgdAZx5yI/AAAAAAAAAQk/Eb3Ax3U0AOo/s1600/peace1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOsgdAZx5yI/AAAAAAAAAQk/Eb3Ax3U0AOo/s320/peace1.JPG" width="259" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOsgkJkcd9I/AAAAAAAAAQo/CeEhcLHdBJc/s1600/peace2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOsgkJkcd9I/AAAAAAAAAQo/CeEhcLHdBJc/s320/peace2.JPG" width="260" /></a></div>Yuck...my skin looks weird in the sunlight. I was catching the last bit of available sun at this point!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i53.tinypic.com/2j4rhag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2j4rhag.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Despite my love for this colour, it does have some formula issues. =/ There are very slight brushstrokes and I had a hard time getting this too look even. It has the same troubles many metallic colours have. I used 2-3 coats. Some fingers have two coats, some have three. You might not have these same issues if your application skills are better than mine. The small flaws don't bother me too much though, I love this colour and it is unique in my collection. Plus the bottle has a silver cap! =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tomorrow is my last day of school before Thanksgiving Break and I'm excited! I really need a break; school has been tough lately. I normally like to do 2+ posts a week but that hasn't been happening lately. Hopefully during this break I can get to some of the posts I've been wanting to do. School should be slowing down soon though and before long I will be off for winter break. (December 17th I believe.) My senior year is flying by...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Peace and Love,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Serena</div>Serenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-30285112190946901062010-11-16T17:37:00.000-06:002010-11-16T17:37:33.646-06:00Plum Plaid Nail ArtI love plaid patterns. I can't believe its taken me this long to do plaid on my nails. I used Essence Plum Perfect as a base and used LA Colors Art Deco polishes for the stripes. The sun is setting even earlier now...I did this design immediately when I got home and rushed to take pictures. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge my camera so I almost missed daylight. I charged it enough to where I could take some picture though.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOMSaxCci_I/AAAAAAAAAQY/5S2Q9QMoY_E/s1600/essence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOMSaxCci_I/AAAAAAAAAQY/5S2Q9QMoY_E/s320/essence.JPG" width="292" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOMTDg-rBFI/AAAAAAAAAQc/PHD_aQCJrdM/s1600/artdeco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOMTDg-rBFI/AAAAAAAAAQc/PHD_aQCJrdM/s320/artdeco.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOMTaGLcobI/AAAAAAAAAQg/ppFtaKt35ks/s1600/converse.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TOMTaGLcobI/AAAAAAAAAQg/ppFtaKt35ks/s320/converse.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I'm really happy with the way this turned out. There are only 5 lines on each nail: a silver one slightly off centered, a white one on one side, a black one on the other side, and two stripes across the whole nail.<br />
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I'm working on a post soon about nail art and the tools I use. I'll probably keep this design on for awhile. Sorry about the lack of posts lately, school and life in general has gotten busier. I can't wait for Thanksgiving Break! I reached 100 followers not too long ago and I just want to say thanks to all of you. When I first started I wasn't sure if anyone would read my blog. <br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-6489031402222487862010-11-09T16:59:00.000-06:002010-11-09T16:59:53.445-06:00Joe Fresh Cherry KonadNo matter what shade of red I wear I always think it looks odd on me. I used to hate red nail polish and I would refuse to wear it. Now, I don't mind it so much. I didn't like it so much on its own so I stamped a circular patten to the tips of my nails using plate S06. The design even matches the polish bottle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNnPxIDk4HI/AAAAAAAAAQU/VWAfPb4mUaw/s1600/034+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNnPxIDk4HI/AAAAAAAAAQU/VWAfPb4mUaw/s320/034+%25282%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is the first Joe Fresh polish I have used, and I had no problems with it. Its a jelly so it took 3 coats to cover. The brush is wide and flat so application is easy. I can't believe Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be here soon, which also means the school semester will be over soon. I have a feeling my senior year will go by really quickly once the new year starts. I'm already seeing Christmas displays out! Personally, I think Christmas displays should wait until after Thanksgiving.<br />
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I appreciate all the interesting feedback regarding the Rush topcoat review. It just goes to show that not all products work for everybody. Speaking of feedback, does anyone have any nail art ideas? Unfortunately I've been lacking inspiration lately. I've also been busy with school stuff too. Let me know in the comments if you do! <br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-88216477480336552522010-11-06T16:45:00.001-05:002010-11-06T17:07:10.108-05:00Fail Topcoat Review (Rush 60 Second High Speed Nail Lacquer)At the very least all topcoats should give your nails shine and help protect them from wear. A good, basic top coat should also last on nails. This one can't even do that. There are only two positive things I can say about this topcoat: It is inexpensive ($4.99 at Sally's) and it does dry quickly. Other than those two things this topcoat was a complete failure for me. After using up Sally Hansen Insta-Dri, I went to Sally's and picked up this topcoat to try out. When I first used it I wasn't extremely impressed, nor was I disappointed. It dried quickly, left a shiny finish and wasn't too thick. I did notice it was unusually thin and it didn't give as much of a glassy finish as most topcoats I'm used to. I figured I had probably just got used to that from using Seche Vite and Insta Dri so I continued to use it. One thing I noticed about this topcoat is it doesn't last. I painted my nails around noon one day and by 6:00 PM the shine was noticeably diminished. My nails also had that feeling like they didn't have topcoat on them. I painted another coat on that night. At that point I wondered if I would get even halfway through the bottle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNXLoCqaUqI/AAAAAAAAAQM/PY4o3qrZ5-Y/s1600/failtopcoat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNXLoCqaUqI/AAAAAAAAAQM/PY4o3qrZ5-Y/s320/failtopcoat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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As far as nail art goes, the first few times I used it my design smeared so I always took blog pictures before I used topcoat. Back when I did my Breast Cancer Awareness manicure I started to become fed up. The polish I used in that manicure didn't dry shiny, it had more of a suede finish. (Not completely matte, but slightly.) I noticed the topcoat wearing off with this manicure the most. I painted it on and my nails looked shiny, then 5 hours later they looked dull again. After my Hidden Treasure manicure I decided to get a new topcoat. Flaky polishes usually aren't too gritty but they do have a texture to them. This topcoat did not smooth out that texture.<br />
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Pros: Dries quickly, inexpensive<br />
Cons: Topcoat wears off really quickly, defeating the purpose of applying topcoat. Smears nail art. Doesn't give as glassy of a finish as I would like. Not recommended for glitters at all, it wouldn't even make Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure feel smooth.<br />
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Have you tried this topcoat? I'm wondering if anyone else has had a bad experience or if it's just me.<br />
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EDIT: Just added a box under followers where you can like my facebook page without having to go to facebook. It took me way longer than it should have to figure it out, the code kept messing up. It still doesn't look quite like I wanted it to but it serves its purpose. Plus I'm tired of messing with it.<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-59735489754641644332010-11-02T17:19:00.001-05:002010-11-02T17:20:31.680-05:00E.l.f. Metallic Orange Konad + FB page!Out of all the Elf polishes I got from my aunt awhile back, this one was the one I wasn't quite sure about. I prefer to wear cool toned polishes over warm ones and in my experience orange doesn't look very good on me. This one really impressed me though. It's a metallic pumpkin orange with a pink glow to it. It's really hard to describe and unfortunately my pictures failed to capture it. You can kind of see it in a few of the pictures. I wanted to do some Konad so I used plate S06 and stamped a diagonal line pattern on my nails.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNCJVsIBcQI/AAAAAAAAAQA/PhV-7sfnZjs/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNCJVsIBcQI/AAAAAAAAAQA/PhV-7sfnZjs/s320/008.JPG" width="283" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNCJdBW5uVI/AAAAAAAAAQE/vmch0F_cyWg/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="234" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNCJdBW5uVI/AAAAAAAAAQE/vmch0F_cyWg/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Despite how much I love this colour, it was somewhat streaky and sheer. Three coats evened it out nicely though. I wanted to take a picture of this without Konad but by the time I remembered I had already stamped my left hand! So here is a somewhat awkward picture of my right hand. I'm pretty sure I'll never be photographing my right hand again.. I didn't even notice the bad chip on the middle finger so excuse that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNCKM-NOiFI/AAAAAAAAAQI/aaD812SK408/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TNCKM-NOiFI/AAAAAAAAAQI/aaD812SK408/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Pink flash still didn't show up but atleast you can see the pretty pumpkin orange colour! I'm holding my teal-ish pants in that picture, I thought it complemented the orange nicely.<br />
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I made a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lacquer-Love/162865843744148#%21/pages/Lacquer-Love/162865843744148?v=wall">page</a> on facebook! Feel free to "like" the page if you have a facebook. I thought it would be cool to get to talk to you without writing a blog post. I'm in the process of uploading all my current pictures on there and feel free to share your own manicures as well. =)<br />
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Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-16997857061778036562010-10-28T18:16:00.000-05:002010-10-28T18:16:26.277-05:00Autumn LeavesThe first time I ever did this layering combination was last summer, in May. I thought it looked perfect for fall and I recently remembered it. I love Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure, it transforms any colour and looks different depending on the base. Unfortunately, Hidden Treasure is discontinued, but you can buy GOSH Rainbow or Nubar 2010 to create the same look. Nfu-Oh might have a similar colour as well but I'm not sure. The base colour in this one is OPI Jade Is The New Black, one of my all time favourite greens.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMoCYePFKrI/AAAAAAAAAP4/JjqEKo1p41g/s1600/028+%282%29.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMoCYePFKrI/AAAAAAAAAP4/JjqEKo1p41g/s320/028+%282%29.JPG" width="313" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMoCgv8YSCI/AAAAAAAAAP8/vAbJ-r5_i6o/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMoCgv8YSCI/AAAAAAAAAP8/vAbJ-r5_i6o/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This combination actually looks best in the shade, which is why the effect isn't as obvious in the last picture. <br />
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On an unrelated note, I've been thinking about creating a facebook profile or page specifically for this blog. I thought it would be cool to get to talk to you more often, get your feedback on things, etc. I would like some opinions on this though.. Should I make a facebook profile or a facebook page? There are pros and cons to both but I'm leaning more towards the actual profile. I feel it would be more interactive that way. On the other hand, if I made a page I wouldn't have to log in to another profile all the time. I could still be logged on to my personal facebook page, all I would have to do is visit the page when I want to post something. Either way, let me know which one you think I should do!<br />
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Thanks for reading. =)<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-37228102973307160582010-10-26T17:43:00.001-05:002010-10-27T00:18:28.878-05:00Breast Cancer Awareness- Pink Ribbon Nail ArtI meant to post this a few days ago but I've been really busy lately. I had a huge essay on medieval times due. Anyway, I wanted to do a Breast Cancer Awareness manicure before October is over. I really liked this manicure, it is simple but people still realized what it stood for. I used Elf Metallic Pink for the base colour and L.A. Colors Art Deco Baby Pink for the dots. There are a variety of things you can use as a dotting tool, but I used a pencil for this manicure. Elf Metallic Pink was perfect in two coats and is a bright pink with a slight blue flash. It didn't have any brushstrokes and application was smooth.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMdU31G2nNI/AAAAAAAAAPw/gr3L1DjOgng/s1600/bca_bottle+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMdU31G2nNI/AAAAAAAAAPw/gr3L1DjOgng/s320/bca_bottle+copy.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMdVMvirBuI/AAAAAAAAAP0/oBpjkplbd_0/s1600/bca_forward.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TMdVMvirBuI/AAAAAAAAAP0/oBpjkplbd_0/s320/bca_forward.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This picture was taken after about 4-5 days of wear and this polish really held up well. I wore it without topcoat for 2 days and I didn't get any chips or tip wear. By day five I did get tip wear but it wasn't horrible. Pretty impressive for a polish that is only one dollar!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div>Here are a few facts about breast cancer:<br />
<ul><li>Ninety-six percent of women who find and treat breast cancer<b> early will be</b><b> cancer-free</b> after five years. </li>
<li>You are <b>never too young </b>to develop breast cancer! Breast Self-Exam should begin by the age of twenty. </li>
</ul><ul><li>Approximately 1400 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 2000 and 400 of those men will die.</li>
</ul>I was surprised by the last fact. Most people don't think about men getting breast cancer!<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4970984552154503458.post-31465743537972029312010-10-20T17:46:00.001-05:002010-10-20T23:30:16.239-05:00Topcoat Review: Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Topcoat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TL9l5CIYDZI/AAAAAAAAAO8/DI_LV49l2Vg/s1600/instadri1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tPp_eMZYQt8/TL9l5CIYDZI/AAAAAAAAAO8/DI_LV49l2Vg/s320/instadri1.JPG" width="312" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Recently I have been using Sally Hansen Insta Dri top coat. Ever since my Seche Vite began to thicken and bubble I decided to start trying different less hyped topcoats. I went to Walgreens specifically to purchase a yellow polish and saw a display of Insta Dri colours. Each colour was packaged with a free Insta Dri topcoat so I picked the package that contained Lightening. I wasn't sure this topcoat would be as quick drying as Seche Vite, but I was pleasantly surprised. It dried just as fast and had a similar shiny, glass like finish. This topcoat isn't as good for nail art and konad; the big brush makes it easier to smear nail art no matter how hard you try to prevent it.<br />
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The biggest downside to this topcoat is it gets thick, stringy, and bubbles. I started noticing this when the topcoat got down to where the word "Dri" is on the bottle. Karen (<a href="http://thekarend.blogspot.com/">Frazzle and Aniploish</a>) told me that nail polish thinner can remedy this issue. I'll probably be purchasing some for not only my topcoats but a few bottles of polish I own that could use thinning. All things considered, this topcoat is pretty good. I bought this at Walgreens and it costs around 3-4 dollars.Walgreens has sales on these periodically so sometimes they can be found for cheaper. Walmart and other drugstores also sell this line. This topcoat works perfectly to use before nail art. I usually put a layer of topcoat on before doing nail art/konad to make sure the base colour is completely dry. <br />
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Pros: Dries quickly, inexpensive, can be found at Walmart and drugstores, gives a smooth, glassy finish.<br />
Cons: Smears nail art and konad, thickens up towards the bottom of the bottle. <br />
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This would be a great topcoat for someone who didn't do nail art frequently, or for use before nail art. I wasn't expecting much out of this and was surprised at how well it worked. It also didn't thicken up as quickly as Seche Vite so you can get lots of use out of it before you need to add thinner. I have already picked out a new topcoat which I will review once I have used it for awhile. Before I review anything I will always use it for three weeks or use half the bottle, whichever comes first. I've already been using it for a week but its too soon to say anything yet.<br />
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If you have any ideas of a topcoat I could try out to review let me know! (Especially if you know or have heard that it is good for nail art.)<br />
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Have you tried this topcoat? What do you think of it?<br />
Peace and Love,<br />
SerenaSerenahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02906922664244921776noreply@blogger.com10