Untried Polish Challenge - Day 2 (Two Colors)!

Welcome back everyone! Sorry for the late post, it's been a busy day. I'll try to keep it short. Today is the second day of our Untried Polish Challenge Created by Jo from Just Add Polish. So far it's so much fun! It's great looking through my stash and trying colors I love, but never tried. What makes it even more fun is how many ladies have joined in on the frivolity. Check out the list below, it just keeps growing. Right to it then!

Outside - Sunlight

Outside - Shade

Inside - Flash

Here I used Venique Golden Age of Beauty as the base and the accent nail. I put on striping tape and then painted over with Illamasqua Muse and used a dotting tool to finish off once again with the gold. As far as the polishes go Golden Age went on a little streaky, as you can sort of see in some of the pictures, but I love the tone of this gold and it only took 2 coats. Muse was pretty much perfect. Opaque in one coat and the formula was amazing. Couldn't be happier with it and I'll definitely be using it again soon!!

Here is the how the challenge goes

Remember to check out the other awesome ladies and their awesome art too!

~ Masha at Lost in Lacquer ~

~ Jonochi at Just Add Polish ~

~ Amanda at Designer Nail Accents ~

~ Amy at Fancy Side ~

~ Sam at Polished Art ~

~ Lizajane at Organic Neglect ~

~ Blueberry Pie at Blueberry Nails ~

~ Kristina at Lacquer Fetish ~

Thanks for reading and until next time!!

~Love Raine

Untried Polish Challenge - Day 1 (One Color)!

Hey Everyone!  Today marks the first day of a new era…….just kidding. Though today is the first day that I am starting a new nail challenge! YAY! This challenge was created by the wonderfully talented Jonochi at Just Add Polish, and if you ask me it’s a brilliant idea! How this challenge works is; you’re not allowed to use any polish you’ve used before, untried polishes only. Since so very MANY in my collection have gone untried, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to stray away from the ones I usually grab. What makes this even more exciting is that we’ve got a whole group of ladies participating with us! Talk about motivation!! You all will have to stay tuned until the end of the post to see just who these lovely ladies are, along with the challenge rules and list of themes. Thanks Jo for coming up with such a great idea!!

The first day called for just one polish, one color, you have never used before. I didn’t feel like just doing a color swatch, so here is my one color nail art! Enjoy!

Inside - Flourescent light

 

Inside - Flash

So yes, if you look at these two very different lightings it looks like I have completely different polishes on. Honestly neither of these does this color justice! For these I used Venique Wrapped in Jewels.  If you look up swatches of this I hope you will see that it is a lot more purple toned with kind of a blue duo depending on the lighting. The flash clearly took away any hint of purple, but in the fluorescent light you can’t see any blue or shine. Yes, I desperately need a light box! It is on my extensive to do list currently. Not only did I do and take these in the middle of the night, but I kind of rushed (sorry for the imperfections, I was SO tired!) a light box will definitely solve this problem. SOON! I promise!! :D Haha rant over. I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next day of the challenge on Wednesday.

The rules are simple! You need at least 19 untried polishes, you can define untried anyway you like, and then HAVE FUN! You can do the challenge days in any order that you’d like. This is a great challenge for those of us a little busier around this time of year. Very chill and relaxed.

Remember to check out the other awesome ladies and their awesome art too!

~ Masha at Lost in Lacquer ~

~ Jonochi at Just Add Polish ~

~ Amanda at Designer Nail Accents ~

~ Amy at Fancy Side ~

~ Sam at Polished Art ~

~ Lizajane at Organic Neglect ~

Oh and PS! This definitely doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the “30 Day” challenge. It has clearly been way over 30 days and those posts are sporadic as it is. I will just be completing that in between this Challenge. Also, for those of you still reading ;), I will be having a GIVEAWAY soon to celebrate the end of the school year and the coming of Summer! YAY!

~Love Raine



Galaxy Nails! Version 2.0!!

Hello everyone! I had so much fun with this manicure! Yeah, it took longer than usual, but the result was so worth it. I don't want to take it off! GAH!!! So without further adieu I will get right into the good stuff! Enjoy!!!

Outside - Sunlight

Outside - Flash

Inside - Flash

I'm not going to go into many details  on how I got these done. If I did I would have to do a separate tutorial for each nail. Really, I just wanted to do a different version of galaxy nails (since I see so many people do it so similarly.) Most of it is done freehand with a very fine paint brush, and then some sponge gradient and use of my dotting tool. For the base I used Color Club Beyond, a gorgeous black holo that radiantly stands out in the sunlight, even though you can't really see in these photos. For the rest I used an assortment of polish colors and acrylic paint (I'll list the polish below, though you can really use whatever colors, it doesn't really make a difference.)

• Teal: China Glaze Aquadelic
• Blue: Cosmetic Arts - Doesn't say a name :(
• Red: American Apparel Nail Lacquer Lipstick
• Pink: China Glaze Dance Baby
• Orange: China Glaze Peachy Keen
• Periwinkle: OPI You're Such a Budapest
• Cream: Zoya Jacqueline
• L. Purple: Orly Purple Pleather
• D. Purple: Zoya Perrie

To get inspiration on doing something different with my galaxy nails I googled "Galaxy" and "Galaxy Art" and "Planets" and other things to find inspiration for the designs I wanted to do. As a bonus, here are the pics I pulled inspiration from: 

I hope you all enjoyed today's post! Until next time, take care!

~Love Raine

   

Lost in Lacquer NEW (Downton Abbey inspired) Collection review!!

Hello everyone! Today I'm doing my first official polish collection review!  Beware, this is extremely picture heavy and probably my longest post to date, but Worth It!! I hope to have many more in the future, but we all have to start somewhere :). Today's Collection is also a first. It's the first collection done by Masha from Lost in Lacquer. To see her original post and swatches just click here! Her collection is inspired by all the lovely ladies (Plus one very handsome gentleman) in the PBS Masterpiece classic; Downton Abbey. This is a beautiful collection and I recommend it right off the bat, enjoy the review! Below each of my opinions I'll put what Masha wrote about her polishes. Warning this post contains SPOILERS from the series!!

Outside - Sunlight

Sample Bottle

Inside - Flash

Light Box

Sunlight

Bloody Mary: Two coats, This is a gorgeous slightly metallic red color with slightly copperish gold duochrome. The formula here was nearly perfect! It was pretty much opaque with one coat, but I put on a second for luck ;). It's very unique and I definitely don't have anything like it in my entire extensive collection!

"Blood Mary. Two coats. Named both for its color and the fate of Lady Mary's lovers, this regal red and copper duochrome is accented with a slight red shimmer fitting her feisty personality."

Outside - Sunlight

Sample Bottle

Inside - Flash

Light Box

Outside

Edith Alone: Two coats. This is a very light silver which is a subtle, but gorgeous holo. The holo isn't extreme inside, but as soon as it hits the sun it's beautiful and has awesome pink and white undertones. It's surprisingly different than any other holo I've used. The formula isn't as good as Bloody Mary, but still pretty dang great! Easily smoothed with the second coat. I love it and it would be a perfect addition to anyone's collection!

"Edith Alone. Two coats. After a string of romantic misfortunes, Lady Edith still dreams of the day when she finds her companion. The white and pink undertones of this silver polish are symbolic of her status as a maiden and are contrasted by the holographic particles, which mark the hope for a more romantic future."

Outside - Sunlight

Sample Bottle

Inside - Flash

Light Box

Outside

A Hint of Sybil: Three coats. Oh my, I didn't know how I felt about this color at first, but as soon as it hit my nails I was in love. It's the perfect mixed milk chocolate color with an added hint of uniqueness from the blue flakes scattered throughout! the formula is more sheer, but that's expected from the jelly texture of the polish. I want!!

"A Hint of Sybil. Three coats. This chocolate brown shade contains a blue flakie shimmer which represents Lady Sybil's uniquely lively attitude and borrows some inspiration from her (in)famously feminist frock."

Outside - Sunlight

Sample Bottle

Inside - Flash

Light Box

Outside

Countess Cora: Three coats. This could have definitely been a two coater, but I decided to go with three for full color intensity. I love this vampy purple color so much, I really didn't want to take it off. I probably wouldn't have if it wasn't for the fact that I was already procrastinating on my swatches, of dear :P. The gold in this polish is just lovely! I would say this is definitely not as good a formula as the rest of the polishes in this collection, but that is not at all saying it was bad! I know you'll all love this as much as I did!

"Countess Cora. Three coats. Lady Grantham is generally far less dramatic than her young daughters, both in character and fashion. This dark plum jelly contains a classic golden shimmer fitting of a mother's maturity."

Outside - Sunlight

Sample Bottle

Inside - Light Box

Light Box

Outside

Vintage Violet: Three coats. As you can see this is the only color I took in a light box and with a full size bottle. This is the first swatch I did at Masha's house before going home with the sample bottles. I will admit the first coat was slightly streaky on this but it completely smoothed out and went opaque with the second coat. I put the third on purely for color intensity! In hind thought I should have shown you a comparison of 2 and 3 coats. This is, for sure, one of the most unique colors I have ever seen! It's evergreen jelly base is complemented wonderfully by the purple shimmer. This is another one I just didn't want to take off!

"Vintage Violet. Three coats. One definition of vintage describes someone who is characterized by excellence, maturity, and enduring appeal. What better way to pay homage to these great qualities of the Dowager Countess of Grantham than to wear this emerald green jelly packed with violet shimmer?"

Outside - Sunlight

Sample Bottle

Inside - Flash

Light Box

Outside

Matthew's Blues: Two coats. This is most definitely a two coater, though again you could probably even get away with one. This was the last color I swatched and I ended up wearing it for some time after, it's so pretty. Every time I see this color I like it more. If possible it's even better in person. It's a light blue duochrome that has some whitish and almost pink undertones. I see so much potential for nail art in this polish, it can be worn casual or dressy, or really for any occasion. You should all get it! Peer Pressure!!

"Matthew's Blues. Two coats. Admittedly not someone who would ever wear nail polish, this bonus shade is dedicated to Matthew Crawley's memory. This blue based duochrome is inspired by Matthew's stunning blue eyes and the feeling of blue that overcomes his family (and me) when they think of his untimely death."

After reviewing this collection I have come to one conclusion; I want them ALL in my stash!! I would say My favorites are Vintage Violet, Countess Cora, and Matthew's Blues in no particular order. Though I love them all and it's hard to choose (clearly since I chose half the collection.) I pleasantly surprised at the formula on all of these considering it's a brand new indie brand and predict much future popularity!  If any of you would like to own one of these polishes for yourself you can visit Masha's Etsy Shop while supplies last. I'm sure you can all convince her to make more!

While I'm on the topic of Masha, might as well tell you all that's she's also hosting a stellar GIVEAWAY! Enter to win your very own  DS Sapphire! This polish is discontinued and is very expensive on ebay, so this may be your only chance ;).  the giveaway is open until April 10th at 12:00 am EST.

Thank you all so much for reading an tolerating this extremely long post! Until next time!

~Love Raine