Butter London Two Fingered Salute: A Green and Copper Beauty

I lemmed this one so badly since it first came out. I know tons of people have posted swatches, but here are my pictures, taken with my phone. Just so you know, the copper flecks are totally visible in person, not only in closeups. Even the male banker complimented my nails on what a color cool it is. It's a great color, completely original, and you should definitely pick it up during the next Butter London sale (if $14 is too much for you to swallow, but it is worth it). I got this one during their F&F sale and it was such a deal! Two Fingered Salute can only be found at Nordstrom's or the Butter London web site. Onto the pictures, all two coats.

Butter London Two Fingered Salute

Butter London Two Fingered Salute

Butter London Two Fingered Salute

Macro. So Pretty!

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While I love nail art and glitter, this was so amazing, I simply could not touch it! I picked up quite a few Butter Londons during their F&F sale, so I hope you don't mind me showing you them. Do you have Two Fingered Salute already and do you love it as much as I do?

OPI Crown Me Already and Models Own Ibiza Mix Jelly Sandwich!

So, we are expecting snow here today. Sigh....here's a mani I thought up in my head and I loved it SO SO MUCH. 

First, I added one coat of Zoya Audrey, which is a sheer white-pink polish, part of the Peter Som set from last year (which I won from Pointless Cafe way too long ago and only finally used it). Then I used one thin coat (which is still pretty dense) of OPI Crown Me Already. I found this at CVS and with coupons, paid like $2 for it. I love it!

THEN I added one coat of Models Own Ibiza Mix, which my from the UK sent to me in April. It sat unopened and I considered selling it based on swatches online because I figured I had enough glitters like it. I did NOT and neither do you! You need this glitter. It is so amazing.

I kept going...I like to layer. I added a coat of Pure Ice Heartbreaker, one of my favorite sheer shimmers. You can't really see it in the pictures, but it person, it added such depth. Lastly, one more coat of Zoya Audrey, which turned the silver glitters white.

Because I did very thin layers on my polish, this was not as thick as it sounds and lasted 3 days before I simply wanted a change. It also dried quickly.

This was my first real jelly sandwich and now I'm addicted. And it kinda of reminds me of winter. And a super fabulous indie, except I created it with what I have. Don't forget to shop that stash!

OPI Crown Me Already/Models Own Ibiza Mix Jelly Sandwich

OPI Crown Me Already/Models Own Ibiza Mix Jelly Sandwich

OPI Crown Me Already/Models Own Ibiza Mix Jelly Sandwich

We've got copper, gold, and teal large hexes. Pink, gold, and blue smaller glitter. Silver glitter. Ibiza Mix is a must

One coat OPI Crown Me Already over one coat Zoya Audrey

Now with one coat Models Own Ibiza Mix

With one coat Pure Ice Heartbreaker. How amazing is it just like this?

One last beauty shot!

 Ok I will stop now! I just loved this combination so so much. Plus, I was feeling bogged down by dark colors on my nails and this brightened me up.

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My Thanksgiving Turkey Nails!

Soooo, I really have so many cool manicures to show you! The pictures are waiting to be posted! Sigh...

So short and sweet, here are my turkey day nails!! I started with a base of 2 coats of OPI Goldeneye. Then added one coat of Girly Bits Crunchy Leaves. Then I painted my turkeys. A day later, in the colors of the turkey feathers, I added dots.

Thanksgiving Turkey Nails

Thanksgiving Turkey Nails

Thanksgiving Turkey Nails

Indoors, it was very glowy.

Goldeneye with 2 coats.

 And for fun, here are last year's! Pardon my messy nails and awkward pose!

 
So if you do not already, follow me on Instagram (MichaK23) or Facebook! I have been posting more regularly over there, but I will try my hardest to post regularly.

OPI Ink Suede. Lemming Fulfilled!

My awesome polish friend Jen from My Nail Polish Obsession arranged a swap with me as she found some of my OPI suede lemmings! I can't tell you how amazing her side of the swap is, and I still owe her my end of the swap. I hope she loves it and doesn't slay me for being so late! I had planned on some shopping but alas, the hurricane consumed two weeks of my life and this week, I returned to work completely overwhelmed.

Anywho, I posted her swap package on my Facebook page, so make sure you "like" my page. It was matte/suede heaven.

I tried Ink Suede first because it was what I grabbed first. Two coats and it looked so cool. Of course, the suedes do not last as long as normal nail polish. What is weird is that I did not get tip wear but rather random parts of the middle of my nail chipping (see the last picture). I also was especially hard on my nails when I wore this as I had to empty out a refrigerator that had no power for days (boy, that was smelly and gross).

EDIT: Today is World Diabetes Day, and the color to represent it is blue. How perfect! Although with top coat Ink Suede leans purple, without top coat, it is definitely more blue!

I have a few more suedes to show you!

See what I mean about chipping in the middle of the nail?

Jade Deja Vu with Model's Own Hot Stuff

Hi there! Today I have one of my Breast Cancer Awareness Manis that I never got to post because of lost power. This one was really simple but made me smile because it was so fun.

I have two coats of Jade Deja Vu, an amazing holographic hot pink polish. No special base or top coat needed. It's amazing. Then I topped it with one coat of Model's Own Hot Stuff, one of the new Mirrorballs polishes. Guys, if you love glitter, you need these. I only bought two from the collection (actually wearing Disco Inferno right now) and seriously, I may need them all. They are so much more complex and gorgeous in person! Hot Stuff has pink microglitter, holographic diamonds and shard, and so many other glitter. Of course, the sun was in and out so my pictures are meh, but trust me, it's gorgeous. I'm not holo obsessed but this Jade was amazing.

I attempted to do a macro at the end. Please don't laugh.

Sunlight

Sunlight

Sunlight

Shade

With flash

Macro. Hopefully you can see the shapes better.

If you have not already, find me on Facebook! I purchased both of these polishes off Ninja Polish, a great e-tailer! Make sure to check them out.

Forever 21 Purple-Blue Glittery Goodness

And I'm back! I hope you didn't miss me much during my hiatus and I hope you understand why I needed a bit of a break. It didn't feel right for me to gush about polish while my state is still (and will be for quite some time) picking up the pieces of Hurricane Sandy. Today, I finally got back into the classroom and it felt good to be back!

While my home turned into an icebox, I grabbed a few polishes and fled to warmth. This was my first mani I did post-hurricane. While I do love a good Dior polish (just take a look at my Dior wish list haha), I am continuously impressed with the product I see at Forever 21. This is one of the polishes that just blew my mind.

The creatively titled "Purple Glitter" is way more than that. Purple and blue microglitter in a gorgeous shimmery lavender base. I decided not to layer this one. What you see is two coats. Not even bumpy in the slightest. Oh boy, I want to put this back on. And for $2.80? I may need a back up. This baby looks crazy different in different lighting. Hope you don't mind my too many pictures.

In the sunlight, a totally different shade of purple.

 Let's see that again:

Thanks for sticking with me while I deal with the aftermath of a storm we were entirely unprepared for. I still have some Breast Cancer Awareness and Halloween nails that I did that I didn't get to show you due to lack of power. Hope you don't mind me showing them, because really, we should be aware of cancer all year long and well, Halloween is just damn cool.

After the Hurricane...

If you are a new follower, or you simply did not know, I live right outside of NYC, in the metropolitan New Jersey area. While we did prep for Hurricane Sandy, we never expected anything like this to happen. My family only just received power last night (8 days). My uncle's car was swimming down the street. My apartment was in a city that was on lockdown with no water. The towns and cities had a curfew of 6pm. My sister in NYC was flooded in, as the FDR Drive turned into the East RIver. These things are real and they happen. They happen in an area that normally does not receive such weather.

I listened to the 115 mph wind gusts and knew the destruction would be monumental. Thankfully, besides some lost trees and a car, my family lucked out. No power for 8 days was a gift compared to losing entire homes and even lives.

I needed a small break from polish, not only because I literally was in the darkness and because I was helping my family clean up the mess from the Hurricane, but also because I felt extreme guilt from even thinking about nail polish. Nail polish is a comfort for me, and right now, my area is suffering from so much discomfort. The pictures of the Jersey shore, where I spent so many days of my summer, washed into the Atlantic Ocean, broke me heart and made me realize just how unprepared my region is for weather such as Sandy.

I will be back within a few days. I have many NOTDs but unfortunately, could not finish the Halloween challenges due to the weather. We are expected to get another storm tomorrow, and I hope it is one that is more manageable as my state (and New York) needs time to recover from this recent disaster.

If you live close by, or know the areas, I urge you to donate whatever you can. My boyfriend and I put together a huge box of warm clothing, food, and water to help. Anything can help.