Showing posts with label black. Show all posts
Showing posts with label black. Show all posts

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Do I Need a Loub-otomy? Christian Louboutin Rouge Louboutin Swatches & Review

Nothing to Disclose



Yeah. I did it. I didn't mean to, it just sort of...happened. I feel a little nauseated, a little giddy, and a little guilty. I just wanted to look at it. To hold it. I shouldn't have brought my purse. When I reached the apex of that moving sidewalk in front of the Venetian Sephora, my heart skipped a beat...maybe two. I was within feet of having my hands on a bottle of the first nail polish from fabulous shoe designer Christian Louboutin. You know, to hold. Not to buy.

My first mistake was applying it to a single nail...at first. Then I found my way to the Nail Studio...I had to try this stuff on naked nails, surely it couldn't be a one coat red, could it? I removed the Elevation Polish Yeti Finds an Oasis that I've had on my nails for the last couple of days and sped back toward the entrance, where there was a glorious display of those spiked bottles of red awesomeness. I don't think I have to tell you the rest of the story, I think it's fairly obvious where this is going! :-P

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I'm not partial to reds. There are a few standouts, but on the whole, I'd rather spend my money on other colors. So why, you ask, was I so entranced by this red? I'm not going to lie. It was the packaging. I'm SUCH a sucker for great packaging, and this is GREAT packaging. It's sexy, dangerous, and sleek, and is a polish that is definitely not going to live inside a Helmer (not to mention the fact that it wouldn't really fit!).

I will admit, that even with the astronomical price tag, I was expecting a microscopic bottle. I was wrong, it's a fairly decent sized bottle which contains .4 fl oz of polish vs. a .5 fl oz bottle of Seche. The formula, as I mentioned above, is quite opaque, and I was able to obtain full coverage in one coat. For the pictures in this post I used one coat of polish and NO top coat. It is REALLY that shiny.






Let's address the price. Yes, it's expensive. Yes, it should paint my nails, and then buy me dinner for that price. I'll be the first to admit that I probably shouldn't have purchased it, but I have little to no willpower, especially when two of my favorite things collide–nail polish and shoes. Who knows, I may have buyer's remorse when I wake up tomorrow at 4:45 am for work, but maybe not, because dammit, I'm worth it.

This nail lacquer can be purchased at select Sephora stores and at Sephora.com, as well as Saks 5th Avenue, and Christian Louboutin boutiques for $50 USD.

What do you think? Would you have splurged on it? HAVE you splurged on it? Do I need a 'loub'-otomy? Tell me in the comments below!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Proof of Concept(tion)

Nothing to DisclosePress Sample



Holy cow. Today I celebrate the 12th anniversary of my 21st birthday. In other words...I'm now 33. Woah. Were you like me all those years ago as a dorky girl in my early teens looking up to those 30-year-olds you knew, thinking how impossibly cool (and old) they were? Yeah, now I'm beginning my 4th year of BEING one. Lucky for me, I don't feel my age...unless you count the tendonitis in both of my elbows from serving, and the fact that when I move (anything), I make a cacophony of creaks and cracks.

Anyway, to celebrate this blessed? day... I decided to do a non-conventional design on my nails...I really went back allll the way to the beginning...you know, somewhere in Aug/Sept 1980. :-D

Please excuse my thumb wound, Homer the Land Shark got me while we were playing...


moonicure monday, proof of concept(ion), nail art

moonicure monday, proof of concept(ion), nail art

moonicure monday, proof of concept(ion), nail art




Thursday, April 10, 2014

This Isn't Real…

Nothing to Disclose


Two words— Theo. James. Not the only reason to go see Divergent, but definitely the most aesthetically pleasing one. :-D Yum. I'm not ashamed, I totally went and saw this the first night it was in theaters, and even painted my friend Nikki's nails in the theater with the Divergent nail polish set from Sephora. The movie isn't one of award-winning cinema, but it's fairly decent for what it is. Decent enough that I went to see it a second time, though that was probably due more to the extremely handsome male lead than the plot line. I did this nail art for the second viewing of the movie, it's the bird tattoo that Tris gets on her collarbone.

This Isn't Real nail art, divergent, birds, Tris

This Isn't Real nail art, divergent, birds, Tris


I used:

Nude: Deborah Lippmann Naked
Black: American Apparel Hassid

Basecoat: Formula X basecoat
Topcoat: Seche Vite topcoat

Have you seen the Divergent movie? What did you think? And let's talk Theo James (aka Four)...I'd love to read your thoughts in the comments below! :D


Sunday, March 23, 2014

Morgan Taylor Glam Rock Swatches & Review


Morgan Taylor Glam Rock nail art

My first introduction to Morgan Taylor was this past summer at Cosmoprof, and man, what a color selection! Today's post is a review of their Winter 2014 collection–Glam Rock. These are colors fit for a punk rock princess; silver, black, duochrome, it has a little everything for the chic girl on the go! Most of the colors are pretty pigmented, and the ones that aren't build very nicely!

Check out my photos and review after the jump!



Morgan Taylor Glam Rock Polished Up Punk swatch

Morgan Taylor Glam Rock Polished Up Punk swatch 2

Morgan Taylor Polished Up Punk

Rich navy blue creme

Rich and pigmented, this polish was a dream to apply! As you can see by my index finger, This polish pretty darn opaque, and I didn't have any staining like I have in the past with blues like this. 

Opacity scale (1-5): 4

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque






Morgan Taylor Pretty Wild

Purple-toned greige

Another pigmented one, this polish is a chic take on neutral! The more cremes from this brand I try, the more impressed I am. This color makes me think of a snuggly cashmere sweater for some reason. 

Opacity scale (1-5): 4

Finish: Creme, 2 coats to be opaque







Morgan Taylor Little Misfit

Lavender to Green Duochrome

OK, so this one is sheer. Really sheer. However, it builds to a beautiful pearly color that I have to admit that I was expecting to like so much. I really like this color! Look at that bottle shot, he duochrome is pretty, right?

Opacity scale (1-5): 1.5

Finish: Duochrome, 3-4 coats to be opaque








Morgan Taylor Rebel With a Cause

Deep berry with red and purple shimmer

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you already know that red/wine/pink polishes aren't really my bag. I like them on others, just not on me. While this color falls in that category it's actually a pretty cool color. The purple and red shimmer sets it off and makes it something different (and better) than just your average berry-colored polish. 

Opacity scale (1-5): 3

Finish: Shimmer, 2 coats to be opaque








Morgan Taylor Studs and Stilettos

Black jelly base with silver glitter

This one was fairly sheer too, but built really nicely. Shown is 3 coats but I very likely could have gotten away with 2. Very Glam Rock! Looks like granite from a distance.

Opacity scale (1-5): 1.5

Finish: Glitter, 2-3 coats to be opaque








Morgan Taylor Better in Leather

Black with large and smell silver hex glitter

I like this one. I like the feel of a jelly without the visible nail line, and I feel like you get that with this polish! Kinda rad, right? Makes me think of a jelly sandwich manicure. The best part? Only two coats to be opaque. 

Opacity scale (1-5): 2

Finish: Glitter, 2 coats to be opaque


So what do you think? Is Glam Rock music to your...nails? Tell me in the comments below!

Morgan Taylor products are (to my knowledge) currently only available to professionals at CosmoProf and other professional only stores. If that changes, I'll let you know!

Disclosure: Products in this post were provided for review by the manufacturer. See the legal page disclosure for more information.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Bring that Bling!


Every once in a while, I feel like doing something that doesn't involve a nail art brush and several colors, and today/tonight was one of those times. In a twist of perfect fate, the bronze nail art jewels that Maria of Cult Nails sent in that fantabulous care package a while back inspired me to do a black and bronze gem-encrusted manicure. Figuring that all 10 nails might be a tad over the top, I decided to paint my fingertips with black polish, and do ring finger and thumb accent nails. Just enough bling to satisfy my need for sparkle at the end of two very mentally taxing days. I know I'm not generally one to wear glued on nail accessories/gems/whatnot, but this idea got in my head and I just couldn't shake it, so I went for it. I had tiny black Swarovski crystals left over from my Vegas showgirl Halloween costume a few years ago, and luckily I kept them- who knew that instead of ending up on my boobs, they'd end up on my nails?

The black I used for this manicure was also a Cult Nails product- Nevermore. I know I rave about American Apparel Hassid, and while I'll still keep that one around for my nail art, this Cult Nails polish will replace it for full nail coverage. :D This manicure was ONE. COAT, and it dried glossy as all hell. Now I have to figure out what to do with my 10 remaining bottles of Hassid. :-D More nail art?

I should mention that the bronze gems are far brighter in person, I just could NOT get a good picture of them!

Bring that Bling!

Bring that Bling! (2)

Bring that Bling! (3)

Bring that Bling! (4)

I used:

Black: Cult Nails Nevermore
Multi-sized Bronze rhinestones from Cult Nails
Jet 7s Swarovski crystals

Basecoat: Seche Vite basecoat


Quoth the raven, bling some more!


Sunday, September 16, 2012

Earning My Stripes


Totally lazy weekend. LA-ZY! We watched 2/3 of the Back to the Future trilogy, I read a book, and I swatched the Deceptive collection. (have to re-swatch, my photos were crap) While in the backyard with the hound today, Chris and I caught a peek of a lizard in our rubber tree. Super cool lookin' dude, even saw him poop. In fact, it barely missed me. lol Exciting stuff, right? It must've been wildlife day in our yard, because there were also a couple rad looking red and black millipedes. Photos of both Izzy the Lizard and Milly Pede at the end of the post. :)

Homer has been a bit of a pill tonight, someone nearby keeps shooting off fireworks. Each time one explodes, he jumps, then runs from my lap to Chris' (or vice versa). It's like an exploding game of musical chairs. He's a nut. He hates thunder too. Poor thing can't climb far enough into my lap, and he trembles so much! I feel bad for the little man. :-P However, his scaredy-cat-ness has caused this post to take about 4 times the time it normally does. He keeps sitting on the trackpad.

Anyway. Let's talk nails.

Prepare for Totally 80s. At least that's what it reminds me of. I could totally see one of Robert Palmer's girls rockin' it, you know? Don't get me wrong- Totally 80s is totally cool by me. :D I'm completely in love with striping tape masking these days! So much easier!




I used:

Basecoat: Seche Vite basecoat

Creature Feature:




Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Talkin' About Blah, Blah, Blah


Ever have one of those days where you're super tired, and no ideas come to mind? Today was one of those days for me, but I turned it around– I found inspiration in NOT being inspired!

Here in India there are these little bastards called Indian Palm Squirrels. They squeak– incessantly. They also have little to no concept of time, because they squeak at night, during the day, and my personal favorite: at 6:00 in the morning. Now imagine that you have a dog that just LOVES his squeaky toy (I have one of those too-one who, much like the squirrel, also has little to no concept of time), and chooses to squeak the damn thing non-stop for hours on end. That's how it feels to endure the Indian Palm Squirrels, except there is no puppy-like cuteness to counteract the obnoxiousness of the squeaking. Never in my life have I ever wanted a slingshot more– I get precious little sleep, and if it's brutally stolen from me, I get mean. Damn squirrels.

Anyway, I digress. Today's nail art is literally kind of BLAH. (several kinds of blah, to be precise) I actually really like how this turned out, and I hope you do too!!




I used:

Light Grey: Nubar Marble Tower
Medium Grey: FingerPaints Stunning Stilettos
Dark Grey: Nubar Stronghold
Topcoat: Seche Vite topcoat
Basecoat: Seche Vite basecoat


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Striped With Sophistication


I loooove sales. Love them. I love the thrill, the hunt, the attack. Why is this relevant, you ask? Well, let me tell you! Recently, I received an email in my Inbox like I'm sure several of you did, informing me of a Surprise Sale at Kate Spade. I love Kate Spade. I love the bright colors, the patterns, the simplicity. How could I pass up just a little peek? I couldn't, of course. I mean, for all intents and purposes, I'm broke. (I need to tell myself this so I can manage to save money—something that's hard for me!) :) Anyway, I did sneak a little peek, and while my (Kate Spade) wallet can sigh a little sigh of relief because I didn't buy anything, I came away from the website with some inspiration for a few new nail art ideas! :) Some are color combinations, some are patterns, some just made something else click in my head that was completely unrelated. So you're thinking, 'Hey Melissa...get to the point.' Right? OK, OK! Sheesh! :-D

Today's nail art was actually a color combination that I was inspired by. I thought it looked classy and elegant, but it had that awesome pop of color that I love so damn much! Well anywhoo- here ya go:


I used:

Topcoat - Seche Vite

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

All Things Being Equal


A while back after seeing some super awesome nail striping tape manicures, I decided to order some striping tape from eBay (the easiest place to order nail art things here in India). This design kinda hit me today, and I have absolutely NO IDEA where it came from, but it DOES use striping tape! The only other tool required is a cosmetic sponge! The thumb nail turned out to be my favorite, since it was the easiest to apply the tape to. I sponged the gradient first (over my yellow base color), then after that dried I applied a zillion strips of striping tape and painted the exposed nail black. Fairly easy, right?!  The hardest part is making sure the stripes are evenly spaced...or dare I say 'equal'? Get it—because its an equalizer?! *groan*




I used:

Orange: Zoya Arizona
Clear topcoat: Seche Vite
striping tape



Saturday, August 4, 2012

A Dash to the Finish Line


So I know I've been posting a lot of tutorials lately, and not as much nail art, so I decided to post something other than a flag today!! :-D  (Speaking of, are there any that you want to see? I have a few requests already, but I'll get to them!  :) )

It always amazes me how designs change even while I'm painting them. This design originated as dashes of all the same length in white over black, with an occasional red accent dash. It eventually evolved to different lengths of white dashes on back creating a wave-ish pattern with no red. Finally, I added color to each nail, making a sort of rolling gradient across the dashes. In retrospect, I wish I would've stuck to one color family for the entire manicure, instead of a different one on each nail. The orange and blue nails were my favorites...maybe I could've done an orange palette with a blue accent nail? (or vice versa?) Maybe next time?




I used:

Black: American Apparel Hassid
White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Dark Orange: CND Electric Orange
Medium Orange: Zoya Arizona
Yellow: American Apparel Manila
Dark Green: American Apparel Hunter
Medium Green: CND Green Scene
Light Green: Sally Hansen Grass Slipper
Dark Teal: American Apparel Peacock
Medium Teal: Zoya Robyn
Light Blue: American Apparel American Denim
Dark Purple: Zoya Pinta
Medium Purple: American Apparel Imperial Purple
Light Purple: American Apparel L Esprit
Dark Red: CND Bloodline
Bright Red: China Glaze Hey Sailor
Pink: Zoya Shelby
Topcoat: Seche Vite


Monday, July 30, 2012

Olympic Rings Tutorial!


So I'm going to be doing a series of tutorials for the Olympics, and this is the first one! :) I decided to get into the tutorial spirit, and get my ass in gear. Unfortunately my internet disagrees. It takes a full hour to upload a 4.5 minute video! Awesome right?

Anyway, I hope you like the first in my Olympics-themed Nail Art Tutorial Series!



Friday, July 27, 2012

Passing the Torch


I'm not sure if you guys know this, but there is a sports competition of OLYMPIC proportions that starts...tonight. Will you be watching the millions of hours of television coverage that they're sure to show? Are you super excited about the opening ceremonies? From rumors I've heard, I'm SO excited. I realllly hope that they're true! I'm one of those people that pretty much only watches the opening and closing ceremonies... I know what you're thinking—She's a communist! Right?! Nah, every once in a while I'll watch the events, it really boils down to what else is on TV, and how lazy I am at that time. Horrible, I know.

Anyway, with all the Olympic fever going around, I felt the pressure to do an Olympic-themed nail design, but I knew it had to be...different. I thought about it, and came up with this:

Photobucket

And the non-animated version:



I love how Big Ben/Clock Tower/Elizabeth Tower turned out!


And to show you my 'registration mark' to help with lining up the animation pictures.


I used:

White: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear White On
Black: American Apparel Hassid
Red: Acrylic paint
Blue: Acrylic paint
Blue (ring): Ultra Pro Blue Blaze
Green: CND Green Scene
Orange: CND Electric Orange
Yellow: American Apparel Manila
Light Blue: American Apparel American Denim
Tan: Finger Paints Catwalk Queen mixed with OPI Suzi Likes Cowboys
Grey: Nubar Stronghold
Topcoat: Seche Vite

Animating on nails is a pain in the ass. I must've repainted them a million times!