Claire's Candy Shop

     When I heard that Claire's Candy Shop nail polish was a dupe for the highly expensive Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop, I quickly ran out to Claire's to see what all the fuss was about. You can see swatches of the Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop here. I think both of them look pretty similar. Plus, I don't think it's a "coincidence" that the polishes are both named Candy Shop. Subtle. ☺

       Claire's Candy Shop is multi-colored and multi-sized glitter suspended in a milky pink base. This polish is absolutely gorgeous and unique. Shown below are two coats of Candy Shop on my friend's little girl Abigail. Doesn't she have such cute, tiny nails? ☺

     What do you think of Candy Shop? You can find these at Claire's for $5.50, and they are normally 'Buy One, Get One Half Off.' 

Black and Nude Half Moon Nails

     How has everyone's weekend been? Mine was good; I had a girls' night on Friday and then went to a Chili Dinner/Talent Show Fundraiser on Saturday and hung out with my friends that night, too.
     I have been wanting to do another half moon manicure for a while now, and I was interested in seeing what black polish and nude nails would look like together. First, let me show you what I used to do my half moon manicure:

     I bought the hole punch reinforcements at Hobby Lobby, and I took a single sticker and put it at the bottom of my nail like in the picture below:

     I would recommend cutting the sticker in half, so that you can use it twice. After I had the sticker pressed down well, I painted the Wet N Wild 424 Black Creme on the rest of the nail. This black polish is one of the best blacks I have every used because I only needed one coat for this manicure, and it was perfectly opaque. If you are looking for the perfect black nail polish, I say you run to your local pharmacy and pick this one up! 

     After I painted the black polish on the rest of the nail, I would slowly peel the sticker off, and this is what I was left with:

     If you look closely, you can see that the half moon line is not perfectly even. I would recommend making sure you press the sticker down really well so that no polish can seep underneath the sticker. Finally, I topped my nails off with a coat of Seche Vite. 

     I was extremely happy with how this manicure turned out. I really like how the black looks against my bare nail, and half moon manicures make your fingers look longer, too. I had a lot of people asking me about my nails this weekend, and it really wasn't that hard to do. You just have to have some patience, so I did this manicure while I was watching The Office this past Thursday night. By the way, can you believe what that Kathy girl was trying to get Jim to do? I can't wait until Pam finds out. ☺

 The picture below shows my mood ring while it was changing colors. So cool!

What do you think about half moon manicures? Have you ever tried one? 

Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby

     Happy Saturday to everyone! Before we get to the polish, I just want to say a big Thank You to my cousin Taylar for designing this awesome new logo at the top of my blog. I love it! Taylar, thank you for reading this crazy blog and for caring! ♥
     And onto the polish...    
     Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby is one of my favorite red polishes, as you can tell from how much is already used from the bottle in the pictures. My friend Amanda let me paint her nails, and she always likes reds, so I am glad she picked one of my favorites. ☺
     Ruby Ruby has a slight jelly finish, but two coats make it wonderfully opaque. This polish is so easy to apply, and the consistency is great for a flawless application. Ruby Ruby dries really shiny, although I used Seche Vite, also, on Amanda's nails for a top coat. Ruby Ruby is red, but it does have pinkish undertones to it. The great thing about Sinful Colors is that they are so cheap at $1.99 (often on sale for 99 cents), and you can readily find them at Walgreens.
     What do you think? This is another classic red manicure; it's great for February. Do you have a favorite red polish?

Zoya Crystal

     Zoya Crystal was originally part of the Zoya Fire & Ice Collection from 2010. Crystal is a light blue turquoise shimmer that has gold shimmer speckled throughout. The contrast between the turquoise and gold shimmer really makes this color unique!
     I want to say thanks to my hand model Mary S for letting me paint her nails with Crystal. :) I definitely needed two coats to make this color opaque, and I did use a third coat on some of the nails to get rid of some bald spots. This color is very shimmery, and very Mermaid-esque!
     Check out the pictures below!

 The picture below is blurred so you can see the gold shimmer.

 The picture below is with flash.

What do you think? Do you like Zoya polish??

Revlon Chili

     Revlon Chili has been sitting in my nail polish stash for me to try out for months now, and I'm so glad I finally did. Chili is a part of Revlon's Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel line, and it is a bright red that leans more towards orange than blue. Chili applied brilliantly; it was two effortless coats of color. It has somewhat of a jelly finish because I can see some visible nail line and it has that "rock candy" look to it. Chili also dries really quickly, too. This color just screams summer to me. No matter how many unique colors of nail polish are in the industry today, red will always be a classic manicure. I always feel like I'm channeling the 1950s when I wear red nail polish. (For a really interesting history on nail polish, click here.) 
     So, there you have it. If you are looking for an inexpensive, warm, summer red to buy, check this baby out. I got it at CVS for around $5. But you can almost always find them on sale. I can't wait to try out some "jelly-sandwiches" with this color. :)

 Outside (Sorry, it was a cloudy day!)

 The picture below was taken indoors.

Sinful Colors Cinderella

     Did everyone have a good Presidents' Day? It was so weird, for me, because I actually had the day off from work! I get most holidays off, now, with my new job. So it was a nice change because I had worked in a big retail store for seven years, where holidays off were unheard off unless it was Christmas and (most of the time) Thanksgiving. Luckily, my husband was off, too, so we were able to do "fun" married things, like go get groceries. lol
      Anyway, most of you know that last week all the Sinful Colors nail polish was on sale at Walgreens for 99 cents. Friday, I went in to Walgreens to see if there were any good colors I don't have. After ringing out with the cashier for the few that I bought, I passed by the Sinful Colors display again, and lo and behold, there was a color that I had never seen before. As I picked it up to inspect it, I noticed that it was the perfect baby blue with (what?) pink and gold shimmer!! I quickly grabbed the bottle and cashed out again, happy that I was able to find one of the most unique colors I had ever seen. :)
     Sinful Colors Cinderella is really what I would imagine Cinderella's dress to look like. When I look (gaze lol) at this color, it's like fairy tales and cotton candy all packaged into a little glass bottle for me to stare at and love. A little dramatic, yes, but I'm just trying to get across to you how beautiful this color is! lol
     Cinderella took about 3 coats to get opaque without any streaking. It was a little difficult to get the polish even enough on the nail to eliminate patchiness, but the result was definitely worth it! I would say this is my favorite nail polish this year, so far! And it was only 99 cents!!
     Take a look at the pictures below.

     The shimmer is subtle, but really pretty. What do you think of this color? Do you have a favorite polish so far, this year?

 

Butter London West End Wonderland

     I have only tried one Butter London polish in my life, so far, and that is because they cost a whopping $14 each at Ulta and other retailers. However, I had some bonus points on my Beauty.com membership, so I decided to get Butter London West End Wonderland and try it out. West End Wonderland is packed full of gold glitter,and if you look closely, you will see the bashful red glitter peaking through. This polish is so sparkly; you would really need to see this one in person. It is perfect for the holidays, and for all year-round if you love glitter!

   
     After a few days, I decided to do some tape nail art. I used two pieces of tape to make a V, and then I painted over the tape with Sinful Colors Black on Black. When I pulled the tape off, I had the shape below, and I really loved this manicure, even though the V shapes weren't all the same size. lol It looks like I have claws.

     What do you think? Have you ever tried a tape manicure?

Pa-Pa-Pa Poker Nails, Pa-Pa Poker Nails!

      A while back I bought some poker-themed nail stickers at Sally Beauty Supply, so I used one to extend a manicure for a few days. Shown below is Essie Sew Psyched and I used the nail sticker on my ring finger for an accent nail. You can read my original review of Sew Psyched here. I did have a little trouble with the edges of the sticker sticking to my nail, but that may have been because the sticker was too big for my nail. I did use Seche Vite topcoat over the sticker to make it last longer. I loved this look. What do you think? Do you use nail art stickers? 

   

OPI Pedal Faster Suzi!

     When the promotional pictures came out for the new OPI Holland collection, I knew that Pedal Faster Suzi! was definitely one that I wanted to try! Pedal Faster Suzi! is a baby pink with a lot of fine silver shimmer. This color is Spring-like and very delicate. If you have to wear neutral colors where you work, this color has the gorgeous shimmer to keep it from being too boring.
     I do have trouble using the new OPI brush because it is too wide for my smaller nails, and I end up getting polish on my skin. Other than that, I love this color, and I definitely recommend getting Pedal Faster Suzi! if you like pink, delicate nail polish!

 In the pictures below, I used Spoiled Trust Fund Baby for an accent nail.

What do you think?

Spoiled Trust Fund Baby

     Hello, everyone! Today I'm going to show you another polish from the new Spoiled collection, which I love! Trust Fund Baby is a clear base with hexagonal gold, black, and turquoise glitter, and square pink glitter. The really unique aspect of this polish is the black glitter, because you don't see a lot of nail polish with black glitter!
     The combination of colors in this polish looks really nice, however, I did have a problem with getting enough glitter on the nail. Instead using paint strokes like I normally would, I had to dab the glitter where I wanted it so I could get a decent amount on the nail, otherwise I would literally "paint" the glitter off.

     The Spoiled collection by Wet N Wild is now at CVS for $1.99 each, and I think this is a nice polish to have in your stash because of the uniqueness of the black glitter. In the pictures above, I have Trust Fund Baby over OPI Pedal Faster Suzi! I love this combo; it looks like cupcake nails!
     Don't forget to enter in my "Nails of the Day" Giveaway going on right now! Click this link for more details. :)

"Nails of the Day" Giveaway!!!

     As some of you have seen on the Mermaid Nails Facebook page, it is giveaway time again!
First, I will show you what the giveaway prize is...

     Yes to Carrots is a great organic beauty line that carries bath and body products, facial cleansers and creams, and lip products. The (1) winner of this giveaway will receive:

5 Yes to Carrots Lip Butters (Melon, Pomegranate, Mint, Berry, and Carrot) 

2 Yes to Carrots Lip Tints (in Sunset Pink and Coral Sunshine)

1 Wet N Wild Mega Shine Lip Color SPF 15 in Lolly Popstar

     How do you enter to be in the "Nails of the Day" Giveaway? Just "like" the Mermaid Nails Facebook page and post a picture of your "nails of the day" on the page's wall with the names of the polish you used. You can enter as many times as you like with a different picture for each manicure. The giveaway will last until the end of February, and the more pictures you post, the more chances you have to win! 

     It will be a random drawing from the applicants, and U.S. applicants only for this giveaway because of international postal fees. The winner will notified through Facebook and/or e-mail.

     Thank you again for reading and I can't wait to see your manicures!!! 

Valentine's Day Manicure #2

     I started my new job today and there are a few things I need to get done at home (including finishing my hubby's Valentine's Day card), so I just wanted to show a few quick pictures of the manicure I'm sporting today.
     In the pictures I am wearing OPI Meep-Meep-Meep from last year's Muppets collection. I will post a full review of this polish soon. It is such a gorgeous Valentine's Day color! For the silver heart I used OPI Your Royal Shine-ness from the Serena Glam Slam collection. I used a dotting tool and a tiny paint brush for the heart.
What do you think of this simple manicure? What will you be wearing on your nails this Valentine's Day?

Spoiled Shrimp on the Barbie

     Wet N Wild just came out with a new line of nail polish by the name of Spoiled for $1.99 each. Believe me when I tell you the collection is HUGE. The collection has everything from shimmers, to cremes, to glitters. I will try and take a picture of the collection the next time I'm in CVS and post it so you can see the variety of colors.
     The first color I am going to show you is called Shrimp on the Barbie. I want to say thanks to my hand model Mary S for letting me paint her nails and show you this beautiful color. :)
     Shrimp on the Barbie is a gorgeous peachy-coral color with gold shimmer. I did use three coats on Mary because after two, it was still somewhat sheer. The brush seemed really thick and wide, so it may be difficult to paint with if you have smaller nails.
     Shrimp on the Barbie is such a classy color, and the gold shimmer is so glamorous. Other than the sheerness and the wide brush, I definitely recommend picking up this color!

Milani Midnight Satin

     Recently I was at CVS and some Milani nail polish was on clearance down to $1.25! Midnight Satin was one of those colors and I will show it to you today.
     Midnight Satin is a dark navy blue with subtle shimmer. It is one of those colors that looks almost black until you look closely. This color was very sheer at first, so I needed 3-4 coats for full opacity. I did have some streaking issues, and that was another reason why I needed so many coats. The biggest problem I have with this polish, and it may just be the top coat I use, but I the morning after I painted my nails, the color already started to 'shrink' and show tip wear. You can see tip wear in the pictures below, and this is an almost brand-new manicure.

     Other than that, the color is a staple - a nearly black, navy blue, that I think one could wear in any season. What do you think?