Across the Ocean and Back Again

Hello! I am back from my month-long vacation which took me to/through 15 states plus one country outside of the U.S. It was a journey with a lot of different events and modes of transportation which took me and Mr. Karen to places both familiar to us and new. I put neutral (but a tiny bit sparkly because I'm me) polish on my toes and packed fake nails for my fingers and off I went. A few days before we left, I put on this set from imPress called Wash Away. It has light blue solid nails, light blue with tiny iridescent glitter nails, and light blue with a turquoise and navy flower and butterfly design nails. These started out medium length and square, but I cut and shaped them so they felt more comfortable and practical for me, as I often do with the longer fake nails.

 

Still looking good on day 6 (with the limited edition "XP Flavored" Coke limited edition).

 

I had a few nails loosen and need new adhesive tabs during the week I wore the blue set, so pretty standard. The next set of nails I used were from the Kiss Gel Fantasy Allure line. The box didn't have a name on it, but I looked online and these appear to be called How Dazzling. They have multi-sized iridescent glitter on a translucent ivory base. (The box was a bit worse for wear after being stuffed in a pocket of my suitcase for a week at that point.)

 

I used adhesive tabs for these, not the glue that came with them. I clipped and shaped them as I had the blue set. On the left, as they came from the box. On the right, how I wore them.

 

I wore the glittery nails for the whole second week of the trip. When it was time to change, I reached for a set I'd gotten off the Temu app, where they were described as "Press On Nails, Short Square Fake Nails, Beige French False Nails with Glitter Design, Glossy Clear Full Cover Acrylic Nails for Women and Girls; Color: Beige Cat Eye, Style: Gentle". The picture didn't appear to match a lot of those words, but for $3.48 I was willing to risk it.

 

These came with adhesive tabs. They were not short, so I clipped and filed them. They were a bit sheer, so before I shortened them, a hint of my natural nail tips showed through the fake nails in strong light.

 

Six days later, I hadn't lost a single nail. Those adhesive tabs were strong. I'm sure it helped that I didn't have my laptop with me, so wasn't banging my nails on a keyboard for a few hours a day like I tend to do at home.

 

I'd planned to change my nails again before the next phase of our trip, a seven-night transatlantic cruise, but they were holding up so well, I still had them on the day we boarded, a week after I'd applied them.

 

I figured I'd change to the last set I'd packed when I started to lose the beige cat eye ones as the adhesive got weakened, but they just kept hanging in there, so I ended up wearing them for the whole cruise and the multi-day drive home from New York to Idaho. There was definitely a gap at the base of my nails by that time, but given the neutral color of the nails it wasn't too noticeable.

 

On the trip, I was really trying to focus on experiences rather than buying things, so even though I saw polish and fake nails I don't have easy access to at home, I bought none of them. I'm kind of amazed at my self-control. I will have a display post up once I get through all the photos; hoping that won't take too long.

Wheel E16: Pewter-ish Shimmers

Today for Nail Wheel Wednesday I have one of those groups that I have trouble describing. These are mostly shimmers but also some are sort of metallic. As for color, I went with pewter, since they're dirtier than silver, and some definitely lean brown/gold/olive. Regardless of what to call them, they all looked like they went together when I was sorting polish. I like these sorts of murky shades. This is the last wheel I've painted and due to other committments it might be a while before I paint more, but I will paint more because I like the process of sorting and swatching and seeing what's in all those bottles I've collected.

 

1. Revlon Carbonite (2 coats)
2. Revlon Rich (2)
3. Chanel (2)/> 4. Sally Hasen Complete Salon Manicure Shoot the Moon (2)
5. Sally Hansen Color Therapy Therapewter (2)
6. Urban Decay Addiction (2)
7. Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy Smoke and Mirrors (3)
8. Funky Fingers Total Eclipse of the Heart (3)
9. Avon Brushed Metals Dusky Copper (1) [this might properly be considered a texture]
10. SinfulColors Aced Out (2)
11. Estee Lauder Chaos (3)
12. L'Oreal Miss Grey (1)
13. 2B Mega Colours Suspicious (1)
14. Pure Ice Pot of Gold (2)
15. Maybelline Express Finish Brown Aluminum (1)
16. Revlon Parfumerie Italian Leather (2)
17. Zoya Tris (3)
18. Pure Silver Pure Silver (2)
19. China Glaze Choo-choo Choose You (3)
20. Avon Nailwear Pro+ Tempted (1) [shimmer is way more subtle on the nail than in the bottle]

Bottles 1 through 5:

 

6 through 10:

 

11 through 15:

 

16 through 20:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kokie Green Trio

Sample provided for review

 

Kokie has sent me several more polishes from their Green line, which is plant-based, bio-sourced, vegan, and cruelty free. (To see the ones they sent previously, see here and here.) Today I have Tan Line, Moonbeam, and Coffee Break.

 

Coffee Break is a light warm milky brown creme. It's not quite rosy enough to be "mannequin hands" on me, but it's a good neutral look for my skintone nonetheless.

 

 

Tan Line is a dark orange shimmer.

 

 

 

Moonbeam is a white cream. I feel a good white cream is essential for any nail polish collection.

 

 

For fun, I added dots of Tan Line and Coffee Break to Moonbeam, then added clear topcoat to smooth everything over.

 

 

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The polishes shown in this entry were provided free for review purposes. The content of the entry was not dictated by the provider, and I get to keep the polishes for my own use.

SinfulColors Saweetie's Xtraterrestrial Effects

With Halloween coming up fast, I thought I'd best get to swatching the SinfulColors I grabbed from the big display at Walmart. The four limited editions for this year are part of the brand's collaboration with Saweetie; these are the Xtraterrestrial Effects. Left to right: Lil Beast, Icy Monstar, Baelien, and Big Mamaz Ship.

 

I started my session with Lil Monster, a spring green, applying two coats without topcoat. The effect in question is bumpy, I guess like the surface of another planet. The base is metallic-leaning shimmer enhanced with bar glitter and texture, but not as much texture as the textured polishes that were on trend for a while in 2014/15.

 

 

We've seen this sort of thing before, with texture/glitter submerged in shimmery and metallic bases. I pulled out a couple bottles from the past to do a quick comparison. Left to right: China Glaze Crinkled Chrome Wrinkling the Sheets (from late 2013/early 2014), SinfulColors Lil Beast, Finger Paints Underwater Enchantress (from summer 2014, see the whole collection swatched here).

 

Left to right below: Lil Beast, Underwater Enchantress, Lil Beast, Wrinkling the Sheets (all two coats, no topcoat). It was easier to get the bar glitter in Wrinkling the Sheets onto my nail; for Lil Beast I had to make sure I didn't let it settle too long between shaking it and applying (though why I would worry about bubbles with that one I don't know). Underwater Enchantress is a different take on the "lumpy but not quite a proper textured polish" idea. I do like how it coordinates with the color of Lil Beast.

 

 

I was not enchanted by the effect, so combined the remaining three Xtraterrestrial Effects into one look. My index finger has a rough sponged not quite gradient with the trio. Middle finger is Balien, a warm light brown. Ring is Big Mamaz Ship, a medium pink, and litle finger is Icy Monstar, a dusty deep blue.

 

 

 

These do catch the eye for sure. I don't see myself wearing them much, same as I can't recall ever having done a full mani with the Crinkled Chrome shades or those lumpy shimmer from Finger Paints (though I didn't hate that one as much now as I did when it was new, maybe I'm mellowing). I think Halloween is a perfect time for them, though, as that's when we break out of the everyday and dress up based on our imaginations.

ICEGEL Star Galaxy Magnetic Gel Polish

Sample provided for review

 

When I posted the Haruyama gel polishes that NashlyNails sent me for review, I teased that I liked another polish they sent so much I wore it as a full mani. Today I'm sharing that polish: ICEGEL IM POLY Star Galaxy magnetic gel polish in 1153, a warm tan shimmer. I used a ring magnet held diagonally to make the pattern. On some nails, the pattern spread a bit more than others before I cured the polish. I used two thin coats for full coverage.

 

I was just fascinated by how the silvery design pulled out by the magnet shimmered and shifted as I moved my nails to different positions.

 

 

 

I discovered this one also glows orange under black light. That's a fun bonus!

 

I added a spider design on one nail from a second set of IBDI water slide decals NashlyNails sent (see the other set in last week's post).

 

 

When I did my second hand so I could wear this polish as a full mani, I held the ring magnet in place longer and cured sooner, so the lines are more focused. The great thing about magnetic gel polish vs. conventional magnetics is that until you cure it under the light, you can move the magnet around and get just the look you want, no fear of it starting to dry while you work.

 

I wore this polish for a full week. I did get chips on some nails, which I attribute to not pulling the polish over the ends of my nails (capping) on the first hand because I didn't plan to do a full mani at that point as well as my usual issue with not paying attention and jamming my fingers into walls/cupboard doors/etc. which is hard on nails and polish. Removal was no problem when the time came. Here's what one hand looked like mid-week, in the filtered sunlight in my car.

 

There about 20 different colors of the Star Galaxy ICEGEL polishes, including a few purples and teals that I find very intriguing. They are $14.99 for each 9ml bottle; if you buy one of the sets, per bottle cost is between $13.50 and $14 a bottle depending on the set. Use code frazzle10 for 10% off your first order at the NashlyNails website.

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The polishes shown in this entry were provided free for review purposes. The content of the entry was not dictated by the provider, and I get to keep the polishes for my own use.