Polished Pirate

Catrice Wrapped Around My Finger

2011-10-25T21:26:00.000-05:00

Awesomesauce

2011-09-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Awesomesauce

Icy franken

2011-09-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

Icy

This one looks a little like Illamasqua Raindrops. Just a little.

I've listed some of my newer frankens on my blog sale.

Franken - breige with teal shimmah

2011-09-10T22:50:00.000-05:00

Franken pic

2011-09-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

I had to take Son to the doctor today. He has strep. Joy. The upside is that I got to play with polish all day. I found an old franken that I'd put aside due to ugliness. I added a couple drops of this and that, and I came up with this.

Updated blog sale

2011-09-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

Now with more things!! I have to get rid of some of this mess I never use. I've added the latest purge to my blog sale. There's a tab at the top of this page to get to it. Thanks for looking!

Sparitual Sacred Ground and Howl

2011-09-03T22:41:00.000-05:00

I think I'm in love with Sparitual. If these 2 polishes are any indication about the rest of the line, then I'm in <3!!

Sacred Ground

Howl

Comparison - China Glaze Haunting vs. Milani Charmed

2011-09-01T20:33:00.000-05:00

Left - Haunting Right - Charmed

3 coats of each color with Out the Door on top

OPI Pros & Bronze

2011-08-31T21:44:00.000-05:00

I got the OPI Serena Glam Slam duo of Pros & Bronze and Love Is A Racket from Victoria Nail Supply. Today I wore Pros & Bronze. I have to admit I didn't think I'd like this one. Orange/bronze can go horribly wrong on me. This one did not. I love it. Take a look.

OPI Absolutely Alice

2011-08-21T13:42:00.000-05:00

A lovely lady on MUA swapped with me for this. I lubs her!

Absolutely Alice is a blue and sparse gold glitter polish. The glitter is fine and easy to apply. Removal was easy for a glitter.

Loodie has passed me the pint

2011-08-01T21:32:00.001-05:00

The lovely Loodie has post crashed Olivia from The Unknown Beauty Blog. She invited herself to participate in naming 5 random non-beauty items that she loves. You can find Loodie's items here. Loodie-licious gave me a shout out and semi tagged me in this escapade. So here's my go at this. I have no self control or filter so be warned. It could get ugly.

1. Beer! I love you I love you I love you! That is all.

2. Kindle - Oh Kindle, my Kindle. I read more than a human with job and a family should. I never wanted this god forsaken book impostor. Blasphemer!!!!!!!! Hubs bought it for me as a gift. You'll have to pry it from my cold, dead hands. I wish I could quit you! Not!

3. My favorite coffee mug. There's a crab on it. Need I say more? Yes? I love crabs! I like to crack there nommy legs and suck out the sweet meat! Yum. But this is my coffee mug. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

Zee front

Zee back

4. Toffifay - One of my favorite childhood memories is of my mom buying this candy. It's one of her favorites as well, and she would hide the box. She would sneak me one, and we were conspirators.

5. Maalox - Yes. Maalox. If you've read my other blog, Your Mom's Face, then you may understand. It's how Hubs and I keep it real. Real romantic. While keeping my old lady vurps under control. It's a bonding thing. You can read about it here.

Missha Crystal Nail Polish JBL01

2011-07-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

This is 2 coats topped with Out The Door. JBL01 almost applies itself. Very little cleanup was needed. I'm in love!

New Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

2011-07-27T22:00:00.000-05:00

I found these at Walgreens this morning.The ones I chose are Midnight Sky, Pumpkin Spice, Time To Shine and Teal-y Cool. They were 2/$4. Score! I love a sale.

Midnight Sky - 2 coats, no top coat

Pumpkin Spice over Midnight Sky - 2 coats each, no top coats

Pumpkin Spice over Midnight Sky- 2 coats each, no top coats

Pumpkin Spice - 2 coats, no top coat

Time To Shine - 2 coats, no top coat

Teal-y Cool over Time To Shine - 2 coats each, no top coat

All in all, I really like these polishes. The most disappointing is Pumpkin Spice. It's orange glitter in a green jelly base. Hello, Ick-A-Bod-Y anyone? It was gloopy and weird, but it dried nicer than I anticipated. The winner in my book is Time To Shine. It's the one I expected to not like. Gold never looks right on me in my opinion. I really like this gold. Woot! Winner, winner chicken dinner! Pumpkin Spice and Midnight Sky have a nice smooth application. They dry nicely as well. You can tell from the pictures of Midnight Sky that I had cuticle drag. That's user error as I was in a hurry to get these done. I think if I had let it have drying time between coats it would have been fine. Teal-y Cool is glitter in a teal jelly base. It is a good layering polish. I put it over Time To Shine and the teal barely changed its color. I look forward to layering it over my Ateala the Hun franken.

Updated blog sale

2011-07-24T20:15:00.001-05:00

I've spent the day purging my stash and listing them on my blog sale. If you'd like to take a look you can find it here. This time I gave each brand its own post. I'm hoping to make it easier to read and find what you might be looking for. Thanks as always for looking!

Dots dots dots dots

2011-07-23T13:03:00.000-05:00

I got a glorious package in the mail yesterday. Inside were 5 black label OPIs. I found Alpine Snow, Amarillo Almondine, Boot Hill-a Vanilla, Cheyenne Pepper and Burnt Sugarloaf. I asked the ladies on MUA which I should try 1st, and the voting (all 2 responses LOL) indicated Alpine Snow.

So here it is. And since I can't leave anything be, I added dots in Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Twisted Pink, Essie Brazilliant and LA Colors Color Craze Shock. Of course I immediately dented the top coat.

New frankens

2011-07-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

MEH. That is all.

Glitter Gal 3D polish at Overall Beauty

2011-07-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

Coming Soon!! Glitter Gal 3D Nail Polish - Holographic and Sparkle!
Glitter Gal polishes are "3 Free", chip resistant, long wearing and intensely holographic. The regular holographic nail polishes have a smaller holographic particle and the sparkle holographic polishes have a larger holographic particle. These polishes are smaller in size than your "average" polish but they are intensely pigmented and will completely cover in 1-2 coats. Due to their intense holographic shimmer there is no need to build up the intensity on the nail with several coats.

You can find more info at Overall Beauty. Click here to go to the info. You can even contact them and let them know if there's a particular color you need.

Fruit Martyr on Spit Polish

2011-07-21T18:18:00.001-05:00

I sent a couple of my frankens, Fruit Martyr and an unnamed light blue with shimmer, off to ReecesPeeces of Spit and Polish. She swatched them and took pictures and everything. She even named the light blue. Cry Me A River! You can see them here.

China Glaze Frostbite

2011-07-20T17:38:00.000-05:00

This polish had been sitting in my untrieds for quite a while. I'd heard all the raves. I just didn't understand the hype. Now I do! This is a beautiful, intense blue. Amazing.

My Lucid Bubble: Giveaway: Raffle for good

2011-07-18T18:28:00.002-05:00

The fabulous Kris at Lucid Bubble is having another raffle for a great cause. For every dollar you donate you get 1 entry in her raffle. The prize includes a decant of the magical Clarins 230, a brand new in the box Makeup Store Greta, Ozotic Elytra 528, brand new StudioM/Massini Slammin Red, a brand new Koh Purple Universe and whatever else she decides to throw in.

All the proceeds from the raffle go to support dog used as bait dogs in dog fights. What a great thing!

Click HERE to enter.

MUA Blog Sales - so we can all find blog sales more easily

2011-07-15T09:44:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wished there was a directory for blog sales?Well, now there's a central location to go to to search for good sales. I love a great deal! Now you can go to MUA Blog Sales to find just what your looking for. The site states: List of beauty product blog sales from MakeUpAlley users. This blog is NOT affiliated with MakeUpAlley.com.

Just sending a big thank you to the ladies who put all this together. And to the one lovely who started it all. We always appreciated what she did to help us out. Y'all rock!

Missha Crystal Nail Polish HGR01

2011-07-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

Another excellent mail day. Today the USPS delivered Missha Crystal Nail Polish HGR01 straight from Korea to my mailbox. I ordered on July 4. I think that's pretty damn quick. This gorgeous polish will be on mynails later tonight!

Heart-shaped bottle!

July Birchbox

2011-07-12T20:40:00.000-05:00

I got my very 1st Birchbox today! I ordered at the end of June, and I've been waiting on the edge of my desk chair for it's arrival. July's is a Cynthia Rowley box. Filled with things she loves.

There's always some variety in the boxes. Not everybody gets the same thing. Birchbox selects things for you based on your profile. I recevied a YBF Universal Taupe eyebrow pencil, Philosophy Purity facial cleanser, Korres Guava shower gel, Redken Shine Flash glistening mist and a Kind Fruit & Nut bar. These are not tiny samples. They are DELUXE! Nice sizes to give you a real chance to decide if you love a product or not. Well worth the $10 price tag.

My only disappointment is that I didn't get the Zoya polish. Oh, how I love polish! Such is life.

OPI DS Original & Sapphire!!

2011-06-17T14:43:00.000-05:00

They are mine! Come to me my preciouses! Thanks to all you lovely people who purchased from my sale. Your purchases made this moment of pure joy happen for me. Without you all this would not have been possible! Well, enough drama, here are bottle pics.

Original

Sapphire

As kittentoes pointed out: They're in the boxes and everything! Woot! I just want to stare at them in their boxes for a little while longer. I'm sure I'll swatch them tonight.

Now if I could only find OPI DS Ruby!!!!!

Purge listed!

2011-06-13T05:17:00.000-05:00

Go to my blog sale to see what's left.

Purge Pile Round 1

2011-06-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

I've finally decided to purge my stash of things I know don't look good on me & things I haven't worn in over 6 months. This is the 1st round. These poured out of the basket in a pyramid shape so it really is more than it appears to be. GO ME!

LA Colors Color Craze, or My Trip To Dollar Tree

2011-06-10T15:38:00.001-05:00

I've always been so disappointed that the Dollar Tree in town never has the fabulous Sally Hansen and Maybelline polishes. All I ever find is stupid LA Colors. Gah ! Well I bought some of the stupid LA Colors. Guess what? They are pretty nice!

Here's Circuits. Basic black, but mega f-ing shiny! This is 2 coats. No topcoat.

Shock - Egg yolk yellow. Like farm in the country eggs. 3 coats. No topcoat.

Tropical Storm - A frosty gunmetal gray. 3 coats. No topcoat.

Fun In The Sun - Bright grapey purple that does not translate in these pics. 2 coats. No topcoat. Remeber these are NOT COLOR ACCURATE!

A Few Sally Hansen Tracy Reese Spring Polishes

2011-06-08T21:41:00.000-05:00

I picked these up today while I was shopping at Walgreens. Initially I didn't find any of these interesting, but I can't resist a Limited Edition display. For real. No SELF CONTROL! None.

Barracuda, Delphinium, Eel Skin & Coral Fever

I'm still not interested in these. I actually like the Coral Fever best, and that's the one I liked the least in the bottle. Some people have said Coral Fever leans orange especially in the shade. I should really avoid light blues & grays. They just don't look good on me.

All of these are 2 coats. No base or top coats.

OPI Spark de Triomphe + Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat Cherry Smash

2011-06-07T21:23:00.000-05:00

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator
CND Stickey
2x Spark de Triomphe
Gelous

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat Cherry Smash
Out The Door

Extreme Purge 2 - Electric Boogaloo

2011-06-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

I'm mega purging. See my blog sale here. I hope to rid myself of 1/2 my stash. I have too many polishes. I'll add more as I find them.

Revlon Just Tinted Victorian + Nubar Dewdrop

2011-06-03T13:44:00.000-05:00

This is a jelly sandwich with Nubar Dewdrop as the middle.

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator
CND Stickey
Revlon Just Tinted Victorian
Nubar Dewdrop
2x Revlon Just Tinted Victorian
Out The Door

So squishy!

Winners are winning!

2011-05-31T11:56:00.000-05:00

The winners all contacted me. Here they are:

Prize #1 goes to Danielle at Sean & Danielle. She just posted her 1st nail pic!

Prize #2 goes to Rachel at Normal Girl Nails. She has the prettiest oval nails!

Prize #3 goes to Aly at Aly Loves Laquer. She's having a 50 follower giveaway. Go! Enter!

Congratulations to them!

Are you looking for some of the China Glaze Kaleidoscopes?

2011-05-28T13:23:00.001-05:00

Head over to Medusa's Threads. Right now! Scram! Hurry! Are you there? Good! Now look under the search bar in the blue. See the little drop down menu? It says SHOW: beside it. Well drop that menu! Click on nail polish. Ya got it? You should see Don't Be A Square, How About A Tumble?, He's Going In Circles, It's My Turn and Kaleidoscope Him Out. There's even China Glaze 2NITE available. I've purchased from them several times and never had an issue. In fact it's where I bought He's Going In Circles for my giveaway. They're the same ladies that have the Concrete and Nail Polish blog. Love them!

Comparison - China Glaze Ahoy! vs Strawberry Fields

2011-05-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

Ahoy! is a darker pink with pink/red shimmer. Strawberry Fields is a lighter, coral-ly pink with gold shimmer.

Pointer - Ahoy!
Middle - Strawberry Fields
Ring - Ahoy!
Pinky - Strawberry Fields

All 2 coats of polish. No basecoat. No topcoat.

China Glaze Crushed Candy over RBL Scrangie

2011-05-28T09:32:00.000-05:00

I said there was no way in hell I would wear crackle polish. I grew up during the 80's. Been there, done that. Got the tshirt. Well, here's more proof that I'm a liar. LOL I figured out that I don't like the black crackle, but I love the colors!

I wore RBL Scrangie to work on Thursday. It held up like a trooper with minimal tip wear on one finger. I thought China Glaze Crushed Candy would match the shimmer in Scrangie perfectly. It does! I really love this combo.

Nail Magic Nail Hardener
CND Stickey
2x RBL Scrangie
Out The Door
China Glaze Crushed Candy
Out The Door

Winners have been chosen and emailed

2011-05-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

As soon as they contact me, I'll let everybody know who the winners are.

Winners have until Monday night to respond. Then another winner will be chosen.

Giveaway Closed! I will be drawing the winners tonight.

2011-05-27T19:32:00.001-05:00

I may post the winners tonight if I'm feeling skippy. Thanks to everyone who entered. Wow, I never thought I'd have that many entries!

Giveaway Update - Now with more prizes!

2011-05-24T20:13:00.000-05:00

I've purchased more goodies to giveaway! So there will definitely be more than one winner.

Prize #1
China Glaze He's Going In Circles
Nail Tek Crystal File made with Swarovski Elements + companion case
Barielle Nail Rebuilding Protein
Barielle Intensive Nail Renewal Oil
Ulta Nail Solutions Ridge Filler

Prize #2
Essie Feed Me Intense Hydration Treatment
Essie Nice Is Nice
Essie Sand Tropez
Essie Coat Azure
Essie French Affair

Prize #3
Nail Tek Essentials-includes Nail Tek II & Mini Crystal File with companion case
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips - Laced Up
Barielle Intensive Nail Renewal Oil
Orly Mail Repair Nail Rescue Kit
Ulta Nail Solutions Ridge Filler

Finger Paints Chrysanthe-mums The Word under Nubar 2010

2011-05-23T20:21:00.001-05:00

I found this at Sally Beauty on clearance for $1.99. That's my kind of price. Upon opening, I realized that this was the consistency of glue. Thick, sticky glue. I actually had to pour some out of the bottle to make room for thinner. Then I added more thinner.

After I got it the way I like it (that sounds....dirty), it applied very easily and is a beautiful color. I didn't expect to like it against my skintone. Most lighter greens just don't work on me. I have a lot of red in my coloring. This isn't perfect, but I actually think it's pretty so I'll wear it! I layered Nubar 2010 over it because I can't leave well enough alone. LOL

Qtica Nail Growth Stimulator
CND Stickey
2x Chrysanthe-mums The Word
2x Nubar 2010
Out The Door Topcoat

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Fractured Foil over Wet N Wild Sea Witch

2011-05-22T11:51:00.000-05:00

Fractured Foil is the silver in the Sally Hansen line. This is a very foily silver. It's very pretty and shiny. I've paired it with another of the mermaid collection from the Wet n Wild Fast Dry line. Sea Witch is a blue/purple duochrome.

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator
CND Stickey
2x Wet n Wild Sea Witch
SH Fractured Foil

All products purchased by ME!

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Distressed Denim over Deborah Lippmann Today Was A Fairytale

2011-05-20T10:04:00.001-05:00

In my attempt to mimic a beautiful mani by RachelMariesNails over on MUA, I made a fug. You can see the gorgeous inspiration here. It's CND Perfectly Bare under Deborah Lippmann Today Was A Fairytale. So beautiful. Well my version was not attractive. Too sheer base color (L'Oreal JetSet Shine Pink Playlist 106). Too much TWaFT. U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi. You Ugly. Hey hey You Ugly! Woo! For realz. To rescue this mani I cracked it out with Distressed Denim.

Distressed Denim is a sheer crack. I can see the glitter through the color. I love this. AWESOMESAUCE!! I loaded the brush with polish and applied in one thin coat. I did not touch up or add more polish after my initial application. In my experience with these Sally Hansens, applying a second coat of crack makes it whack (doesn't crack).

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator

CND Stickey

2x L'Oreal Pink Playlist

2x Deborah Lippmann Today Was A Fairytale

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat Distressed Denim

Out The Door Topcoat

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Antiqued Gold over Wet N Wild Diving For Pearls

2011-05-19T20:52:00.000-05:00

Or, Jaybird's Pirates of the Carribbean Manicure.

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator
CND Stickey
2x Diving For Pearls
1 thin coat Antiqued Gold from a very loaded brush
Out the Door

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!! Only 18 have entered so far!

2011-05-19T06:50:00.000-05:00

You can find the post to comment on here. Please only comment on that post. All the details are there as well! Only 18 have entered so far, so you're chances of winning are significant!

Thanks to all you lovelies who've already entered. And to all you who follow me, I LOVE you! And I promise to start posting more. MWAH!
Love, Jaybird

Neon green flakie franken

2011-05-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

I made this today. I'm loving the neons this week, but I want MOAR so I added some shiz.

Flakies + neon green = FAB.

Kreativ Blogger award - 10 things about me

2011-05-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

Well, bless my heart! The fabulous Karen at Frazzle and Aniploish tagged me with the Kreativ Blogger award. She's such a sweetie.

The only rules are to share 10 facts about myself and to tag 10 other bloggers with the award. Since I'm new to this blog game, the 10 facts should be easy. Y'all don't know a dang thing about me!

Here I go!

1. I was born in Peoria, IL.

2. I love dark chocolate with sea salt. OMG. So yummy!

3. My 20th class reunion is this summer. I'm not attending.

4. I love the beach and all things beachy. I love pirate themed things, too! My favorite beachy thing is the CRAB! Love them. They're tasty and fit my personality soooo well. Plus, they PINCH!

I told you so!

5. I work at a distillery.

6. Hubs has been my best friend since 7th grade.

7. I've suffered with depression and anxiety for 20+ years. For the most part, it's under control. I still get antsy in certain social situations. I tell Hubs I have the perfect personality for the interwebz!

8. I love to paint, sew and craft. I think I've tried everything at least once. You should see my supply stash.

9. I'm trying to decide what I want to be when I grow up. I plan to go back to college when Son graduates from high school in 3 years.

10. I've never gotten a speeding ticket!

I'm also a rule breaker so I'm not going to tag anyone. If you read this, consider yourself tagged!

It's my birthday! And I'm having my 1st giveaway! - Comments Closed- I will draw soon!

2011-05-10T09:04:00.005-05:00

So I'm going to announce a giveaway. I haven't exactly nailed down what I'm giving away. There will be at least one winner. The prize package will definitely include 1 Nail Tek Crystal File with crystallized Swarovski Elements & free companion case and 1 bottle of China Glaze He's Going In Circles (edited to correct polish name). I will most likely include some other goodies in there.

To enter just leave your name and email address in the comments. One entry per person. Entries will be accepted until 5 pm central time on Friday, May 27, 2011. Winner to be announced on Saturday, May 28, 2011.Open to everyone.

You don't have to follow my blog, but it would be nice. You don't have to blog about my giveaway, but it would be a nice birthday surprise! You won't get any extra entries. Just my eternal love and affection!

Revlon Top Speed Stormy

2011-05-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

Stormy was a perfect application. Why was this in the back of the drawer? Amazing.

Catrice London's Weather Forecast

2011-05-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

Today I've swatched Catrice London's Weather Forecast. The lovely Kesha at Nail Polish Obsession sent this to me. She's sent me several Catrice polishes, and I have to say that I love them all.

London's Weather Forecast is a beautiful medium grey. It appears to be a creme, but in the bottle I see a slight shimmer. It applied easily with very little cleanup necessary.

After staring at my super nubbins for a while, I decided a lovely addition to this polish would be CND Teal Sparkle. So pretty!

Just a thank you

2011-05-04T19:57:00.000-05:00

To all you lovelies who've commented or messaged me. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and caring. I also appreciate those sales from my blog sale. They've helped supplement our income this week. I work part time, and Hubz was out of work for a few days due to the tornados. You all saved my gas needing ass. Thanks again!

Due to recent events.....

2011-05-01T15:39:00.000-05:00

I've not been in a nail polish mood. I spent 2 weeks in Illinois caring for my grandfather. Then the terrible tornados and aftermath that the people around me have had to deal with. Due to power outages in North Alabama, my husband won't be back to work until possibly Wednesday. I have no reason to complain, yet it's gotten me down. Not even sure why I'm posting this on my nail blog. I guess I just need to get it out. Thanks for reading.

We made it through the tornados.

2011-04-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

My family, Evil Skitty, Biscuit and 500ish polish babies made it through the horrible storms we had here in Southern Tennessee/North Alabama today. I know some here weren't as lucky. You are in my thoughts.

I'm Back!

2011-04-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Look out mateys! I've returned. At least partially. I've had a stressful couple of weeks, and I'm going to try to motivate myself to get back into the swing of things.

My super nubbins are now scrubby nubbins. Too short for attractive or acceptable swatching. Come on Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator! Do your thing!!!!

Sinful Fig

2011-04-07T19:23:00.000-05:00

This is prettier than these pics are showing. I guess my camera hates purple figs. Fig is easy to apply. Very smooth and creamy.

2 coats of Fig
No base coat
No top coat

Make Up Store holo Madeleine

2011-04-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

Qtica Natural Nail Growth Stimulator

CND Stickey

MUS Madeleine 3 coats

OPI DS Topcoat 3 coats

My buddy Finchy over on MUA sent me this fabulous polish. She said it was too warm for her skintone. It looks like a neutral on me. I'm so happy with it. Love at first sight. Thanks Finchy!

Essie Coat Azure - edited

2011-04-04T08:32:00.002-05:00

Edited to add: Do not like. It's official. It's pretty. I just don't like it on me. To the blog sale it goes.

I bought this polish at Walgreens. The Walmart in my town still doesn't have an Essie display. Whatev.

Anywho, here is Coat Azure.

Barielle Hydrating Ridge Filler
CND Stickey
Coat Azure - 2 coats
Out The Door

I love this polish in the pictures. It looks nice on those disembodied fingers, but when I look at the fingers attached to my body, not so much. How does this make any sense at all?

Frankens for sale! Get your frankens!

2011-04-02T23:04:00.000-05:00

I've listed several new frankens for sale on my blogsale. Fruit Martyr, Scarlet Fever and Ateala The Hun are now up for grabs! Get 'em while they last.

Fruit Martyr aka 10 Bananas - a franken

2011-04-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

3 coats with Out The Door topcoat

Comparison - OPI Ski Teal We Drop vs CQ Slate

2011-04-02T11:44:00.000-05:00

Ski Teal We Drop leans blue. Slate leans green.

I really like Ski Teal We Drop better. Which do you prefer?

OPi Parlez-vous OPI?

2011-04-01T20:53:00.001-05:00

I found this at the mall today. I picked up 2 so there's one on my blogsale if you're interested.

Parlez-vous OPI? is a beuatiful dusty from the fall 2008 La Collecion de France collection. It's a muted, dusty lilac/lavendar. Very pretty. Very subdued. I think this color is work but not boring. Perfect. It was easy to apply. I did 3 coats for complete opacity, but a more careful application could be done in 2. I have issues with pulling the color away at the cuticle edge. Totally avoidable,but I manage to do it every time. I have talent!

Barielle Hydrating Ridge Filler
CND Stickey
Parlez-vous OPI? 3 coats
no topcoat

Look! It's Hinky Pinky! Oh hai!

I can't wait for the puppies to grow. I always rock Nubbins For Real, but these are a little to real for me. Like Dave Chappelle always said: When keeping it real goes wrong. I keep thinking in my head, "I must, I must, I must increase my....nail length?" Whatever. Please overlook me. I have issues.

CQ Slate

2011-03-30T18:57:00.001-05:00

I found this lovely at Rite Aid. The Rite Aids near my house have a very limited beauty section. Seriously limited. But for some reason they both have the new CQ display. I picked up Slate, Golden Green and Rustic Dream. Two of each. One for me and one for my buddy rmcandlelight over at Nails Beautiqued. She doesn't even have Rite Aid in her neck of the woods. Poor thing.

Essie Feed Me
CQ Slate 2 coats
no topcoat

I could not get a color accurate picture of this beautiful, shiny polish. Slate is a dark teal leaning green. I expected a green leaning gray, but I am in no way disappointed. It's gorgeous!

Wet N Wild Dream Poppy

2011-03-29T20:52:00.000-05:00

I really love Wet n Wild polishes. They're cheap and gorgeous. So I can afford to buy them all, and I want to own all of them!

This is Dream Poppy from the Wild Shine line. It was 99 cents, and if you catch it on sale at Walgreens it can go as low as 50 cents. Amazing value and a great polish.

Essie Feed Me
Dream Poppy, 2 coats
Out The Door

Blog Sale Updated

2011-03-27T14:19:00.000-05:00

I've added a few items to my blog sale.

Ateala the Hun & his flakies

2011-03-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, Margaret, this is another franken post. I am addicted to making my own polish. I can't stop! Well, I don't want to stop. This time I made a teal jelly. It's my first jelly. A lovely lady on MUA named this for me. Thanks ReecesPeeces! This name makes me laugh.

Please give a warm welcome to Ateala the Hun!

And just because I can't leave well enough alone, I gave Ateala dandruff via some flakies.

Franken Disappointment - Ruby Pumps' Fraternal Twin

2011-03-25T10:17:00.001-05:00

I had a request for a dark red creme with copper shimmer/glitter. This sounds gorgeous so I gave it a go. I ended up with Ruby Pumps' fraternal twin. The less sparkly one. Don't get me wrong, this is not ugly. It's just not at all what I imagined. The good news is I get to try again!! Score!

What do you think?

My new franken babies

2011-03-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

I call this the Herp Collection because glitter is the herpes of the craft world. Thank you very much, Demetri Martin!

In The Pink

Green Within Me ( Hubs named this one)

Purple Herple (Thanks pipsqu3ak on MUA!)

Blue Me

Please feel free to leave comments and constructive criticisms! I love your comments.

NOTD Essie Bonded

2011-03-21T19:38:00.000-05:00

I saw this on MUA a few weeks ago. The poster said it was like red Starry, Starry Night. I haven't seen Starry, Starry Night in person, but if it's as gorgeous as this I can understand why everyone wants it.

This is:
Nailtiques 2 plus
CND Stickey
Essie Bonded - 2 coats
Out The Door

It applies easily. It almost applied itself. Not sure if that has something to do with the fact that it's a black label? It's a beautiful red with shimmer/glitter.

NOTD - American Apparel Passport Blue

2011-03-20T14:16:00.001-05:00

Treatment - Nailtiques 2 plus
Basecoat - CND Stickey
2 coats American Apparel Passport Blue
Topcoat - Out The Door

Inside under OttLite

Outside - OMG What is that bright ball in the sky?

I love this polish. It was a breeze to apply. Clean up was a bit tedious in areas. Especially on the cuticle. There was a bit of staining, but not enough to make me despise this polish. Even though it appears black on the nail in pictures, I can see the blue IRL. I'm not upset by the black appearance. I love black polish (being a true metalhead), but it always appears stark against my skintone. This is much softer and more flattering while giving the appearance of being a kick your ass color

New items added to my blog sale

2011-03-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

You can find them here. Thanks to everyone that takes a look or makes a purchase. I really appreciate it.

NOTD - Wet n Wild Sagreena The Teenage Witch

2011-03-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

This is a beautiful true green. Shimmery. Application was great except for the brush. The brush was cut incorrectly. Jagged and wonky. This is 3 coats with Out The Door topcoat.

Blue Tang Reviewed

2011-03-16T15:06:00.000-05:00

The lovely Lizzard Van Reptile reviewed Jaybird's Blue Tang. You can find the whole post here. She included lots of pictures that she was nice enough to give me permission to use. Here they are. Thanks Lizz!

NOTD - Lucky Charm

2011-03-15T20:42:00.001-05:00

Today I'm wearing Lucky Charm. I couldn't resist and pulled out a bottle for myself.

Blog Sale Updates

2011-03-12T13:09:00.000-06:00

I've updated my blog sale with the polishes I've made. Nothing new yet, just more available of Blue Tang, Lucky Charm & Sweet Tooth. I've also added a bit about shipping outside the US.

There won't be anymore Lucky Charm once these are gone unless I can find more of the base color. I love that one.

Thanks to everyone who's purchased from me! I really appreciate all your support and feedback. Please let me know what you think.

I'm working on more polishes to sell. Is there anything in particular you'd like to see?

I'll also be adding more polishes from my stash to sell. I have too many polishes that I've purchased. Need more room!

Scandalously Polished is having a GIVEAWAY!

2011-03-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

She has 2 HTF polishes up in honor of Spring Break & the activities (drankin') that sometimes go along with it. Up for grabs are China Glaze's No Way Jose and Drinkin' My Blues Away. Yay! I'm so excited! You can find the details here.

elf Summer Ready collection

2011-03-11T10:38:00.001-06:00

I found this last weekend at Target. They're all cremes and beautiful.

Application was a breeze with all except Blue Mist. That may have been more to do with me than the polish. Blue Mist needed 3 coats to be opaque. The others could be 2 coaters with careful application.

All 3 coats over 1 coat Gelous. No topcoat.

Blue Mist

Lilac

Mango Madness

Fuchsia

Purple Pleaser

Frankens for Sale! On my blog sale.

2011-03-08T16:06:00.000-06:00

They are here. Thanks for all your support!!

My first blog sale!

2011-03-07T19:45:00.000-06:00

You can find it here. It's my first time so I'm starting small.

I'm trying to decide whether to put my frankens for sale at etsy or just list them on my blog sale. What do you think?

I hope I did everything I should. If you see anything I could change or left out, please let me know. Thanks!!

Bottle Preview

2011-03-06T19:54:00.000-06:00

These are my 1/2 ounce bottles. Squee!

Cover Girl 3-in-1 step nail color Purplexed

2011-03-04T17:06:00.000-06:00

I finally found this polish in an actual store. I had only seen it online. After seeing it in the store I decided it was the awesome so I bought 1, or maybe 3. Son I am NOT disappoint! Just look at this.

Those are my nails. I paid for them! So funny! I bought a pack of Kiss glue ons because I wanted to swatch on long nails. It was fun and made me miss longer nails. Not that mine were ever that long.

Franken sales - I'm almost there!

2011-03-03T15:36:00.000-06:00

Some of my bottles arrived today. I'll be working over the weekend to get some up on etsy. You can find my etsy shop here. There's a vast amount of nothingness right now, but I promise polish soon!

China Glaze Cracked Concrete

2011-03-01T20:30:00.000-06:00

Now, I swore that there was no way in Hades I was going to wear a shatter polish. I didn't lie. I'm wearing a crackle! I'm so funny. Seriously though, I grew up during the 80's. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. But this. This is different.

Now making her internet debut, my Pinky! My pinkies are short. They rarely making in to the cropped picture due to their shortness.

This is China Glaze Cracked Concrete over Ulta Material Girl. I applied the crackle over a day old mani. I spread it on thick. Then painted another layer over immediately. I got some really nice wide cracks. It's really nice with Gelous and then Out The Door. Smooth and shiny!

Frankens-Would you buy them? What's a good price?

2011-02-25T10:08:00.001-06:00

I've had some interest in my spring frankens on MUA. People messaged me about buying some of them. I ordered some supplies from TKB Trading with the hopes of making the polish more presentable. I ordered 5ml bottles that are super cute! I'm a sucker for a nice bottle. So hopefully sometime in the next couple of weeks I'll have some Jaybird originals up for sale.

Spring Frankens

2011-02-23T20:38:00.001-06:00

I've been a little disappointed with the spring collections so far. I decided to make my own.

Periwinkle-color accurate

Periwinkle

Periwinkle-color accurate

Dark Fuschia Pink

Orange

Orange-color accurate

Green

Teal-y Blue

I really need to name these. I guess I could number them like some companies. Nah, just numbers drives me crazy!

Holographic comparison

2011-02-20T16:37:00.000-06:00

I was curious how silver holos look when compared to each other. I own Gosh Holographic, China Glaze OMG & OPI Standing Room Only Silver. Here they are.

These swatches are 2 coats. No basecoat. No topcoat. They were taken under an OTT lamp as there isn't adequate sunlight today. BOO! When the sun peeks out I'll take more pictures.

Gosh Holographic is the clear winner in the most awesomest rainbow category. What do you think?

OPI DS Fantasy

2011-02-20T15:13:00.001-06:00

I love this polish. Blue is a favorite of mine, but I often can't find the right blue. Know what I mean? This applied like a dream. You could get away with 1 coat, but I always do 2. Clean up was a pain due to staining.

Cult Nails - Iconic, Living Water & Quench

2011-02-14T20:40:00.001-06:00

Recently, Maria at Cult Nails had a Buy 3 Get 1 Free promotion. Well, I love a bargain, and I love Cult Nails polish! This was a no brainer. I had purchased My Kind Of Cool Aid already. When I pre-ordered Iconic & Living Water, I got Quench for FREE! FREE! Maria and Juan are FAB-U-LOUS! Please go visit Cult Nails.

Living Water

Iconic

Quench

Living Water is an amazing blue with green micro glitter. It really does look like water! Iconic is a gorgeous rosy red with gold shimmer and flakies hiding throughout. Quench is the most gorgeous, shiny dark red creme. This pic is 2 coats without topcoat. It's really that shiny! Ohmy.

I love a giveaway

2011-02-10T19:34:00.001-06:00

Seems like lots of bloggers are having giveaways right now. I LOVE it! Right now Rachel at Rachel Marie's Nails is having one. Head on over there and follow her blog to enter. Do EEEt!

A Scandalous Giveawayyyy!

2011-02-09T15:31:00.003-06:00

Head on over to Scandalously Polished and enter her giveaway!

Here's what you can win:

1. Brand new full set of Zoya Intimate collection -WAAANNNNTT!

2. Del Sol Trick Or Treat - I have this. It's full of awesomesauce!

3. NailTek # 2- Love it. Gave it to my mom. She loves it too!

4. Bleachblack Jizz- What is this? Must investigate!

5. Cult Nails My Kind Of Cool Aid- Again with the awesomesauce!

Giveaway will end on St Patrick's Day at 11:30 pm.

You are automatically entered if you are a follower of her blog.

If you tweet or blog about her giveaway and comment about it you have more entries!

Well, what are you waiting for? Get over there!

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

2011-02-07T18:37:00.000-06:00

I tried out the new Sally Hansen Salon Effects strips last week. I had purchased the solid neon color strips in Violet Night. I love that color and thought I could live with it while doing a wear test. Well, my application was spotty at best, and apparently my hands were colder than I thought. They were a bear to put on, but looked reasonably good to begin with. Then they began rolling up at the cuticle. The free edge was a mess because I couldn't get the hang of removing the excess. So I'm going to show you a couple of pictures of the fug.

After a couple of rants on MUA some of the lovelies there helped with some advice. So I decided to try my hand at this again.

This morning I stopped by Walgreens where some Sally Hansen products are Buy One Get One 50% off this week. I had stopped by Redplum where I printed out a coupon for $2 off the Sally Hansen Salon Effects. You can print 2 from each computer so of course I printed 2. I picked up Frock Star, a glitter, and Laced Up, a pattern.

I decided to do Frock Star first. I only used one package of the strips (each box comes with 2 strip packages). I cut them in half. Then I cut those to fit each nail. By doing this I'll get 2 manis out of each box. It really was a much easier process this time around. I think it took 10 minutes total. No really! I'm much happier with this go around. Not sure how long I'll be able to keep them on. I intend to do a wear test, but I got some polish in the mail today that is a long time lemming. Have I ever told you I have NO self control? Here are some photos.

Frazzle and Aniploish: Valentine-y Giveaway

2011-02-02T19:59:00.001-06:00

Frazzle and Aniploish: Valentine-y Giveaway

A lovely package from Germany

2011-02-01T21:09:00.001-06:00

I recently swapped with Kesha in Germany. She has a great blog. You can find her here. She sends me amazing polishesfrom Germany in exchange for US polishes. I told her to surprise me, and she did! This is only part of the haul. I will swatch and post pics of the others later in the week.

H&M Fashionista

Catrice Wrapped Around My Finger

Catrice Run Forest Run

Catrice London's Weather Forecast

Manhattan 46G

BeYu 377

BeYu 397

I really love these polishes. All applied like a dream. These swatches are all 2 coats without topcoat or basecoat.

Deborah Lippman Across The Universe

2011-01-30T11:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I wore an unnamed Hot Topic polish. It's a periwinkle creme that came in a duo with a Deborah Lippman Bad Romance dupe. I loved the periwinkle creme alone, but wanted to jazz it up today. Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe is one of my favorites so I chose it.

Hot Topic periwinkle creme

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe

Deborah Lippman Across The Universe

Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe

A plethora of polishes

2011-01-29T20:16:00.000-06:00

This is a franken documentation post. Most of these are unnamed, and I can't remember what I used to make them. Some days I just sit at my desk and mix colors, pigments and glitters.

Franken Numero Uno - the recipe

2011-01-28T17:39:00.001-06:00

The lovely KarenD asked in the comments of the previous post about what I used to make this franken. I didn't do any exact measurements. Just kind of eyeballed it until I was happy, but the polishes used were:

45% Cover Girl Pink Twinkle
45% L.A. Colors Cotton Candy
12 % Sally Hansen Extreme Wear Gray Area
3% Sally Hansen Insta-Dry Quick Sand
All percentages are approximate and not guaranteed to yield the exact result I achieved.

How do you like that math? That's the same way I cook. It drives my husband CRAZY that I rarely use recipes. Even if I have a recipe I make adjustments and additions/subtraction. Nothing is ever the same way twice.

Franken Numero Uno

2011-01-28T09:09:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite things to do is mix my own polish colors. I've done so many, but generally keep them to myself. Well, I've decided this blog is the perfect place to share them. Even if no one ever sees them I'll have them documented here.

This is one I mixed last night after staring at the Urban Ballerina collection on Sephora. Here's my interpretation of Leotard Optional. I wanted it to be a greyed pink with shimmer and flakies. I think I captured my vision pretty well. The flakies are a golden layer across the top of the polish.

My only regret is that my pictures don't capture the color accurately. I definitely have more work to do on my photo taking and editing skills.

Wet N Wild How I Met Your Magenta

2011-01-27T17:27:00.001-06:00

I found the new Wet N Wild Fast Dry polishes at Walgreens a few weeks ago. I've only worn How I Met Your Magenta, but I'm thoroughly impressed with this polish. It applied easily, wore like a dream and had a subtle hidden shimmer that is just beautiful.

The one on my nails is the most color accurate. The close ups show the shimmery gooodness. Yay for shimmery goodness!

20% off at Cherry Culture

2011-01-27T10:34:00.000-06:00

Cherry Culture is having a Valentine's Day Sale January 27-February 1. Everything on the site is 20% off using the code VDS20. Plus free shipping on orders $40 and up. I ordered LA Girl Rockstar polish in Crowd Surfing. It's a sheer green base with flakies. So hot layered over another color! Some of the Milani Limited Edition polishes are back in stock as well. Milani Bare was a popular collection that included Teddy Bare and Bare to Wear. Dressmaker is the Chanel Jade dupe that was part of Haute Value.

Hello there!

2011-01-27T10:12:00.001-06:00

I'm Jaybird. Jaybirdiscrafty on Make Up Alley. I have no idea what I'm doing. I love nail polish. I especially love the acquisition of the polish! Kind of like a pirate adrift on a sea of lacquer. A polished pirate! Join me on my adventure into blogging, picture taking and polish acquisition. Looking for something you can't find in your area? Shoot me a comment. Maybe I can find it for you.