Back to summertime

This "Summertime" painting by Edward Hopper was dated in 1943...

...with some timeless fashion going on here: black pumps, white dress, straw hat with a black ribbon band! Familiar isn't it?

Speaking of artwork, I am also currently infatuated by these "eyes" nail art seen on actress Emmy Rossum. I will definitely be attempting to recreate these on my nails at home...

Summer 2014 best nail polish ever

I'm a sucker for nail polish that resembles jewelry. My latest purchase are these Sally Hansen Color Foil. I especially love the "Sterling Silver" because it really does look like real silver foil, and the "Liquid Gold," a pale yellow 10k-like gold, which I find is more flattering on my skin tone than yellow-yellow 24k gold.

 Here's a quick swatch (Sterling Silver on left, Liquid Gold on right):

I love that the formula glides easily and dries quicker than any other nail polish I own. The only negative thing I can think of is that the "Liquid Gold" color can be uneven, so make sure to shake or mix the bottle a couple rounds before applying.

Other than that, these are now ranking the top spot as my favorite nail polish this summer and beyond!

What nail polish are you sporting this summer?

China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint nail polish

Sandal season is here!

As mentioned in another post, I love nail polishes that resembles gems and jewelry.

Today's pedicure is inspired by the Marie Louise Diadem (from my Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History trip last year).

Turquoise and Diamonds

Using: China Glaze Nail Laquer with Hardeners in Re-Fresh Mint (highly recommend!)

Embellish with: 2mm faceted acrylic flat back rhinestones (bought at craft store jewelry section)

Finish with: clear nail polish (I'm using some old Wet N Wild brand)

What's your favorite nail color this summer?

Coral-y summer time

Thanks to a birthday gift card and a coupon, I was able to splurge on these lovely nail polishes from Ulta!

Essie - Haute as Hello

I love nail polish colors that resembles natural jewelry stones (like turquoise, coral, lapis, jade, gold, etc...). It's my way of showing off some bling without the real $$bling, if that makes any sense, haha. Lately, I've been searching for a peachy color that resembles the popular YSL coral ring, and I think this Essie Haute as Hello is the closest match. It's a bright milky peach-pink that really pops. My only complaint is that this color was hard to find in-store, so I had to order online. The formula is also a bit streaky and hard to apply evenly on larger nail surfaces. My camera could not capture the pretty color accurately, but check out these other blogs for better photos: here, here, here

Layla Hologram Effect - Coral Glam

Now this is the most expensive ($15.50) nail polish I've ever purchased (yay for gift card and coupon)! It is totally worth the cost for me though. I've been mesmerized by anything holographic since I was a kid. It probably started with my grade-school teachers who occasionally awarded us with holographic stickers on "excellent" homework assignments. It was always such a treat to receive a shiny hologram sticker verses a regular sticker. To this day, I still become giddy over everything holographic from pencils, folders, holiday cards, candy-wrappers....you name it! At one point in high school, I even thought of designing a holographic dress to wear to prom. Thank goodness I ended up not going to prom at all, haha. Of course when I spotted the Layla holo nail polish, I had to try it!

Coral Glam is actually more a frosty nude-rose color than coral. It has a glittery-shimmer effect but dries smooth and fast (not gritty like some glitter polishes can be). 

The holographic effect doesn't show well unless in direct light. Thus it's a very neutral color indoors, but for outdoors it's like magic...beyond gorgeous with all the rainbow reflections...SWOON! Trust me, you will be staring and admiring your own nails like a crazy person with this! 

Again, for better photos, check out these other blogs: here, here, here

I will definitely be sporting these nail polishes this summer!

What are your favorite nail polishes this summer?

You had me at yellow!

I'm adoring the neon yellow accents in this spring/summer fashion, especially in footwear. Ann Taylor is having a 40% off everything online, including these Elizabeth Pointy Flats, but my pick of the Neon Light cap toe is already sold-out in my size, of course! Good thing, because even with the sale, it comes down to $71.99, which is still out of my range for trendy items. Aren't they so pretty and fun though?

To compensate for my loss and budget, I decided to buy neon yellow nail polish for my toes instead (I'm on a polish binge lately)! With another $3.50 off coupon, I went to Ulta again to find a neon shade. The only one available at my local store was this Piggy Polish You Had Me At Yellow:

Review: The color fits my bill for a fluorescent yellow. However, the formula doesn't apply nicely. It's runny, streaks easily, and dries up in a matte finish that scratches easily. I had to apply this over a light-colored opaque base (used my China Glaze Re-fresh Mint polish underneath), a coat of the Piggy polish, and then a clear top coat to give it a nice shine and make it scratch-resistant. Too much work for a $7.50 polish in my opinion. This reminded me of the same complaints with the China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini and the cheaper $1.99 Sinful Neon Melon.

Conclusion: I do not recommend this Piggy Polish You Had Me At Yellow unless you don't mind the extra work. The color still turns out nicely though. I wish I had went to CVS instead. I just found out about the new Nicole by OPI Ladies in the Limelight (Kardashian Kolor), which has more positive reviews and the color looks just as gorgeous, but a few cents pricier at $7.99.  But worth a check if you are looking for some neon polish. See good reviews here and here.