My Country 'tis of Thee

So, I have been away from blogging for quite a while.  In that time, I really didn't do many manicures, leaving most of them on until they were chipped beyond recognition.
I've lost a job and a big chunk of my family and I need for life to start looking up.  After being laid off from my "night" job, I started looking at my options and am pretty set on going back to school.  Some changes need to be made because I just can't continue this way.  Hopefully this is a really good turning point!
That being said, I've not got a lot more free time for the summer and want to get back to things that make me happy--reading, movies, talking with my friends and getting a little sparkle on my nails!  So, this is the first of my patriotic/4th of July manis that I did. 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats China Glaze Ruby Pumps
*2 coats Zoya Song (accent)
*1 coat Pure Ice Dazzle Me (accent)
*1 coat Out The Door

It's rare that I let my polish stand alone, so it was different for me to see Ruby Pumps all on its own.  These are darker and bolder colors than I've been wearing lately and I loved them!  (Forgive the tip wear--I didn't get these photographed until after a full day at work.)

Maybe it's patriotismc or simply complimentary colors, but I could not get enough of the dark blue and red together!  They both have a shimmer/sparkle to them and I loved the bold colors.  I used a little bit of Dazzle Me for stars on Song.  This is one of the only polishes I've bought in the past few months (maybe the only one?) and when I saw the mix of micro silver glitter and the medium holo pieces I really fell in love with it. 
Have you pulled out any good reds and blues for the holiday?

A Berry Big Problem

I realized, earlier this week, that I have a problem.  Perhaps it is excitement over fall and the upcoming holiday season.  Perhaps it is forgetfulness.  Perhaps these are excuses.  I have a new addiction to berry colored polish with holo sparkles.  I decided to compare the 4 that I could find (my Sinful Colors magnetic is missing...so tragic!).  In the bottle, they look very similar.  On the nail...only mostly similar...

Here's the line up!  These cover a pretty broad range of prices, from $1.99 for the Pure Ice to a retail of $12.50 for the OPI (but not with my Ulta coupons!) and different availabilities.

Left to right: OPI DS Extravagance, Zoya Blaze, Ulta Material Girl and Pure Ice Super Star.  For comparison, I used 2 coats of color over 1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener and under 1 coat of Out the Door.

Extravagance.  How gorgeous is that?!?  This one applies like a dream.  This is one of the darker shades, a deep berry or wine shade.  The silver holo particles are small and super-dense.  This dries with a smooth, shiny finish, but I always add a top coat.  Totally worth the cost (especially if you can get it discounted)!

Blaze.  This is one of my picks from the new Ornate collection and amazing!  Like Zoya polishes in general, this is also an amazing application, easy and smooth.  The color on this one is lighter and brighter than Extravagance, more cranberry.  Like Extravagance, the holo pieces in this are very fine, though not as dense.  Another nice, shiny finish, even without a top coat.

Material Girl.  This one is darker berry, like Extravagance.  There are a couple of key differences, aside from the price (regularly $6, unless you get it on sale, which is pretty easy to do).  The holo pieces in this one are larger, more like glitter than shimmer.  They are quite dense, and reflect a bit differently because of their size.  Also, because of the size of the glitter, the application is a big uglier with a little dragging.  This is the only one of the three that dried gritty and really needed a top coat for a glossy finish.  ALL of that being said, this is a gorgeous polish and a great alternative if you cannot find the OPI.

 

Super Star.  This was a lighter, brighter berry like Blaze, but not quite the same shade.  It's almost a little bit purple in tint.  When I saw this at Walmart with the new Pure Ices, I fell in love.  When I got home I realized that this same reaction had happened too many times before... This one has an easy application and good coverage for such an inexpensive polish.  The holo is much less visible on the nail than in the bottle and than the other three.  It's almost more of a golden-red glitter than a true holo.  Of the 5, I think that this is the only one I really regret nabbing, which is ironic since it's the cheapest of the bunch!

This out of focus shot helps show off the density and appearance of the holo for each.  You can see that the colors of Extravagance and Material Girl (index and ring) are really close in color.

So there they are.  What do you think?  Do these make you think of fall and winter coziness?  Do you own any?  Have you discovered any of your own little addictions like this--let me know because it could be contagious!

My Movember story

Today is November first, the beginning of Movember.  This is a very personal month and cause for me.  If you don't know the purpose of Movember, I really recommend that you take a minute to check out their website.  In a nutshell, it is a month of bringing awareness and funding to men's health, specifically prostate and testicular cancers, by growing a mustache.  It's all about getting the conversation and research going.

On Valentine's Day in 2011 my dad called me.  I was working night shifts and incredibly disoriented when he let me know that they had been seeing his doctor who had diagnosed him with early-stage prostate cancer.  The rest of that day was a haze.  He told me it was early and slow-growing, but all I could hear was cancer and I wasn't sure why I had such an insane dream that I couldn't pull out of.  I couldn't really wrap my mind around my dad having cancer.  Cancer.
My dad was a champ.  He was brave and honest.  We are fortunate to live near world-class medical centers. When he went to see a specialist, his biggest news was "I think I have Lance Armstrong's doc."  That's my dad!
After a lot of testing, discussion, prayer and thought, he decided to undergo surgery this past March.  Again, I spent a day in a haze.  I've always been a daddy's girl, his only daughter, the night owl who stayed up far into the night listening to stories and talking with him.  When I talked with my mom that night and heard that things went perfectly, literally THE best case scenario, I could only cry.
My dad has had months of recovery and working to get back into life as a conqueror of cancer.  Just a few days ago he received the all-clear from his specialist to simply check in with his personal doctor every six months as a cancer survivor!
We were so blessed and fortunate to have had amazing doctors and wonderful research that gave him back his health.  An important part of that is due to early detection.

Enter the mustache.

This month is about promoting men's health and talking about these cancers.  We have been so open to talking about breast cancer and women's health, which is empowering and so important, but men tend to avoid this subject.  Cue Movember.  As I mentioned in one of my Go Pink posts, a cure for one cancer is hope for all.  I'm committed to being a Mo Sista, spreading awareness because the men in my life are important to me.  Like my dad, knowing their bodies and their PSA numbers can save their lives.  I want to help make this as easy and natural to talk about as "Save the ta-tas" has become. 

*1 coat Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Hardener
*2 coats Color Club Take Me To Your Chateau
*1 coat Pure Ice Oh Baby!
*1 coat Out the Door (2 on accent nail)

That awesome little mustache is a nail decal from RLR Creations Nail Art on Etsy.  They are super inexpensive and easy to use, and much neater than my nail art!  Love it!

I used Take Me To Your Chateau, a pale blue cream, for prostate cancer awareness.  It is really opaque, but streaked a bit, so I added Oh Baby! over the top to camouflage the brush strokes.  This is a gorgeous, fine blue shimmer (you can really see it in the photo above). 

So this month is about bringing awareness to men and their health because it is personal, even for a girl.  I'll be posting some more manis about this subject, and would LOVE it if you would join me.  If you do, let me see your work!  Add onto the gallery below with your own story, your own ideas, your own Movember movement! 





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