Freehand: Animals

Purchased by Me

Press Sample

So I talked last week about the Freehand Nail Art group on Facebook - this week's challenge is Animals. I was super excited for this challenge because I recently sent my friend this adorable bag from Mod Cloth and I knew I had to make a tiny fox to match! 

I used a base of Formula X and a new glitter polish from Amazing Chic Lacquers Falling Leaves. (I'll be posting a full review soon, I have one more lacquer from her Fall collection to share, as well as one from the late Summer collection!)  Isn't it a beautiful glitter?! Love!

The fox is acrylic, I mixed the orange myself. Turned a little more orange than I had hoped, but I think the overall fox is adorable.

Here I did a quick matte top coat. Love those glitters! Anyway, I think I matched it pretty well, don't you? Thanks for looking!

♥ Pooka

Check out the other girls' Animal manicures below

Mermaid Ruffian Manicure

Purchased by Me

Aloha! I'm here in the southern United States freezing my butt off, wishing I was far, far away in Hawaii. However, all the cold has given me time inside, which is perfect for manicuring my nails! (Wewt for finding the positive!)

 Today I have a Ruffian manicure to share with you all. If you are interested in the tutorial that inspired me, you can find it here. Which is actually the original tutorial by a Ruffian stylist!

Cheetah Nails and Giveaway Day 4!

Purchased by Me

So, I think Cheetah is ... out? I don't know. I can't keep up with trends. What I do know is that it's a step outside my comfort zone. Are you kidding me? Pink cheetah? Who are you?! Though it may have something to do with this amazing Betsey Johnson cheetah and rose print wallet that I fell in love with recently but didn't buy because I don't NEED a wallet. (the life of being an adult : / ) Anyways, this has to be my favorite giveaway polish so far, it's Nicole by OPI "A Phil's Paradise" from the Modern Family collection, it's just so metallic and mirco-glittery!

I added this funky cheetah print on top ... do people still say funky as in cool? Why am I so old?! Anyway, I think it would be perfect for parties or something of the like. It's playful and I'm in love with the pink spots.

Here is my cat. She does not appear to be pleased. The pink spots are Ciaté "Kiss Chase" and the black lines are Sinful Colors "Black on Black" and I created some misshapen dots with my dotting tool and painted some irregular C shapes around them with my nail brush kit. The Ciaté polish was such a find, I was literally thinking about how much I wanted one of their polishes with that ADORABLE bow on it, and the next day I found it at TJ Maxx and it was the first time i'd ever seen that brand! Bizarre. I'll be doing a review soon because I bought a whole Ciaté kit! :)

Here is the polish without the nail art on it. Pretty freaking sweet, huh? Looks so shiny! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Half Moonicure and Giveaway Day 3!

Purchased by Me

Yay! It's day three and I have a beautiful purple polish from L'Oréal called "Paparazzi Pleaser" I created a simple and chic design to go with the purple. Just an easy half moon using some school supplies. Yes, school supplies! Check it out. :)

I used three thin coats of "Paparazzi Pleaser" and then I just used a paper reinforcement sticker at the base of my nail to create a guide for the half moon and added two coats of Zoya "Dove." This is my first half moon mani and I think I'm in love. What took me so long?! (Right, I never remembered to buy the guide stickers until tonight.) /Le sigh

Here is a quick swatch of the polish you could win today! Don't forget to enter giveaway day 1 and day 2 as well, good luck!

♥ Pooka

I will email the winner using the address provided and winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Julep "Stefani" Swatch and Review

Julep "Stefani" 

Recently I purchased my first bottles of Julep nail polish. Julep has a program called "Julep Maven" and they send you 2 nail polishes a month and a full sized beauty product. This polish is part of the "American Beauty" maven package. At $14 dollars a bottle, I only bought the subscription because my first box was free! :) You can get your first box free here, with the code "freebox" it only costs shipping which is ... $4 I think. But buyers beware! It IS a subscription, so if you don't want another box or don't like the polish you have to cancel or skip. Just a warning :)

Okay, now for the swatches! Stefani is an awesome metallic gunmetal grey with gold micro glitter in it. These swatches are without a top coat, so the good news is if you don't like the "gritty look" that these pics have, a quick coat of Seche Vite smoothed the whole thing out.

I adore this shade because I think it's a more unique color. It's probably best suited for Winter or Fall, but throw caution to the wind, be cray, or whatever... I'm using it in the Summer. I'm a rebel...

This being said, I don't believe this polish was worth the (full) price. The application was less than smooth. It has a gold micro glitter and created almost a "bubble" effect, or gritty. One coat would probably have been sufficient, but I had a few bald spots and went for a second coat. It dried pretty slowly too. I had to be pretty cautious about smudges for over two hours. Yikes!

One note about the bottles. They are tall and thin and this makes it difficult to dip the brush back in the bottle while balancing it. I literally had to hold the bottle every time I needed more polish. This is just a minor annoyance. 

Application 4/5 Good. Went on decently smooth and didn't show too many brush strokes.

Pigmentation 4/5 Opaque after one coat. I used two to cover a few bald spots.

Drying Time 2/5 Slow. This polish dried much slower than I had anticipated, but probably could be reduced with three extra thin coats rather than two regular coats.

Finish 2/5 I wasn't thrilled about the "grit" from the micro glitter, but it was quickly remeidied with a top coat of Seche Vite.

Top Coat not added

Verdict 3/5 I adore the color, but I wouldn't purchase it at full price. 

If you are interested in their Maven program, I'd give it a try though. It's a good enough polish if you only have to pay shipping for the first box! :) Plus, who doesn't love to receive a package? ^^ Lastly, the links to Julep help my Maven program and I do get free boxes with two others who subscribe. When you become a Maven you can refer friends, earn points, and get free polish, too.

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start. Happy painting!

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