Kell's DIY Nails

NYX Girls, Buzz Worthy. 1 coat over: China Glaze, Red Satin.  Sunlight.  Happy New Years Eve! This is also my 60th post so there's even more cause to celebrate!!! I hope you all had a great weekend too; mine consisted of housework and cleaning. The hubby and I are hosting a Game Night tonight with some friends and family. I'm looking forward to it! Buzz Worthy is another NYX Girls polish I picked up at a local Cinderella store in Rancho Cucamonga,CA. Buzz Worthy is different from Mushroom Glitter in that it has more texture and the glitter is not foil like. I would say this is a mix of 60% Gold and 40% Silver glitter. It also appears that the gold glitter is slightly larger than the silver and it is irregularly shaped.

China Glaze, Red Satin. 3 coats.  Sunlight.  I've been a little obsessed with red polish lately. It all started when I was looking for a good red polish and I realized that a good chunk of my red collection was not cruelty free. So, I began my hunt to find cruelty free replacements. Luckily, we have a huge surplus of great reds in current collections. Red Satin is one of the reds I decided to add to my collection. It came from China Glaze's Holiday 2012 Collection with quite a few other great reds. This one is a bit different because it is a jelly finish. It gives a nice squishy appearance on the nail yet builds up to opacity nicely in 3 coats. I highly recommend letting each coat dry thoroughly before adding the next. The formula is a little on the thin side and you need to be careful in application to avoid pooling at the cuticle. Dry time did take significantly longer due to the need for 3 coats, but I kind of feel it was worth it. Red Satin looks quite similar to...

KBShimmer, Candy Cane Crush. 1 coat over: Cult Nails, Cruisin' Nude.  Sunlight.  Closeup. I hope you are all enjoying your Christmas Eve and are ready for Christmas... Today my husband and I will be with my parents and tomorrow we will be with his family. I like it this way because we don't have to rush with either of our families. I've got a very small family; it's just my mom and my dad and they are flexible so it works out really well. My husbands family is bigger than mine, but not huge. A lot of his family still works too, so Christmas Day works best for them. The only down fall to the hubby and I spending 2 days with family is that our brand new couch is at home and we can't enjoy it! Ha! This year we decided to spruce up our family room for Christmas; Our couch was broken and our TV was on it's last leg. We've been dealing with the broken couch for a year and the TV started getting this line at the top...

Cult Nails, Cruisin' Nude. 2 coats.  Sunlight.  Closeup to show the shimmer.  I'm gonna have to tell you that this is easily my favorite polish of 2012. It wasn't released in 2012, but I didn't get it til' 2012 so it still counts. I love neutrals but I've always had problems finding a good nude that works with my skin tone. This one is perfect and the pink shimmer is lovely. The formula is a little on the thick side, but still easy to apply. I did experience some bubbling which is probably the result of the thick formula but a coat of Seche Vite fixed the bubbling. This was almost a 1 coater but there were a few sheer spots so I did a 2nd coat. The brush is nice; the perfect length and width. It fanned out nicely on my nail and made application a breeze. Dry time was average. On my ring finger a fine black piece of fuzz landed on my nail as I was applying my top coat. Does that not drive you crazy?!? There was no way I was going to be able to...

NYX Girls, Mushroom Glitter. 3 coats.  Sunlight.   Gloomy Weather.  I recently bought a few NYX Girls' polishes in hopes that I might find a dupe to Essie's Beyond Cozy. When you perform a Google Image Search you end up with an endless array of swatch photos for Beyond Cozy . I decided to try Mushroom Glitter first to see how it measured up.

Nicole by OPI, A Gold Winter's Night. 3 coats. Good grief, I'm wearing a Kardashian Kolor. I never thought it would come to this... but this glitter actually impressed the heck outta me when I saw The PolishAholic post a swatch of it. I loved it. I thought I might put it on and not like it as much but I was wrong. I dig it. Alot. It's kind of a unique glitter in that it is totally blinged out but the tone is very much like a nude. The bar glitter is very fine and easy to work with so you don't have issues with them poking every which way. It consists of super fine gold tinsel, slightly larger green holo tinsel (or bar glitter; however you refer to it), and pale pink micro glitter. The formula is somewhat sheer, so you have the option of layering, but you can easily build it up using 3 coats on it's own which is what I did here (I hardly ever do that). My tips are not wrapped because this would only give me stray glitters hanging off the edge s...

KB Shimmer, Cocoa Nut. 2 coats.  We've had some gloomy weather here lately...  A few days later I was able to snap a sunny photo.  I've been dying to try KB Shimmer's polishes for quite sometime, but money was pretty tight for a while so I was on a major no-buy for several months. But, finally the money issue improved and I was able to purchase some of the holiday polishes she released. After seeing Amy's swatches ( I'm Feeling Nail- Venturous ) I was most excited about Cocoa Nut because it was an unusual color combo for the holiday season. I also love that the glitter was packed into a shimmery chocolate brown base; Not too in your face and very wearable. It reminded me of something and it took me a couple of days to realize it made me think of fruitcake! LOL I don't really like fruitcake, but the base is a dark brown like fruitcake. Add a few other colors of glitter and it would totally look like fruitcake! Amy has always highly recommende...

On the 12th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  KB Shimmer, All Decked Out. Last year it was Lynnderella's Happy Holo-Daze; this year I anticipate KB Shimmer's All Decked Out to be THE Christmas lacquer of the year. Why? Well, just look at it! If the bottle shot isn't enough for you check out  THIS swatch. Is that not just all of Christmas smooshed into a bottle or what?!? I love it and I instantly knew this had to be the prize to end this giveaway with. KB Shimmer had this to say on their Facebook page in response to my question about animal testing: "No, I do not test on animals (unless you count my husband and 8 year old daughter, lol). As far as I know none of my suppliers test on animals either. My nail polish, whipped butters, and scrubs are vegan. My soaps, lip balms and lotions are not vegan, and do contain animal products. What an awesome answer! (& I would count MY husband because he IS an animal! LOL) As you know Bing Crosby is one of ...

Alter Ego, Tax Pro. 1 coat over: Finger Paints, Catwalk Queen.  Alter Ego, Tax Pro. Did you know I'm a Tax Pro? I really am; I work for H&R Block. A few years ago I wasn't having much luck in the job arena so I decided to take the H&R Block Income Tax Course. I ended up passing with pretty good marks and applied to work for H&R Block. I ended up getting hired and got placed in a really great office; they have a high volume of clients and it's only 10 minutes from home. I used to be an administrator in the construction industry but when the economy took a turn for the worse, construction was one of the first and hardest hit areas. I struggled from one job to another for a few years but as time wore on I realized that I wasn't going to find any stability or any kind of 'career' in the construction industry.   Since finding this new path I really enjoy it. This may sound really cheesy but for once I have a job that truly satisfies me; it...

On the 11th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  Alter Ego, Miss Bikini and Goldie Handler.  Seriously, I wanted to hoard these and keep them all to myself. Cynthia at Alter Ego hooked you guys up!!! Both of these got me drooling; Miss Bikini is a bright shimmery yellow with big black circle sequins. The shimmer seems to also have some very fine holographic particles in it too. I've never seen anything like it. Goldie Handler is another shimmery beauty; it's like a cross between gold and copper with a little bit of fine holo glitter thrown in. Who ever wins MUST show me swatches of these STAT! LOL For now, we can check out the swatches at Cynthia's Online Store . Swatch of Miss Bikini Swatch of Goldie Handler Click HERE to see all 12 Day's Prizes (or rather the ones I've already revealed). a Rafflecopter giveaway

On the 10th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  10 Ulta Treats! I know it's hard to see all the goodies here so I broke it up:  Ulta Salon Formula Nail Lacquer in Fashionably Late, Hide & Go Sequins, and Limited Edition Nail Lacquer in Purplexed.  Hand Cream in Holiday Candy Cane, Vanilla Noel, and Frosted Sugar Plum. Small and Large Nail Clippers.  Pumice Stone and 3 Emery Boards The nail lacquers look like they could be dupes or close to some other popular polishes out there. Fashionably Late could be a dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Ruby Red Slippers or Spoiled, Ants in my Pants. Hide & Go Sequins looks like a dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Across The Universe. Swatches for Fashionably Late and Hide & Go Sequins can been found HERE . Swatches for Fashionably Late and Purplexed can be found HERE . Plus, you get Hand Creams in various holiday scents, small and large nail clippers, a pumice stone, and some emery boards. Ulta is gre...

On the 9th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  3 Twistband Hair ties & 3 Twistband Headbands.   A Twist! Or rather, Twistbands! If you follow me on my Facebook page you might have seen me post about Twistbands. I have a confession to make: I could not live without scrunchies before Twistbands came along. Even long after scrunchies had become lame and uncool I still needed them because they were the only way to tie my hair back really well without damaging my hair when it came time to take them out. I have lots and lot of hair. Everyone gets confused when I say I have fine yet thick hair; it means each stand is very thin, but there's tons of them! It's a serious chore to care for and my hairdresser knows my name only because it takes her 3 hours to get through my hair. To look at it you would never imagine I have that much hair but it's in there, I promise you. Twistbands are perfect to tie my hair back when painting my nails because I can slide the twist...

Cult Nails, Coveted. 2 coats.  Cult Nails, Coveted.   Love the flake glitter... Coveted is from Cult Nails' Behind Closed Doors Collection. It's a deep emerald green with shimmer and flake glitter. It's a green version of Cult Nails' Iconic. The formula is some what jelly-like and let's the shimmer and flake glitter shine through yet is opaque in 2 easy coats. The photos show some visible nail line but it's not noticeable in real life. It's absolutely stunning. It dried really shiny too but I added a coat of Seche Vite to seal it all in. It was just announced that the Pantone Color of the Year for 2013 is Emerald ... Does Maria of Cult Nails have a crystal ball or what?!? I just had two of my nails break; my middle and ring fingernails. It's the hand I normally photograph (my left) so I am showing you my 'other' hand while they grow out. I have a hard time positioning my right hand for photos so they might look a little wonk...

On the 8th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you... Cult Nails, Bitten from the Behind Closed Doors Collection. Bitten is a sexy and vibrant raspberry shimmer full of glass flecks; you can see swatches on Cult Nails' Blog HERE . This is the perfect color for the holiday season and could even help you ring in the New Year. Cult Nails is 4 Free and Cruelty Free. Click HERE to see all 12 Day's Prizes (or rather the ones I've already revealed). a Rafflecopter giveaway

I love it when I get some unexpected nail mail... Especially, when it's from Barielle. When I opened up the box I was pleasantly surprised to see some new shimmers and duochromes. Two of these are game changers and the other three are good staples for any polish lover. Since my fingers have been super dry due to the cooler weather I opted not to do full swatches on my actual finger nails. Instead, I chose to wear one of the new colors on my nails for a few days and I swatched the others on a nail wheel.  Green Opal, Wanna Samba?, and Holiday Madness.  Green Opal, Wanna Samba?, and Holiday Madness,  First is my absolute favorite; Wanna Samba? Yes, yes, I do! Especially with you! This is a wicked shimmer that shifts from teal green to purple (It's the middle swatch in the above photo). I'm so in love with this; it just might be my birthday polish (Jan. 19th). I used 2 coats for the swatch. It's got some brushstrokes in it but it's less noticeable in...

On the 7th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  Barielle's New York Style Collection: Big Apple Red, Central Park, Soho At Night, Fifth Avenue Boutique, and Greenwich Village At Dawn. Barielle's Nail Strengthener Cream.  Barielle was kind enough to provide me with these awesome Shades' Nail Colors and some Nail Strengthener Cream to give to you! These are some gorgeous creme colors and Greenwich Village At Night is a pale mauve with a green shimmer... stunning. Here are some swatches for your viewing pleasure. I adore their Nail Strengthener Cream; I use it every single night before bed and this jar will last for-ev-er. My nails have seen significant improvement since I've been using it. I used to be plagued with very flimsy nails which made it difficult to keep polish from chipping constantly but now they are significantly stronger and thicker. Barielle is not listed on PETA's Do Not Test list or on Leaping Bunny's site but I did send them an...

On the 6th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Ruby Pumps and Blue Bells Ring. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I thought I would go with one classic (Ruby Pumps) and one new release (Blue Bells Ring) from China Glaze. China Glaze is one of my favorites; they have awesome colors and are easily accessible. Then, my giveaway would not be complete without Seche Vite, a staple for any DIY polisher. Did you know that both of these brands are owned by the same parent company? American International Industries  is a cruelty free company; you can find them listed under PETA's Do Not Test list. Click HERE to see all 12 Day's Prizes (or rather the ones I've already revealed). a Rafflecopter giveaway

On the 5th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  A set of Violent Lips Temporary Lip Tattoos in Pink Leopard.  For Day 5 I wanted to change it up a bit! I decided to give you a set of Violent Lips lip tattoos. These are really fun. They apply like regular temporary tattoos; just apply to clean, dry lips and pat with water until the backing slides off. They wear for 4 to 8 hours. Go to www.ViolentLips.com to learn more about them... like what types of lip glosses you can wear with them and how to get the perfect fit.  www.ViolentLips.com  From their website: ABOUT THE PRODUCT: Violent Lips is a line of natural and vitamin enhanced temporary lip tattoos that stay put from the stage to the after-party. These FDA approved, vegan lip tattoos, are tested on supermodels, not animals and made in America. One pack of Violent Lips contains 3 applications*. Follow the instructions on the back of each application or watch our online tutorials to help...

On the 4th day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  Burt's Bees Thoroughly Therapeutic Hand Creme & Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I use Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream very regularly. I like that it's actually more like a balm; it doesn't leave me really greasy and it has staying power to keep those cuticles nice and moisturized. I have one in my handbag and I keep one in my nail room. When I'm working I keep one at my desk. I've never used this hand creme but I've heard it works really well from others so I hope you will like it too. Burt's Bees is all about all natural ingredients and is also cruelty free. Speaking of Burt... Burt has a Hallmark Addiction. Mostly, it's their ornaments that he can't get enough of and of course they release a bunch of new ones prior to every holiday season. He's even signed up for their Rewards Program; that's pretty serious for my redneck husband. I'm a fan of The Muppets and every ye...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin Hey There! Just a quickie to let you all know that I have explored all the different paths out there as far as keeping track of blogs. Everyone has their favorite avenue so I wanted to open these options up to those who would like to follow my blog but don't want to use GFC (Google Friend Connect). While GFC seems to be the most popular, it looks like Blogger is trying to get us off of GFC and on Google+. I am now on Google+ and I have created a Google+ Page for my blog too; Kell's DIY Nails To follow me using any of these different paths, just look to my sidebar on the right; I have all the buttons listed there. Thanks!

On the 3rd day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Colors in Night Prowl and Blue Moon, Wet n Wild Megalast Nail Color in Wet Cement.  We can't forget Wet n Wild. Not only have they been around since I can remember, they are also a cruelty free brand that's both affordable and accessible. We love Wet n Wild for not selling out. I will always support them (even if I don't like their Fastdry brushes LOL). Night Prowl is a really great polish; you can see a swatch of it on Holographic Hussy HERE . Blue Moon is one I have yet to try but it looks beautiful; a shimmery dark teal green. Wet Cement is one of the newer colors Wet n Wild released; it's a good basic greige (grey/beige). Since we are talking Christmas I wanted to share one of my very favorite movies/songs of the season with you. I love Bing Crosby; when I hear him singing Christmas songs I know it's really Christmas. It's one of few things that gets me into the spirit ...

On the 2nd day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  A Cina Nail Creations Nail Art Kit. My 1st experience with dried flowers didn't go all that well... but I will be making a 2nd attempt and I want you to give it a try too! This kit comes with a variety of different colored dried flowers and lots of different sequins to play with. It also includes an orangewood stick. Cina Nail Creations' parent company is Cuccio Naturale. They are listed on PETA's Do Not Test list as well as on www.LeapingBunny.com . You can learn more about the company at www.starnail.com . Click HERE to see all 12 Day's Prizes (or rather the ones I've already revealed). Check back each day through the 12th to see all the prizes. Enter using the Rafflecopter Widget below to win all 12 Days' worth of prizes. Winner announced Dec. 13th. a Rafflecopter giveaway

On the 1st day of Christmas, Kell gave to you...  7 Newly Released e.l.f. Nail Colors: Misty Haze, Green Machine, Liquid Metal, Glamour Girl, Sea Escape, Garnet, and Gold Star. Do you guys ever watch The Ellen Show? Do you like Ellen? I prefer her over Oprah, but everyone has their own preference. Oprah has her 'Favorite Things' and Ellen has '12 Days of Giveaways'. I was actually very fortunate to have gone to one of Ellen's 12 Days' Shows a few years ago. Check it out: In addition to everything shown in the video, we also got a Herman Miller Chair because one of the guests said the "Mystery" word. As you can see I came home with tons of loot and I had it all listed on eBay days later... LOL Well, not all of it. I kept the Samsung Galaxy Vibrant Smart phone, the $250 Cost Plus World Market Gift Card, the Looxcie Blue Tooth Camcorder, and the Herman Miller chair (it's what I'm sitting on as I type this; it's my desk chair and ...