Kell's DIY Nails

The New Year is just around the corner and Barielle is excited to hold another Sweepstakes in January.  The January Sweepstakes will start  on January 8 th  and will end  on January 22nd.     There will be a total of 12 winners; 10 Barielle Kits and  two  Grand Prizes of Coach Wristlets (Retail Value $100.00 each). The Barielle Kit will consist of: - Two Barielle Shades 5-packs of your choice - $50 - One Nail Rebuilding Protein Base Coat - $17.50 - One No Chip Speed Dry Top Coat - $12.50 - One Nail Strengthener Cream - $17.00 Total Value of $97.00! The Two Grand Prizes will include a Coach Wristlet plus a Barielle Kit. A Retail Value of $197!! Be sure to 'Like' their Facebook Page now so you will receive their updates and know when the Sweepstakes is open to enter!

I have a few days left in December so I decided to stay in the holiday spirit and wear my OMG Nail Strips in Red Snowflake that I picked up on Black Friday. These are the same ones I featured on Day 11 of My 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway . They feature white snowflakes on a red base. I have to admit I hate the staining I get on the skin around my nails when I apply red nail polish. I'm so pale that it's really obvious and not my favorite look. This way I get cute red nails without clean up and staining. Happy Happy Happy. I've used a few nail strips in the past and I'm getting better and better at it. They all have slightly different application procedures so you always want to thoroughly read the instructions. The OMG Nail Strips are pretty darn easy. Remove your old polish making sure you get the nail nice and clean & file if needed. Push back your cuticles, moisturize your hands and nails, then clean the nail plate thoroughly using acetone. Now you are ready to

Merry Christmas, Everyone! Even if you don't celebrate I wish you a Merry Day! Today I am wearing a polish I set aside especially for today. My mom loves Chocolate Covered Cherries and every year I give her some for Christmas so it was fitting that I wear this polish today! Chocolate Covered Cherry is very unique compared to other glitter polishes; it contains very fine glitter and it's a beautifully complex mix of maroon, bronze, pink, and purple in a clear base. The glitter is very dense and applies very smooth. I used 3 coats in the above photo with nothing underneath. As you can see my tips look a little bare so if that bothers you, you could always wear undies with this beauty. The suspension base keeps the glitter from settling and it's very easy to work with. Dry time was pretty quick too. It did dry to a matte finish and had some texture to it. I added a coat of Gelous & In A Hurry. There's also a bit of a holographic appearance to the glitter; it's a

If you are going to be doing a bunch of cooking and baking today and tomorrow I highly recommend wearing a Julie G Texture polish; they are so incredibly durable. Just keep in mind that they cannot hold up against a grater though...  I wore Mistletoe , a deep emerald green, last weekend while I whipped up various sweet treats and some comfort food. It held up beautifully until I accidentally grated my thumb nail. I ended up picking polish pieces out of the citrus zest I was grating. ;) Oh, well. The formula on this polish is typical of all the other Julie G Gumdrops; it's great. 2 easy coats to opacity and dry time was super quick. I also appreciate that they omitted the larger hexagon glitters in the Holiday Gumdrops .  Now, I am off to bake some Snickerdoodles.

I wanted to switch up my Christmas Manis so I opted to go with this softer neutral look for a change. I have a million untried green polishes and I want to get to them all but I'm starting to get tired of looking at them. LOL. Sometimes you just gotta put them away for a bit and then when you stumble upon them a little later down the road you will be like 'Oh, wow, I forgot about these'. Bare No Secrets is a nude shimmer with gold micro glitter. Sage It Ain't So is a soft green with silver glass flecks. Both are from the A Pair Affair Collection which was designed by Michelle over at All Lacquered Up. Both have nice formulas that are easy to work with. Bare No Secrets (on my middle and index) looks like it has brushstrokes in the photo above but in real life they were not visible. It was very opaque in 2 coats. Sage It Ain't So (pinky and ring) is a little on the thin side but I was content with 2 coats. Both have an average dry time. I finished them off with a c

Glitterati was part of a special duo of polishes that Illamasqua released for Christmas 2012 with another polish, Viridian. I snapped it up from Sephora when it went on clearance. They have been sitting in my Untrieds rack for quite a while. I looked over and realized better late than never, right?  This is a great holiday polish; it's very glam and sparkly (sparkly in an elegant way). It's a deep burgundy wine / red-based purple jelly with various sizes of holographic silver hex glitter. I used 2 coats and the photo looks like there are some sheer spots but in real life they were not that obvious. The formula was much better than most glitter packed jellies and I was able to apply it like a regular creme polish; no need to mess with glitter placement. Dry time was average and dried just a tad bumpy due to the glitter. I used a coat of Gelous & a coat of In A Hurry to finish it off. The only place you can still buy this duo is on  eBay . If you like it, snap it up before i

Today I was feeling inspired to try my hand at Nail Art once again. This time I wanted to do something to enter into  Barielle's Holiday Manicure Contest  so all of the colors needed to be  Barielle Shades   Luckily I have a ton of their Shades so I was all set. I knew I wanted to do trees but then I thought of Cris at L et Them Have Polish  and how she is all about Pinkmas. This got me thinking about all the different color themes people go with during the Holiday Season. There's the purple lover who goes with all different shades of purple. Then there is the quirky theme which always seems to use a bright chartreuse green. Last we have the retro silver tinsel tree decked out with decorations in a singular color (I went with red). I ran with it and this is what resulted. I gotta say I am very happy how this came out; My best freehand nail art to date. I started with a base of Green With Envy (a bright grass green creme; 3 coats) on my Index, Middle, and Pinky. Teaser (a jade

It's the final day of My 12 Days' Giveaway and I couldn't decide which KBShimmer Polish to give away so I decided to go with a $15 Gift Card which you can use to purchase your choice of polish! This will cover the cost of the polish and shipping. Which one would you get??? Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click  HERE  to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway The giveaway ends tonight (at Midnight) and I will select a winner once I roll out of bed. Get those last minute Shares & Tweets in for extra entries… and GOOD LUCK!

O.M.G. That's right, OMG Nail Strips ! I've been wanting to try these particular nail strips for quite sometime so when they had a Black Friday Sale, I picked up a few for me, and a few for you! One is a holiday design, a red base with white snowflakes and the other is a Peacock Design that I thought would be fun for New Years or any other time of the year. I can't wait to try mine out, but it might be a few weeks because I had a break last weekend and had to take all of my nails down to nubs. :( Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click  HERE  to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway Tomorrow's Day 12! The very last day of My 12 Days' Giveaway! If you follow me on Facebook you probably already know what tomorrow's prize is… Be sure to get those last minute Shares & Tweets in for Extra Entries!!!

I thought to myself what would be something only a Polish-Aholic would have? That would have to be a Polish Ornament for their Christmas Tree! Maybe you don't have a tree… That's OK, you could proudly display this pretty anywhere you like. This super cute ornament is made by ellagee and measures almost 2" wide at the widest part and 3 1/4" tall not including the hanging cord. The cord is 3 3/4" long. It's emerald green with holographic glitter and features a rhinestone band around the base of the bottle neck. You can read more about this ornament (and others she offers) in her StoreEnvy Shop HERE . You can also find ellagee on Facebook HERE . Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click  HERE  to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway We are quickly winding down… Tomorrow is Day 11! Don't forget to keep Sharing for Additional Entries!

Julie G's Holiday Frosted Gum Drops Collection Photo Courtesy of Work Play Polish . If you read my blog regularly you know I was infatuated with Julie G's Summer Gumdrops Collection; I loved the application, the texture, and the durability. They wowed me more than any other release this year so it was a no-brainer that I had to include their Holiday Gum Drops in my giveaway this year. This is for the ENTIRE COLLECTION! (Yep, you guys are so worth it!) All 6 colors; Silver Bells, Mistletoe, Gift of Gold, Ho Ho Ho, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Sleigh Ride. Work Play Polish did some amazing swatches and photos of the collection which you can see HERE . Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click  HERE  to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway You probably don't need to stop by for Day 10… or do you???

The Lady Bug: Spill-proof Nail Polish Holder This ingenious little device is a recent addition to my nail room; my favorite part is that you can sit it on a tilt to get to polish that's getting low. So simple yet so effective! I've had it pinned on Pinterest for quite sometime but there had been a supply issue and I had to wait for it to become available again. I've seen it reviewed on dozens of blogs too. Once it was available I snapped up not just one but two of them. The lucky winner will receive The Lady Bug , a Glass Nail File, and two toe separators. Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click HERE to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway I have a feeling Day 9 is gonna be really special…

I like snow. I've never lived anywhere that got lots of snow so I've never had to battle it. I know it gets old after awhile but there's something relaxing to the stillness of snow. When my husband and I lived in the high desert we experienced a 3-day Snowstorm and I will always remember how magical it was. We got 11 inches (over a foot in some areas) and everything came to a halt. The high desert isn't equipped to handle snow; we ended up not being able to leave the house for 3 days. We had plenty of water, heat, and electricity so it was tons of fun for us. We played in the snow, our dogs played in the snow, and then we would come in and warm up by the fireplace. It was great. No wonder I'm drawn to snow globe glitters. I layered one coat of  Enchanted  over  Essence Colour & Go, Walk on the Wild Side.  It's two different sizes (Micro & Medium Hexes) of white glitter in a clear base. I used a dabbing method to get the glitter where I wanted i

This wouldn't be My 12 Days' Giveaway without Barielle! Check out the awesome-ness Barielle sent… - A 5-Pack of Shades Nail Colors Gingerbread House, a rich brown cream Elle's Spell, a red jelly base filled with iridescent flakes Lilly Of The Valley, a super shimmery emerald green Falling Star, a medium blue cream with copper glitter Snow Day, a metallic pale blue (great for stamping) - Professional Protective Hand Cream , 2.5 oz. - Intensive Nail Renewal Oil , .50 oz. (I love this stuff! Check out my recent review HERE ) * Barielle generously provided today's prize. (P.S.) Barielle has been having lots of great deals and they will be hosting a Holiday Manicure Contest . I highly recommend 'Liking' their Facebook Page to stay in the loop! Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click  HERE  to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway You'll BUG-out when you see Day 8!

China Glaze, Good Spirits Gift Set If you're anything like me the holidays mean enjoying a libation or two. ;) This cute little gift set from China Glaze features two lacquers from their Holiday Collection, Mingle with Kringle & Bells Will Be Blinging, with a transparent frosted blue shot glass. To see swatches of these check out this review from The PolishAholic . I love Mingle With Kringle; a nice gold foil without any brushstrokes. Bells Will Be Blinging looks like a fun blue glitter. Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click HERE to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway Check back tomorrow to see Day 7!

Relogy Skin Care System After you exfoliate with Day 4's prize, you need a gentle yet effective Skin Care System to keep your skin looking it's best. Relogy uses 100% vegan ingredients (including coconut which is a natural powerhouse). I can't say enough about this system; I've always suffered from acne but now I'm stuck in the 'adult acne' phase where it's not so much about keeping my face clean as it is about keeping it ph balanced. My acne is triggered by stress, hormones, and the foods I eat so I need something soothing. I also need something that helps my acne heal without scaring. This system does that. The lucky winner will receive: Rinse-Free Acne Treatment Foam 4 fl oz. Skin Balancing Lotion with Coconut Milk 2 fl. oz Targeted Spot Treatment with Seaweed Extract .25 fl. oz.  RELOGY Guide to Clear Skin ...and a cute little travel bag to keep it in! To learn more about Relogy, visit their website at www.r

Essence, Walk on the Wild Side is a dark muted green with emerald green shimmer. I picked this up from Ulta quite a while ago and it's been sitting in my Untrieds rack with a few of its siblings. It's a really nice color; it's dark but not so dark that it looks black. I also like that it leans towards more of an army green and the sparkle & shimmer is noticeable on the nail. Outdoors at Sunset. No top coat. Indoor LED Lighting. The formula was nice and easy to work with, not too thin and not too thick. These newer bottles do have really wide brushes and it's a pain to use on my pinky nails, but otherwise they fan out over the nail pretty well. I used 2 coats of color to get it nice and opaque. Dry time was average and as you can see it dried to a nice & shiny finish. No top coat because I plan on adding something on top. I love how inexpensive these little Colour & Go polishes are; they are smaller than typical bottles at

The Body Shop, Vitamin C Microdermabrasion This is my absolute favorite product from The Body Shop; the consistency of the product and the crystals they use are perfect for exfoliating. It's not too abrasive yet it's powerful enough to really do a great job. I use it once a week and it keeps my skin fresh; reduces the appearance of enlarged pores and acne scaring. I also love the refreshing citrus scent. I love The Body Shop because they are helping to spread the concern about animal testing and the cruelty free movement. When you go in to their stores they have a petition to sign and the staff encourages people to learn more and take a cruelty-free stance. Yes, The Body Shop is owned by L'Oreal, which happens to one of the worst offenders when it comes to animal testing. I usually don't support companies with parent companies that test on animals but I love how The Body Shop puts the concern front and center and provides education. I think that is a huge step t

Wet n' Wild's In The Spotlight Collection:  No Neutral Ground Eyeshadow Palette & At The After Party Glitter Nail Color. I've been on an eyeshadow kick lately and I wanted to include one in my giveaway this year. Wet n' Wild's 2013 Holiday Collection, In The Spotlight, has both eyeshadow and polish so I thought I would give you one of each. After looking at reviews I made my picks! No Neutral Ground : 8 shades of eyeshadow are combined into this palette; there's a mix of sparkle, pearl, and matte. The 3 shades at the top are 'overcoats' so they can be used over the top of the other shades to mix it up a bit. I thought that was kinda fun. I also love the variety of colors in this palette and it seems to have the best formula out of the 3 different palette's released. Swatches of No Neutral Ground can be seen HERE  and HERE . At The After Party : Out of the 6 glitters in the collection I like the colors in this o ne best;  a mix of s

Day 2 is all about Nail Art! I stumbled upon this super cute Holiday Assortment of gems, pearls, sequins, candy canes, snowflakes, stars, and more at Sally Beauty. I also grabbed you some Gold Striping Tape. Both are by Cina Nail Creations. 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 . Have you seen the other prizes yet? Click  HERE  to see them! To enter simply use the Rafflecopter Widget below! a Rafflecopter giveaway Will you be back tomorrow to see Day 3?

Mike-Mike-Mike-Mike-Mike-Mike! Guess What Day It Is… It's Day 1 of My 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!!! For those of you who were not around last December and are not familiar with how this giveaway works… Each day for the next 12 days I will reveal a new prize or prizes that will all be combined and will all go to one lucky winner. I'm sure you are wondering why I didn't decide to have one winner per day... It's because shipping charges would be insane. This way I can ship it all in one flat rate box via USPS Priority Mail. Also, if you don't celebrate Christmas please feel free to replace 'Christmas' with 'December' or any other word of your choice. I promise not to be offended.  Prize reveals will occur once a day Dec. 1st - 12th. I will select the winner on Dec. 13th. I want the lucky winner to get all their loot by Christmas, maybe even before so they can wear their favorite one for Christmas. That is if they celebrate Christmas