Kell's DIY Nails

Hey y'all! Just wanted to let you know I recently posted a few photos to the Manglaze Facebook page of the new shades they launched a few months back. Don't hate me cuz I'm nautical 'Til next time...

Clockwise from the upper left corner: "Jello Surprise" Bath Bomb ,  "Moose Mug" Solid Bubble Bath ,  "Bend Over & I'll Show You" Fortune Cookie Soap ,  "Sparky" Fortune Cookie Soap , "Mele Kalikimaka" Fortune Cookie Soap ,  "I Pledge Allegiance, Amen!" Fortune Cookie Soap ,  "SQUIRREL!" Wax Tart ,  "Sparky" Wax Tart . Middle: Partylite Snowy Owl ScentGlow Warmer For those of you not familiar with Fortune Cookie Soap you might not fully comprehend the names of these delightful scents; that's OK! I am gonna fill you in; this year FCS went with an 'Old Fashioned Family Christmas' theme that incorporated their 'deep and abiding love' of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Chevy Chase style). So, now, I am sure re-reading those names will click. Oh, and don't worry, "Jello Surprise" is not Lime Jello and Cat Food scented! On the final post of my WIN-ter Wonderl...

Today's post is one of my very favorite! Every year I like to include an epic Christmas polish; one that I think is all of Christmas rolled into one bottle!  I give you... X-mas Me Silly from Polish Me Silly ! From their website:  ' It is meant to look like a christmas tree with a rainbow of ornaments and yellow, pink, and bright green stars floating throughout it to top it off.... It consists mostly of hexagon glitters and star glitter. It has a jelly green base to make it less transparent and tiny holographic green glitter to represent the tree. All of the colors of the rainbow are in this polish! lol The colors in this polish look beautiful together and it is absolutely stunning on. This is the perfect X-Mas polish...' X-mas Me Silly can be built up to opacity but I opted to layer one coat over Hard Candy, Crush On Ivy. I've had this Hard Candy in my Untrieds for ages and I love how it looks with XMS over the top. Formula was really great and easy to apply; just be ...

When I was on the e.l.f. website I noticed some new(ish) colors so I thought we should take a look at them! I know these are not really Winter or Holiday colors but let's be honest it's gonna be over in a flash and then it will be Spring. These are very versatile colors and a sparkly top coat (Twinkle Twilight) just gives you even more ways to rock them.  Prissy Chrissy   made me laugh; that name! I knew a Chrissy back in my school days who was definitly prissy. This soft peach creme is a nice palette cleanser but not quite a nude so you still get some nice color. I used 2 coats for this swatch stick but I really think this one will need 3 to eliminate any streaks and sheer spots. The creamy fomula was easy to apply. I have nothing quite like Prissy Chrissy; it's definitly a peach tone but with a touch of pink and has a brightness to it like nothing in my stash. Because this is warmer toned than Barielle's Kiss Me Kate I don't think it will give me lobster hands.  ...

I incorporated all of these items into a full face look so I could throughly test them out and show you what they look like when worn. To create this purple smokey eye I used the Mineral Eyeshadow Primer , Essential Smudge Pot in Poppin Party , and Studio Baked Eyeshadow in Burnt Plum . I started with a base of the Mineral Eyeshadow Primer all over my lid, brow bone, and crease. I've been using this stuff for about a year and I think it is comparable to the Urban Decay and Too Faced primers. The texture is really nice; it had a light and creamy texture that is easy to blend on the eye but try to avoid over blending it. It sets pretty quickly to a soft velvety texture. I like to blend it out over the lid, then the brow bone, then the crease. This prevents you from getting too much product in the crease which will then crease later in the day. A little goes a very long way and I always finish application by patting with my fingertip to avoid flaking. When applied correclty this will...

Today's prize is a Nail Art Package; quite a few different items to help you get creative.  10 Sheets of Nail Guides : At first I was looking for just Chevron & Traditional French Guides when I stumbled upon this awesome selection of nail guides. 2 different types of Chevrons, 5 Zig Zag patterns, 2 types of Waves, Straight, Heart, Circles, Lightening Bolt, Tear Drop, and 2 different Traditional French. Seriously everything you could ever need or want! Suicide Prevention Nails , Party Animal Nails , Retro Christmas Nails , Zoya Nail Art , Cresent Moon Nails . Jane's Tiny Things, Truly Outrageous Nail Decals: High -quality water slide decals in the raddest designs around!  The Truly Outrageous set comes with 64 decals (2 different sizes, color and black & white). The white paper will slide away when activated with water and you'll be left with these gem inspired designs on a clear background. Mix it up with round, marquise, square, pear, trilliant, and emerald cuts. ...

It's time to mix things up, gang! Say 'Goodbye' to my  12 Days' Giveaway . Now, it's  WIN-ter Wonderland . Over the next 3 weeks I will randomly post giveaway posts that will show you a new prize that will be added to the pot. Each post will also give you additional ways to earn extra entries. I am keeping with the one large prize tactic because 1) It saves me money on shipping and 2) one big prize is just really fun to win! At least in my mind. NOTE: I apologize for the confusion on yesterday's post; I was under the impression that I would be giving away the Jetsetter Collection but when I received the product it was slightly different than I was anticipating. Any entries submitted yesterday will still apply; no need to re-enter if you already have. Barielle's Me Couture Collection , Nail Rebuilding Protein , No-Chip Speed Dry , and Nail Strengthener Cream , You can see my review & swatches HERE . From Dec. 1st through Dec. 18th I will randomly (Mondays...

Happy 1st Day of Summer, Friends! I have a pretty cool giveaway for you... and guess what?!? It's open internationally!  Sadly, there's no nail polish in this prize pack (nail polish cannot be shipped internationally) but I think you will still like it! I thought about products that would be useful for everyone and I didn't purchase any color cosmetics since everyone has different tastes. I also added in some nail art goodies. So, let's take a look at what you can win! e.l.f. Cosmetics Hydrating Under Eye Primer : This is one of e.l.f.'s newest products; it contains Vitamins C & E, Shea, Green Tea, Aloe, and Ginko Biloba to nourish and condition the skin. It primes the under eye area to help prevent concealer from settling into fine lines and wearing off. The sheer, silky smooth texture reduces the appearances of fine lines, puffiness, and wrinkles. I have issues with dark circles and concealer never applying quite right under my eyes. When I saw this new produc...

This is a great collection from Barielle; they're almost all your typical pastels but with a little something different. For example Sour Apple isn't just a typical grass green or mint green, its a bright lime green. Lilac Jelly Bean isn't just a pale lilac, it's a murky lilac that also does double duty as an edgy neutral. Then there is Blue Cotton Candy ; a blue green packed with irridescent micro glitter. I even like Orange Parfait (which is an orangey coral) and Banana Drop (a pale yellow). You can see swatches of these here . One lucky winner will get the Sweet Treats Collection , Nail Rebuilding Protein , and No-Chip Speed Dry Top Coat . A $55.00 Value! Giveaway is open to residents of the United States and must be 18 years of age or older. Due to shipping restrictions I cannot ship Internationally. However, I do have something in the works for my international ladies so don't give up hope just yet! Fill out the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter. ...

We are dead in the middle of summer (yes, I know we are already starting to see some fall colors LOL) and I thought to myself 'I smell a giveaway!'. I recently received some awesome nail mail from Barielle and two of the Shades are ones that I have already rocked and I think they are great summer colors. I also have some nail treatments to share with you too! Here's what you can win: Nail Strengthener Cream - 1 oz. jar Nail Rebuilding Protein Base Coat - .5 fl. oz. 2 Shades Nail Colors in Swizzle Stix & Gotta Have Fate - .45 fl. oz. each I can sing the praises of Barielle's Nail Strengthener Cream all day and night. But the gist is this: It Works! If you want to improve the condition of your nails, start at the cuticle with this cream. For more info on Barielle you can visit them online at www.Barielle.com or check out their Facebook Page . This Giveaway is open to US residents only; USPS prohibits shipping nail polish internationally. You need...

Barielle, Blue Capri. 2 coats.  Barielle, Blue Capri Blue Capri is from Barielle's 2013 Summer Collection called Summer Brights. This collection consists of polishes that have been previously released except for this one. I've already shown you Pink Flip-Flops and Lemondrops on my Facebook page , but here they are again:  The formula on Pin k Flip-Flops is a very opaque cream. It is a little harder to apply like Berry Go Round. I had to be careful in my application to avoid drag marks and streaks. The consistency is also like Berry Go Round in that it is easy to get a nice clean line at the cuticle without any pooling. Usually pale pinks like these require more than 2 coats; for example Pink Quartz is a jelly/cream (Crelly) formula and while it is pretty opaque, it does require 3 coats.  (7/20/12)   Barielle, Lemondrops. 3 coats. Wow! I just think of 'Shock me, Shock me, Shock me.' from Empire Records... LOL. This is a typical yellow; thick, strea...

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 ...

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...