Kell's DIY Nails

Once again I shall apologize for my absence; it is not the fault of the job this time... but family health issues. In fact I am typing this from the hospital. But enough of the downer stuff. This is a manicure I wore for the last week of January. The deep blue is Midnight ; from the Nerd Lacquer website: MIDNIGHT is what you shall wear when you've really made it -- and also maybe right now, because why not? Deep inky blue linear holo studded with royal holo sequins, little flecks of black (as is proper) and silver sparks. Mysterious, magical, and achingly gorgeous. (See what I did there, Discworld fans?) I don't have the words to describe how much I love this, but the formula was buttery and smooth; opaque in 2 coats. No issues with glitter placement. On my accent nail I applied a stunning silver called Phasma . Phasma is what they call CONVERTIBLE because it comes with a tiny packet of glitter; large and small silver holo, black micro, plus black holo textured glitter. You c...

Did you think we would get through October without a Walking Dead themed polish? Sunlight. This looks like more of a scattered holo but it was linear too. Son Of A Dick is a deep chocolate brown holo. I used 2 coats for opacity. I love the way it looks but sadly the formula was a bit rough for me; it was thick & goopy. I would shake it up during use to keep it as workable as possible. I thought about adding thinner but I thought I remembered seeing something about not using polish thinner in this particular polish. Indoors; Fluorescent light. On my ring nail I applied one coat of Dollish Polish, The Curse Of Michael Myers which is a glitter bomb consisting of various shapes of orange glitter and a sprinkling of some red and yellow. This was one easy coat. This is a very 'Halloween' glitter. I love it. Sadly, neither of these are available. Son Of A Dick was a special LE release for the Season 6 premiere and the other was part of last years' Halloween Collection. Kee...

Shade Last Saturday I went to Knott's Scary Farm to see Elvria and her show, Elvira's Asylum . I'm a HUGE Elvira fan so my main goal was to meet her in her Boo-tique but I quickly found out it wasn't all that simple. In order to get a ticket to the Meet & Greet you had to be there when the park initally opened and bought $50 worth of Elvira merch. I have never been to Knott's before so I had no idea that it would take an hour and a half just to park. Needless to say we didn't get inside the park until 10 minutes before 9pm. Luckily, we got into the first show just in time. Incase you're wondering about the show it consists of Elvira's usual shenanigans (I mean that in a good way too). You will get a lot of her banter, wit, and jokes along with dancing skits with her team of dancers and an arial trapeze artist. She even does a little rap number. It's a pretty short show but I'm a fan of B Level Entertainment and raunchy humor so I a...

For the last week of summer I decided to go out with a bang; a lemon lime holo. Then, I took forever to post it. My bad. The new job has been exhausting to say the least. I've been so tired... But I set aside a chunk of time today to bang out some posts just for you. The irony is we had rain this day so my lighting sucked. My apologies for the less than stellar photo. I also wanted to talk to you guys about my new favorite base coat for holos. You may (or may not) know that holo nail polish can be a little finicky. It will often help application if you use an 'Aqua Base'. Basically, it's just a certain type of base coat that works especially well under holos. For the longest time Nfu-Oh's Aqua Base was my best base coat for this purpose but after doing more research I realized that Nfu-Oh probably isn't cruelty free. Plus, they have never responded to any of my inquiries. These @lagirlcosmetics #matteflatfinishpigmentgloss lippes are so b...

Who's ready for some holographic goodness? This bronzey brown holo is packing a serious linear holo and it even jumps out at you in shade. Indoors it comes off as a sparkly neutral brown. Dance Legend, Robots vs Humans. The formula on Robots vs Humans was nice and pretty easy to apply; 2 coats gave me a nice opacity and dry time was average. I did use a base coat of Nfu-Oh Aqua Base; keep in mind I do not believe Nfu-Oh is cruelty free. I bought this years ago when I was under the impression it was CF but with the recent info on animal testing I seriously doubt they would be considered CF. I couldn't find any solid info on their product(s) and animal testing. Now, Aqua Bases are some of the best types of bases to use with holos; they apply easier & wear longer... But I experienced an issue with wear. After only 2 hours (and zero wear & tear) I experienced chipping on my left hand. Really? Chipping after a few hours? That is a disappointment. It's a beautiful pol...

It's another Wear Test! After I perused some blog posts/reviews about some of the latest 'Extended Wear' type lacquers I actually found a resounding amount of reviewers that felt the FingerPaints new Endless Wear System was better than the China Glaze and Orly ones. So, I decided to give it a run. Here's the deets: Many reviewers mentioned the formula on this polish as being better than the others and I have to say I felt the formula applied beautifully. It was just the perfect consistency and I had very little clean up if any. The brush worked well for a clean line at the cuticle and I didn't have any issues with drag. The formula is on the thin side and I did notice it was a little sheer but not enough to require a 3rd coat (I used 2 coats). With this Endless Wear System you don't use a separate base coat; the Long Wear Color has a built-in base coat. Dry time on the color was fast too. It's All About The Frame is a beautiful light beige ...

Prepare yourselves for Holographic Goodness... Bear Pawlish, See You Next Tuesday This lovely polish comes to you from Bear Pawlish ; one of my very favorite indie polish brands. This is called See You Next Tuesday . Are you familiar with the acronym? I am a bit (ok, a lot) of a sailor when it comes to curse words. I find them to act as seasoning to my vocabulary. Many misconceptions exist about women who enjoy a peppered paragraph; for example 'It's not ladylike' or 'it's uneducated'. In my book a lady is an independent woman who sticks to her convictions and doesn't get hung up on the little things. If a curse word prevents you from getting to know the real person under it then you may be a little narrow minded. Ok, moving on... See You Next Tuesday is a purplish pink holo. It also has some duochrome to it when it shifts from fuchsia pink to coral and then to purple. It's a linear holo. I applied a base of Bridge The Ridge (my favorite right now) and...

Salon Perfect, Razzle Dazzle - Day 1 When I picked up Salon Perfect's The Manicure System I also got a few colors that included this one. Razzle Dazzle is a purple jelly packed with silver holographic glitter. 2 coats were good enough opacity for me. The formula is pretty thick but if you don't overwork the polish it applies pretty evenly. It also gives that great squishy jelly effect while covering up VNL (visible nail line). No need to fuss with glitter placement either. It does dry to a gritty glittery finish. Once again I am using The Manicure System to see how it holds up with a Salon Perfect color. See my 1st wear test: Kell's DIY Nails: Salon Perfect: The Manicure System Wear Test Results. I used 2 coats of the Top Coat to smooth out the gritty glitters. All went well with application and it actually held up beautifully through the 6 days I wore it. I worked out, did dishes, gardening, and pet care among other things during wear. Lots of exposure to water. ...

Have I dropped off the face of the earth or what?!? Fitting since today is EARTH DAY!! Ha Ha! I've also decided I'm hilarious... The husband and I went to see DisneyNature's Monkey Kingdom today; it was really cute. What did you do today?  Well, let's get to the good stuff... I rocked these awesome nails the last 2 weeks of March and I loved every minute of it! I applied 2 coats of Black Pool which is a very opaque black cream. I then applied one coat of Dazzling Dance over Black Pool. I purchased 3 metallic, topper like colors in the beginning of March (The Gilded Dreams Collection) and this was one of them. It's a very unique topper in that it dramatically changes whatever you layer it over. It gave Black Pool a purple duochrome effect. It also contains tiny holographic silver flakes. It's really freaking pretty! I can't wait to layer it over other colors. Last I added some DIY Nails Decals in Spaced Out ; these ones are in Holographic Silver...

I hope you all are enjoying your Christmas (or other holiday) festivities!  I've got another Christmasy mani for you today... I applied 2 coats of Zoya's Veruschka which is one of the MatteVelvet shades that dry matte. This is a deep evergreen with beautiful shimmer. It applied very nicely and since it is a matte it dried quickly. These MatteVelvet's might not be around for long so I suggest getting them now while you can; they are some of the most beautiful mattes. Then I dabbed on one coat of Lumina Lacquer , Hooked On Christmas . Sadly, this particular polish is no longer available but there is one called Jingle Bells that you might like. I love circle glitter and this is various sizes of circle and hexagon glitter in red and various shades of green. There's also a variety of matte, metallic, and holographic finishes. The clear base is a very thick suspension base which required a slightly longer dry time. It also dried a little bumpy but a few coats of ACI's I...

Today I'm rocking another shade from China Glaze's All Aboard Collection . I applied 2 coats of What Are You A-Freight Of? to all my nails. This is a really unique color to my stash. It reminds me of Zoya, Kelly but this one leans more of a red-toned purple. It's dark but it has a muted dusty quality that makes it really nice. Formula was a little on the thin side but still incredibly opaque. Use caution to avoid cuticle pooling, be sure to wipe excess polish from your brush. If you like to apply thicker coats this could be a one coater but I used medium coats so I added a 2nd coat to even things out. It self levels nicely but does take a little longer to dry for some odd reason. On my index and middle nails I dabbed one coat of Lumina Lacquer's Peculiar Pumpkin Posse . This glitter bomb features orange and black hexagons, orange holographic hexagons, large silver circles, silver holographic crescent moons and even a few silver hearts. All that in a clear base. The s...

Right after I finished yesterdays post my Dollish Polish order arrived; I ordered her LE The Walking Dead release called Walker Bait and 4 Halloween Themed Glitter Minis. I had to put Walker Bait on right away. Walker Bait is this awesome deep olive green super holograpic polish. It's like Toxic Avengers' creepy cousin. The formula is much more opaque than your typical holo and only required 2 coats. But it is like other holos in that you don't want to overwork it when applying. In the past I have been able to remove the large sqaure caps for easier polishing but this cap did not want to budge; not sure if maybe the bottles have changed or if I just couldn't remove this one. This polish was named after the character Glenn in The Walking Dead because in one of the earlier seasons he was referred to as Walker Bait. It is a fantastic color and since I sadly missed out on Toxic Avenger I'm glad I got this one. It was originally released a few years back but it was re-...

Are you guys as excited as I am?!? Do you know what I'm talking about? Well, let me fill you in! Tonight is the Season Premiere of The Walking Dead ! Been waiting months and months for this day... Can you guess why I am wearing an accent nail of Lizzie? If you watch the show you know that one of the most explosive episodes last season was 'The Grove' . If you are behind on the show and don't want any spoilers you should cut out now. Lizzie was a young girl who basically had a mental breakdown and began seeing zombies as people. In this episode she kills her sister so she will turn into a zombie. It was quite a mind fuck. Since Lizzie was a clear danger to those around her (and shrinks don't exist in the zombie apocalypse) she was directed to ''Look at the flowers" and was dispatched. If you know what I mean.  On 3 nails:  All Aboard  is a muted deep purple creme. It's very pretty. The formula was a little on the squishy side but still opaque in 2 ea...

Do you ever finish a mani and realize you just weren't feeling it? That's what happened to me with my last summer mani. I thought I would really love to use these two Illamasqua's with a glitter I had lusted after for quite sometime. Illamasqua, Jo'mina & Cameo with Lumina Lacquer, Pinball Wizard on top. On my ring & pinky: Illamasqua, Cameo is a perfect periwinkle blue (that leans purple) creme. I used this for some nail art in this post and loved the color then too. The formula is great; a perfect 2 coater. For some reason I got horrible bubbling; I believe due to the heat & humidity. I will definitely give this another spin to see how it performs outside of 106 degree weather. On my index & middle: Illamasqua, Jo'mina is another great polish; this lilac purple creme has a little bit of shimmer in the bottle but it doesn't translate onto the nail. No worries though because a color this good stands alone. Another great formula and 2 coater. A...

After my 4th of July Fail I put on this gorgeous red linear holographic polish. It leans slightly wine red giving it a deeper, richer tone. Most red holos I've seen lean a bit blue or orange and have a tendency to be lighter or brighter. This is pretty epic. 2 super easy coats and a top coat of In A Hurry . It is little on the sheer side but I find most holos are. The formula is thin and easy to work with. I considered adding a patriotic glitter on top but I just couldn't do it. It's too good just by itself.  The good news is this polish is still available over on the Bear Pawlish website but don't wait too long or you will miss it!

I recently made a HUGE Bear Pawlish haul; 10 polishes . I just couldn't resist the colorful holos and of course the name won me over (My pet name for my husband is Bear). It's been awhile since an indie really peaked my interest but I was stalking the website & Facebook group relentlessly. Luckily, I didn't have to battle any re-stock madness. Happy, Happy, Happy. This beautiful cobalt blue holo is called Maleficent . Have you seen the movie? I have not. I will probably wait to rent it. I heard it was excellent but I'm not a fan of Angelina Jolie so I'll wait.  But this polish is excellent. Coverage was great in 2 easy coats and dried pretty quickly. I didn't need to use an Aqua Base or anything special. I did get a brush that had a few strange strands sticking out but I simply turned the brush to avoid those. This is a little on the thick side but application was still nice & easy. The holo is not a super strong holo but is still noticeable and very pre...

I'm back with Week 6 of the Polish Swap Society Nail Art Challenge! This weeks theme is:  I AM SO SPACED OUT! Pastel Galaxy nails sound fun for spring/summer right? Using this tutorial, create a set of galaxy nails! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZGHOIsMmxA I just got Spellbound Nails , Visions of Sugar Plums in a swap with a fellow member of the Polish Swap Society and I thought it would make for a great base color for this challenge. It's a very pretty dusty purple jelly with what looks to be small and medium matte white hexagons. It also has either matte white or silver stars; I'm not 100% sure because the base actually covers them and makes them look light purple. The formula was pretty thick so I applied each coat nice and slow to get even coverage. I used 2 medium coats but luckily it didn't take too long to dry and it was pretty opaque after 2 coats. I did have to fish to get the stars out but it wasn't too difficult. Lots of shaking and turning the bottle...

So where have I been lately... Oh just running around like a chicken with my head cut off is all! Had some 'life' come up and so nail stuff got sent to the back of the line. I almost missed a week but to be honest the submission was not up to blog standards so I didn't even post it here. I'll post it at the very end of this one in case you wanna see it. So for the 3rd week of the Polish Swap Society Nail Art Challenge the theme is a sweet treat inspired mani. Cupcakes, sprinkles, whatever you like! I looked up a few different tutorials on Google and such and found this one:  http://www.beautylish.com/v/sriuj/candy-frost-nail-art-tutorial So here are my tweaked version of frosting nails. Frosting is perfect because my husband is notorious for simply buying a tub of frosting. Makes me wanna gag. I always ask him why not get a cake mix too so he could cut his frosting a little. LOL I used a base color of Pokerface by NARS . Oh. My. Goodness. I'm now hooked and need mo...