Match My OOTD Mani

Today's nails were inspired by my outfit of the day (OOTD). This leopard print shirt is one of my favorite shirts, and my AE jeggings are a staple!

Polishes used: Essie Sand Tropez, Essie Mint Candy Apple, Essie Resort Fling, Essie Nice is Nice, and Zoya Dream accent nail. 

Formula X for Sephora Freaky Like Freud (The Brilliants) Swatch & Review

During my recent trip to Sephora, I picked up several Formula X polishes.  Freaky Like Freud caught my eye from the get go.

Freaky Like Freud comes from the Brilliants Collection.  It is described as a "periwinkle iridescent glitter."  Iridescent meaning holographic.  This glitter is very sparkly and rainbowy.  Yes.  I said it. Rainbowy.  This glitter has a clear base so you can either wear it on its own or layer it over a base color.

Like most glitter polishes, this polish takes a bit of maneuvering to get an even application.  The formula was similar to other glitters, but I had no trouble with application.

Swatch is 3 coats on its own, plus top coat.

Diffused Artificial Light

Pac Man Nails

Yesterday I attended a surprise birthday party that was themed "Nerdy 30."  To go along with that theme, I made Mac & Cheese which I baked in a pie plate so that it would be round and created a mouth out of black olives to make Pac Man & Cheese.

I knew I had to do some matching nails - here's what I came up with!

Polishes Used: Wet N Wild Black Creme, Sally Hansen White On, OPI I Just Can't Cope-acabana, Essie Snap Happy, Essie Mojito Madness, Essie Where's My Chauffeur?, American Eagle light pink (from a set), and Sinful Colors Endless Blue.

Bestie Twin Nails: Delicate Dotticure

I was asked by Veronica from verosays.com to do some Bestie Twin Nails, which is a fun tag on instagram that a lot of ladies are participating in these days.  I had fun chatting with her via email and we found out we're both teachers!   She let me pick out what designs we would do, so I decided on this delicate dotticure using the new OPI Chillin Like A Villain.


Polishes Used: OPI Chillin Like A Villain, Essie Beyond Cozy, and Sally Hansen White On.

Top: My Nails ; Bottom: Veronica's Nails

Grey Skies & Daisies

Happy First Day of Spring!  I hope the weather starts to act more like Spring.  I'm lucky that I live in the south so we don't get any snow, but it has been way too cold here this winter.  I'm so ready for HOT HOT HOT!

These nails remind me of a grey, rainy sky (which we have had a lot of lately!).  The daisies are for a nail art challenge on Instagram.  I thought the two concepts went pretty well together.

Polishes Used: Loaded Lacquer Toasted Marshmallow, Loaded Lacquer Mintallica, acrylic paint for the flower, and OPI I Just Can't Cope-Acabana for the center of the flower.  

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Danele

Racing Stripe + Dots

I'm not sure why, but when thinking of a name for this nail art, "racing stripe" came to mind.  These nails were inspired by a pair of athletic shorts - no joke! I loved the blue and neon green together.  Add some holo dots and you've got awesome nail art!

Polishes Used: China Glaze Kiwi Cool-ada, Sinful Colors Endless Blue, and Color Club Harp On It.

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Danele

OPI Chillin Like A Villain (Muppets Collection) Swatch & Review

Chillin Like a Villain is part of the new Muppets Collection for OPI.  OPI describes it as a "sheer nude" which I mostly agree with.  I would describe it as a light peachy-pink.  It definitely leans more peach against my skin tone.  As for the sheer part, I definitely agree.  It has a crelly (creme-jelly) like consistency that is easy to apply but comes across streaky.


Swatch is 3 coats, no top coat.

To be honest, I really wanted this solely because of the name.  My husband used to say "chillin like a villain" when we were in high school!  However, I also like this polish even if the color isn't very unique.  

Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Danele

OPI I Just Can't Cope-acabana (Brazil Collection) Swatch & Review

I recently picked up this amazing yellow polish from OPI - I Just Can't Cope-acabana.  It's part of their Brazil Collection for Spring 2014.  This polish is a true sunshiny, bright yellow.  Totally perfect for spring and summer.

Swatch is 2 coats, no top coat.  This polish is very pigmented and went on fairly easy.  I had some slight streaking issues, but I think it was due to not using a base coat for this swatch.  Any streakiness was smoothed out after a second coat.

I'm not sure I would ever wear this as a mani by itself but it is going to be awesome to use for nail art!  

xoxo Danele

Formula X for Sephora Demolition Swatch and Review

Demolition by Formula X for Sephora is part of their Xplosives Top Coats Collection.   Demolition is described as "blue, turquoise, lime, and orange confetti"  which contains many different sized hexagons.  I think the orange looks more peachy-nude which is why I got it.  I love the mixture of colors.  It's very unique in that the glitters are matte and it reminds me of an indie glitter.

The formula is very similar to an indie glitter.  It is thick and I used a dabbling method to apply this glitter.  Swatches are 1 thick, dabbled coat over OPI Chillin Like a Villain.  Sometimes I dipped back in to get more of a certain glitter on the brush.

I guess I thought one picture was enough?? Yep, this is all I got.  Awesome.  I really do like how unique this is and I think it would look great over a variety of base colors.  I chose a nude base because I really wanted the green and blue to pop.  

Do you have any of the Xplosives Top Coats? Which ones are your favorite?

xoxo Danele

Formula X for Sephora Astrolady Swatch & Review

Astrolady is a texture polish from Formula X for Sephora.  It is described as a "pink + gold textured glitter." It is part of the Celestials collection and is new for Spring 2014.

I'll admit, when I purchased this I hadn't looked into any of the new collections so I had NO idea it was a texture.  When I began to swatch, I realized it wasn't a normal polish consistency.  I immediately did some research and realized its meant as a textured polish!

First up are swatches using 2 coats, no top coat

Diffused, Artificial Light

Direct Artificial Light

Flash for the sparklez

I really love this as a texture, but of course I had to see how it looked with topcoat!  I used 1 coat of Gelous and 1 Coat of NYC Grand Central Station. 

Diffused, Artificial Light

Direct Artificial Light

Flash O.o

Overall I'm loving this textured polish.  I probably should have done 1 more coat for fuller opacity but it turned out pretty decent with 2.  The formula went on very easy and dried fairly quick.  I think I want to look into picking up a few more of these.  The amount of sparkle is insane.  I wish it came through better in my pictures!


Have you picked up any of the Spring collection from Formula X? Which polishes are you loving from this collection?


xoxo Danele

St. Patrick's Nail Art Round Up

Even though St. Patrick's Day is almost over, I wanted to share all of my St. Patrick's Day Manis from 2014!  I'll keep this short & sweet.

Below are the top 2 manis that I didn't do individual posts on.  You can see the bottom two manis here and here.  

The first one is the dotticure I wore today.  Polishes used are: Sally Hansen White On, Essie Mojito Madness, Revlon Minted, and Seche Collected Moments.

For the mani below I used: OPI Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow, OPI Pure, and Essie Beyond Cozy.  

I hope everyone had a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day!

xoxo Danele

Neon Roses

Today's theme for the March nail art challenge on Instagram was Neons. I chose to do neon roses because Im really loving floral prints right now! 

I adore how these turned out. Super bright, super fun. Im even wearing them for 2 days! That doesnt happen very often. 

I used all China Glaze polishes for this mani. From Left to Right, I used Don't Honk Your Thorn, Flip Flop Fantasy, Peonies & Park Ave, Mediterranean Charm, and Kiwi Cool-ada. 

The last picture is mattified - which I might love even more than glossy! Im holding China Glaze Peonies & Park Ave in the last picture. 

I hope you enjoyed these as much as I do! I have some really fun stuff coming up soon and I cant wait to share it with you! 

xoxo Danele

Twin nails: St. Patrick's Day Theme Nail Art

Jen (aggiesdoitbetter) and I decided to do some twin nails together. She had the idea to do a St. Patrick's theme, which I thought was great! We put our heads together and came up with these adorable skittles nails.

Top: My Nails, Bottom: Jen's Nails

Polishes I used: Sally Hansen White On, Essie Mojito Madness, OPI Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow, Color Club Holiday Splendor, and L'oreal Amazon Flash. 

I used a dotting tool to create the shamrock and dots. I used a very very small paint brush to hand draw the lines. 

You can check out Jen's blog (click for link) or her instagram @aggiesdoitbetter for more information on her mani. 

How fun are these?! I love doing holiday themed nails. Holidays make it so easy to come up with cute nail art. Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Danele

Dot Candies

For the theme challenge Im doing on Instagram, today's theme is candies. I chose to do the dot candies that come on paper and you pick them off. Does anyone remember those? 

For this mani I used Sally Hansen White On, China Glaze Peonies and Park Ave, Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty, and OPI Ogre the Top Blue. I didnt use a top coat to give the dots a raised, 3D look. 

These are so fun and bright! Also they are super easy to do! All you need is a dotting tool or a bobby pin. Thanks for stopping by!

xoxo Danele

Texture & Chevrons

Sorry I havent posted any new nail art in a few days! Im still here, I promise! Ive been working on a few things for the weekend. Im leaving tonight for Atlanta to visit a good friend but I wanted to have new manis to post!

For my trip, I decided to wear a texture because they usually have longer wear time. I wont have any time to do my nails this weekend so I hope this lasts! 

Polishes used are Zoya Carter and Color Club Cherubic. In also used nail vinyls for the chevron pattern. 

I love how sparkly and holographic this mani is! 2 of my favorite things :) I may add top coat over the weekend, to slightly change the look. Happy Friday!!! 

Xoxo Danele

Ombre & Flakies

Today Im wearing a teal ombre. If you don't know what an ombre is, it refers to a single color in varying shades from dark to light. 

Polishes used (from lightest to darkest): Revlon Minted, OPI Mermaid Tears, Milani  Fresh Teal, OPI AmazON....AmazOFF, and OPI Here Today...Aragon Tomorrow. 

Then I decided to make this mani magical by adding Essie Shine of the Times. Boring Mani? ADD FLAKIES!! 

Warning: too many pics ahead

Look at that green flash! That is seriously magical. Im loving this mani so much. What is your favorite way to spice up a boring mani? 

Xoxo Danele

Manicure Basics Week 3: Top coats & Base coats

For week 3 of my Manicure Basics mini series, I chose to review some of my favorite base coats and top coats.  These are products that I have been using for years so I can give you an honest review about them.  However, I find that base coats and top coats are very subjective for different people with different types of nails.  You may find that these products don't work for you.  But if you're looking for something new to try, I would recommend trying these!

Base Coats: Orly Bonder and American Classics Gelous 

 Orly Bonder

I have been using Bonder for a little over a year now.  It is a rubberized base coat that is supposed to extend polish wear.  When I first started using this, I didn't really like it.  I didn't feel as though it was keeping the polish on any longer than without base coat.  However, having a basic nail care routine helps my base coat work better.  I am now oiling my nails before painting them and I feel this has helped my base coats work much better. 

American Classics Gelous

Gelous is a thick polish that has many uses.  I use it as a base coat, but I also use it on top of hungry glitters (glitters that don't become smooth with top coat only).  I used Gelous as a base coat for a very long time.  It did a great job keeping my nails strong (because its so thick) and extending polish wear. If you have weak nails that you want to grow out, I would suggest using Gelous as a base coat.

Top Coats: Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love, NYC Grand Central Station, Seche Vite, Barielle Manicure Extender

I chose to show you a variety of different top coats that all have their own purpose.

Hard Candy Matte-ly in Love

This is a mattifying top coat that makes your polish look matte instead of glossy.  I used to think matte nails looked really.....stupid.  yep I said it.  I never ever thought I would ever want matte nails.  But then I saw someone mattify a manicure (I can't remember what it was) and I really loved it! So I found this at Walmart for really cheap.  It does a good job at mattifying and it dries fairly fast.  Honestly, this is the only matte top coat I have ever used so I can't compare it to others.  But this one works well for me. 

New York Color Grand Central Station

This is my HG (Holy Grail) top coat.  I have gone through many many many bottles of this stuff.  Anytime I see a bottle in a store, I stock up.  For some reason its really hard to find.  Everytime I go to Walmart or Target, its usually sold out.  So when I do see a few measly bottles on the shelf, I snatch em up!  This stuff is insanely cheap.  I think it's $1.72 at Target.  Its super glossy and dries very fast.  I don't think its meant to be a topcoat,  just a clear polish.  However, its my absolute favorite (and I have tried A LOT of top coats).  Its also great for people like me who do their nails almost every day and don't want to pay a lot for top coat.  Go buy this stuff.  Seriously. 

Seche Vite

I have a love/hate relationship with Seche Vite.  A brand new bottle of this stuff is pure heaven.  Its super glossy.  It dries insanely fast.  It makes a mani look amazing.  But after a few uses, Seche Vite starts to get thick.  You can thin it out with nail polish thinner, but then you start to get shrinkage problems (when the top coat dries, the sides start to shrink in).  Seche sells a product called Seche Restore which is a special thinner made for Seche Vite.  But I don't want to need special thinner for a top coat! So I haven't really been using Seche Vite as much lately.  I do like it as a topcoat for hungry glitters.  It's pretty thick so it works nicely to smooth out grittiness.  Seche Vite is more on the expensive side so I would never use it on my daily manis.  

Barielle Manicure Extender

I received this bottle many years ago from an online polish swap.  It's not necessarily meant to be used on your daily manicure as a normal topcoat.  This stuff works best on days 2 and 3 of your mani (if you keep your manis on that long....I normally don't anymore).  Its not very thick, so you can apply this daily on top of an old mani to keep it shiny and fresh looking and it won't make your nails look like clubs.  

I hope you guys have enjoyed my mini series posts about manicure basics.  Everyone has different opinions and different needs but hopefully you can take away something from these posts and maybe try some new products that work for you!  I would love to know if you try any of these products from my series and what you think of them!  

Acadamy Awards Manicure

Ok Im a little late to the party.....here are my nails for the Oscars tonight! I wanted to do something edgy yet classy at the same time. Hopefully I succeeded at that. 

Polishes used: Seche Collected Moments, China Glaze Liquid Leather, OPI Pure, and Wet n Wild Black Creme. 

So far Im really enjoying the show! I love Ellen! Are you watching? 

Xoxo Danele

My February Favorites Round Up

I tried a lot of new types of nail art during the month of February.  I think my skills have improved a lot since I started this blog in November!  These are my 4 favorite manis from the month of February.  If I had to pick my most favorite, I think its the neon gradient. 

Which one is your favorite?

My February Untried Challenge

During the month of February, I challenged myself to use as many untried polishes from my collection as I could.  I don't remember how many untrieds I had, but I used 25 polishes for the first time during the month of February in 18 different manicures.  I'm pretty impressed with myself!  I made 2 collages to show all of my manicures from the month of February.

Which mani was your favorite from my challenge?  It's so hard to pick!  I'll have a collage of my monthly favorites in my next post :)

Black & White Dotticure

Happy March! I'm doing a nail art challenge from Instagram and day 1 is dotticure!  I love a simple dotticure.  

Polishes I used are: Wet N Wild Black Creme, Sally Hansen White On, and Essie Bachelorette Bash.

I love how clean and simple this looks! I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!