NOTD: Revlon Ocean Breeze + Sinful Colors Nail Junkie

Seche all over the place! Click for full size.

My daughter went to bed at a decent hour last night, so I actually had some time to paint my nails. Everything is "green" to her right now, and she really likes looking at my nails and my "colors" (her word for polish) so I thought I would do a sparkly green for her (even though this is kind of blue and green.) It doesn't hurt that October is Depression Awareness Month, and I have been struggling with depression for almost as long as I can remember. I will be doing more green manis this month, as well as some pink ones for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Click for full size.

These photos show two coats of Revlon Ocean Breeze (which smells like Irish Spring soap to me) and two coats of Sinful Colors Nail Junkie. Both polishes had no application issues and dried fairly quickly. I sort of slapped it on because I was worried my daughter would wake up and start crying for me while I was sitting in the living room with wet nails, so I apologize for the sloppiness!

The biggest issue I had with this last night was actually with my top coat, Seche Vite. I had a ton of tip shrinkage with this mani, but that isn't the real problem. It's suddenly all gross and stringy, and made my mani look lumpy. I'm hoping there is some magical way to fix this, since I don't have $10 for a new top coat. Boo!

I hate not forgotten about my 100 follower giveaway! I am very excited to see that my follower count is now at 101! Thank you guys so much for following my blog. Keep your eyes peeled for a very colorful and sparkly giveaway post soon! ;)

Help me choose the next polish to post!

Sexy clear coat chipping! Photo is clickable.

I apologize for abandoning this blog. Life got crazy and I just didn't have the time. I haven't been taking care of my nails since I last posted. They're way too long for my liking and need a good shaping. Luckily, they are seemingly unbreakable, so I don't see having to start from nubbins again anytime soon. I think that might have to do with the fact that I'm 15 weeks pregnant and my prenatal vitamins make magic happen. :)

My daughter had a second eye surgery on Friday. It went well. Hopefully she won't need another.

ANYWAY! I do want to bring this blog back from the dead. I have amassed so many new polishes (mostly thanks to my beautiful sister-in-law, Colleen) that I am having trouble choosing one to write a post around. I could really use some help, and I'd love it if you guys could check out my stash and let me know which polish(es) you'd like to see. I have a good 200+ polishes that aren't listed there yet, but I'm trying to get it caught up!

I have missed you all, and hope someone is still reading this! I still have all of the goodies for the planned 100 follower giveaway, so if that milestone is ever reached, expect a post on that!

Still here!

A quick update for you guys on my daughter's surgery (strabismus correction in both eyes.) She had it on Monday and everything is looking good so far. She did great with the anesthesia, but she's not a fan of the ointment we have to put in her eyes.

I obviously haven't had time to post in here for a long time. My last bunch of posts are full of excuses and promises for more posts, but I haven't been able to deliver. We moved into a much nicer apartment about a week and a half ago, which is fantastic because our old place was full of mold. Most of what we own is still in boxes, but even if I could get to my polish I don't have the time to do my nails. I've had many epic breaks since the move because I haven't been able to apply Nail Growth Miracle. My follower count has been dropping like flies. I don't want to delete this blog because I do enjoy posting here, my posts are just going to continue to be few and far between until we're more settled.

Thanks for sticking with me, for those of you that have. I do still have all of the things I bought for a 100 follower giveaway and I do still plan to have that. It's just going to take a while to get it totally together.

Essie - Lapiz of Luxury (and personal update)

Photo is clickable.

Lapiz of Luxury is my first Essie polish. This photo shows 4 coats over Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle with a top coat of Seche Vite. The Seche caused MAJOR bubbling (and a weird crack on my left index finger that chose to photograph like a hair?) I really love this color, but it's was a pain to apply. Obviously I was rushing (DOESN'T MY APPLICATION LOOK DEVINE?!) so it could've been partially me and partially a pastel being a pastel. Regardless, I love the color.

On a personal note, we've found a way out of our terrible apartment. An old high school friend posted a scan of an ad from a Boston news paper showing apartments for rent in the area we've always wanted to live in. I called the number and we've been viewing different units for a week or so. The owner is ridiculously nice and cut down the rent for us AND is giving us two months free with no security deposit. Our credit check just went through yesterday, and we're moving in on Saturday. The only downside is that my husband only had yesterday off this week and we only got about 35% of our stuff packed. -_-

New camera!

Hi everyone! My old camera has been dying a slow death for a long time, so last night we picked up a fabulous new one. My nails are a hot hot mess right now, but I had to take a picture just to give you a tiny taste of the quality that my photos will be from now on, though this was taken with flash, which I don't like to use. I'm not patient enough to wait to post until I've got some sun. XD




My three day old Revlon Royal mani. Two coats of Royal under Seche Vite, on top of Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle. Can you tell I don't know anything about cleanup? The photo is clickable.

AAAAAH! SO EXCITED!

Hard Candy - Zombie

I feel like I post more about why I'm not posting than I do with actual content! I'm trying to get all of my nails to the same length right now, and they're pretty close. My index finger looks a lot longer in these photos, but trust me, it's really not. My camera is close to death so I snap 800 photos and pick out whatever photos come the closest to "focused." These are all the usable ones I got today. -_- Hurry up, tax refund! I need that pretty new camera!



Hard Candy Zombie is a really pretty glitter, but it turned out super lumpy for me. I had to use 5 coats (5?! Yep. It's a glitter, so I'll allow it...) and the formula was strangely thick for a glitter, so I guess everything just turned into goopy bumpland. My index finger came our especially uneven. Seche caused some tip shrinkage, too. Blah.



Zombie was a limited edition Halloween Wal-Mart exclusive release last year.




Tomorrow is my birthday! I'll be 24. We don't have any birthday plans because real life plans have taken over. My little girl has a pre-op physical in the morning, then we have to go view a new apartment in the early afternoon. We found black mold in our current apartment and the health department told me they can't do anything about it. Actually, they said "What's the name of your complex? Oh...uh...we can't help you at this time." Right. Now we have massive water damage to our front wall and the management just wants to paint over it. My husband manages a home improvement store. He has seen this kind of damage before. The building needs a new wall.

We've got to get out of here.

One more thing! I'm still gathering goodies for my eventual 100 follower giveaway. I think you guys are really going to like this stuff!

I'm still alive!

Semi-naked and partially squared

Things have been crazy around here lately. We finally have a surgery date scheduled for my little girl, which has been a long time coming. She's growing so fast and has me on my toes 100% of the time. I have been painting my nails, but I haven't had the time to photograph them. They're growing out really well, which is really exciting for me, since I haven't had long nails since I was in junior high school. I started the process of squaring them last night (WOO!), so soon they'll be exactly the way I want them.

I really appreciate all of you readers (90?! Wow.) sticking around even though I've made myself scarce. I hope to be able to get a few minutes here and there soon to make some polish posts.

I am still amassing some fantastic things for my planned 100 follower giveaway. I've got some polish and I want to pick up some goodies from Born Pretty. What kind of things would you guys like to see included in this giveaway? We've still got a little bit to go before we reach that milestone, but I think we will eventually get there! Thanks for reading. :)

Wet n Wild - Sparked

It's a glitter bomb today! I used two coats of Sparked under two coats of Seche Vite, though another coat was probably a good idea as you can still see my nail beds beneath the glitter. I don't mind, though. I love this polish, but I got a big chip on my thumb about 6 hours after I put it on.

Photos are clickable!






The light was horrible when I shot these. Sorry! The color in real life is a very pretty dusty pink. Oh, and the weirdness going on on the skin near the base of my nails is badly-applied Seche, not mutated cuticle. I was in a hurry. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi, everyone. I'm just writing a quick post today to let you all know that I am still here. I haven't abandoned the blog, though it might seem that way since I haven't updated in almost 2 weeks! My little girl has learned to crawl and climb, and is now cutting three teeth (in addition to her first one that erupted just the other day). I have had my hands full, and my husband has had a crazy work schedule. I just haven't had the time or energy to do my nails.

HOWEVER! Today and tomorrow are free days for me. My family is going out for a special lunch for the holiday, and if we get back in time I will be doing my nails. There will absolutely be a nail-related post tomorrow, and I'm hoping to get back to posting regularly again.

Thanks for sticking with me! I appreciate each and every one of you that reads my blog. I'm already planning a 100 followers giveaway, so eventually I'm hoping to be able to bring that to you.

Have a great Valentine's Day, to those of you who celebrate. :)

Gradient mani: Take 2!

I think gradients are a new obsession of mine. I don't think I'm going to be able to stop doing them until I figure out how to do it really really well. I got paint all over my cuticles. Bah.

Photos are clickable.







This one isn't clickable. It was my 365 photo for my personal blog yesterday, and I thought I'd include it.



Yellow: L.A. Colors Live
Orange: Confetti Papa-razzi
Red: All Heart

What kind of brush is the best for cleanup? I've never cleaned up my nails and the way I post them is the way I paint them, but I'd like to start making things look a little cleaner.

My first gradient attempt

I think this came out pretty good for a first try! I've always liked the look of gradient manis, and I figured today was as good a day as any to attempt one. Before I try this again I'm going to pick up some Seche Vite to level the bumpiness that the sponging left on the nail.

Photos are clickable.









Light purple: Confetti Purple Pizzazz
Darker purple: CQ Mystical
Black: NYC 119A

I think my camera is dying. It won't focus on anything and it's driving me crazy. :(

CQ - Seashell and Blog Spotlight

CQ and I have a rocky history. I've found their formulas to be hit-or-miss, and when they miss boy do they miss. Seashell falls somewhere between "fabulous" and "meh". It took 5 (yes, 5) coats to reach semi-opacity (there is still some VNL), which I suppose is the not unheard of with colors like this, but unless a polish is made of rainbows and sunshine I'm not going to apply more than 3 coats. I don't have the time nor the patience.



While the formula wasn't anything amazing, the color worked pretty well for my skin tone. I haven't bought a nude polish since the lobster-hands fiasco of '98. I was surprised to see that Seashell actually looks half-way decent on me. I'd like to find a nude that both works on me and has a nice formula, though.



I have seen a lot of other nail bloggers spotlighting new blogs, and I really like the idea. If any of you have a nail or beauty blog and would like for me to feature it in a future spotlight post, email the link to dancingphalangesblog @ gmail.com with the subject "Blog Spotlight".

I told you guys yesterday about my sister-in-law's new nail blog. It's called Felix Phalanx (which basically means "Happy Finger"). I've known Colleen for about 8 years now. She's ridiculously smart and attentive, and I'm sure her blog is really going to be something special. I hope you guys all take a minute to head over to Felix Phalanx. Once Colleen starts posting regularly, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Fancy fancy lady!

I didn't have time to remove La Paz-itively Hot this morning, so I just decided to go crazy and try to fancy it up a bit. I added Wet n Wild Black Creme tips and Love My Nails Angel Baby over everything. It's really different for me, but I can see myself doing more stuff like this in the future.

The sun was being a jerk, but I did what I could. Photos are clickable!



Would you be interested in seeing more manicures like this in addition to swatches?



I also want to tell you guys about something really exciting. My sister (in law), Colleen, has been bitten by the nail polish bug. She's actually starting her own nail blog, which I will be sure to show you guys once it is up and running. Being the amazing and supportive person that she is, she want out and bought me 66 new polishes. Yes, you read that correctly. I am beyond excited and ridiculously grateful to her for helping me to more than double my stash. She lives in Texas while I'm in Massachusetts, so it will be a little while before I have all of these goodies in hand, but that's alright! Get ready for a lot of new polish on Dancing Phalanges!

OPI- La Paz-itively Hot

I've seen a lot of the matte version of La Paz-itively Hot, but not the original. I've had this polish for a long time. The pictures speak for themselves. Photos are clickable!

Once again, excuse the cuticles. -_-



This is two coats of La Paz in natural light over a thin coat of Sally Hansen Nail Growth Miracle and no top coat.



Application is a breeze with this one, as I have come to expect from OPI.




I'm not a big fan of pinks (on my nails, though I love it in this layout!), but I know my daughter will be glad that I have this in my stash once she is old enough to raid it. It's very Barbie.

I've been changing up the way I photograph polish for my posts. I'm trying to settle on a more permanent look so that my posts are more cohesive, but I haven't fallen in love with anything yet. Today's photos are the first time you can click and view a larger version. What do you think?

Adventures in Layering!

China Glaze Ruby Pumps and Dorothy Who? over Wet n Wild Black Creme. I put the Ruby Pumps on before Dorothy Who? and you can't see it very well. Next time I'll pick one or the other. I was just curious to see what it would look like with both! I think I need to pick up some Seche Vite to try over polishes that aren't totally smooth (like this).

What are your favorite combos for layering?

Revlon - Rock

Rock is a beautiful purple creme polish. These photos show two coats with no top or base coats in natural lighting, as usual. It's a little darker on the nail than it appears in the bottle.



Rock applied like a dream (opaque in two coats) and removal was no problem. I couldn't believe how shiny it was when dry. No top coat needed!

Revlon - Silver and Galaxy Top Coat

My husband went to get an oil change (the first one in almost a year...men...) and while he was waiting he went into a random discount store in a nearby strip mall. He gave me a call to let me know how long he'd be there, and of course I asked him to check for polish. They had a bunch of these Revlon polishes with coordinating top coats for $1 each. I told him to grab whatever colors looked interesting, and he came home with Silver, Rcok (which I will be posting about later), and Galaxy.



Silver is a grey creme. It's actually my first grey polish and I'm pretty excited about that. I used two coats and it looked fine in real life, but the photos make it look riddled with bald spots. Silver is definitely a three-coater for photos.



The formula was pretty watery, but workable.



And then there was Galaxy. This top coat looked really nice in the bottle, and reviews I read about it while waiting impatiently for my husband to get home (yeah, I do that) said that it had blue and silver micro glitter and large hexagonal holographic glitter. Galaxy's collection-mate was a plain black polish, but I figured I could throw it on top of Silver and see how it looked.



These two just do not mesh, in my opinion. It looks like I shook pepper over wet polish.





Blue glitter? No. It's black. It's black and nothing about the weird peppery little dots glitters. I'm not sure why they're even there. I'll try Galaxy over a black polish and see if it does anything ~magical~, but over Silver it is definitely not anything special.

Wet n Wild - Gray's Anatomy

I have to be honest. Gray's Anatomy didn't speak to me at first. I saw swatches on a few other blogs and read about how it is a supposed dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Wicked Game. While I really love the look of a lot of Lippmann polishes, Wicked Game never thrilled me and in turn I was quite meh about Gray's Anatomy. Then I saw it in person...



These photos show two coats (no base/top coat) in natural light. It really could have benefited from one or two more coats, but I kind of liked it a bit sheer. I plan on trying Gray's Anatomy as a layering polish at some point.



Sometimes this polish is a silvery grey, sometimes it's green, sometimes purple, and sometimes all three. And the way it looks in the bottle really makes me want to try a few more coats and see what full opacity will bring to the table.



Gorgeous.

Green franken

Bubbly? Thick? Streaky? Yep. Do I care? Not really. I think the shade is kind of nice. This has about 6 different polishes in it and half of them are so old the label has worn off. If I could find a way to fix the bubbles and thickness issues, this might be an alright franken.



In the end it will probably end up in a priority mail box to Texas like the rest of my frankens, since I really don't want to keep any polishes that I can live without. My sister in law is slowly getting into polish (I like to think I have something to do with that) and I'm planning to send a few down to her. She told me that she has picked up a bunch of new polishes for me recently, so I'll be posting about those once I have them in hand. Hooray for polish mail, and hooray for Colleen!

Wet n Wild - Saved by the Blue

Saved by the Blue is another win from the new Wet n Wild Fast Dry line. What you see here is one coat (no base or top coat) in natural light.



There is some streakiness but I'm not sure if that is because of the polish or because I was a bit careless with application. I think my baby may be teething and she finally decided to nap, so I wasn't sure how long I had. Even if the streaks are because of the polish itself (though I'm 90% sure it was mostly operator error), it's not even remotely bad enough to outweigh the awesome color and amazing drying time.

Tipped nubbins? Why not!

This was my first time attempting colored tips. I know these sort of manis are usually done on longer nails, but I think it came out pretty cute so I thought I'd share it. Since it has been dark for hours now and my light box is shut in a room with a sleeping baby, the lighting for these pictures isn't the best. Sorry!





What do you think? Are colored tips best left for longer nails?

Wet n Wild - Buffy the Violet Slayer

Last night I had a mild heart attack after my entire blog layout was lost. I took the opportunity to do a total overhaul, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I'd appreciate any feedback you guys might have on the new look.

And now for some polish!



I have never had such a hard time getting a polish color to show up correctly in photographs. The above picture (natural light) of Buffy the Violet Slayer is way more blue than it actually is. I tried to take some photos using a full spectrum incandescent and got a little closer to the actual color, but not really close enough for my liking. The color on the nail in real life is the color you see in the bottle in the next two photos.



Buffy is a really beautiful color, and it only took one coat for full opacity. This one actually did dry very quickly, unlike the last polish I reviewed from Wet n Wild's new Fast Dry line. It does dry a little gritty, so a good topcoat would definitely help it to look it's best. I didn't use a base or top coat for these photos.



I wish my camera would cooperate with this polish. I'm sure more reviews will be popping up for it all the time, and I'm hoping some of them will have more accurate photos so that you can all see how beautiful this shade actually is.