Tag Archives: Orly

Nail Art Tutorial: Cupcake Nails

Cupcake Nail Polish Nail Art TutorialHope you all enjoyed your Easter and your yummy chocolate bunnies!

Here’s the Cupcake Nail Art I wore over the holiday. Warning: it’ll probably give you cavities. Hands down the girliest manicure I’ve ever done.

When I saw missglamorazzi’s nail tutorial on YouTube last month, I wanted to try it. But it was only when a Swatch And Learn reader, Alaeis, posted pretty swatches on her blog that really made me want to try my hand at it.

I decided to put my own spin on cupcake nails by using hearts instead of the ‘cherry’. Also, I wanted my frosting to look like it was drippy and gooey.

This was my first time creating this look and my first time using a dotting tool or nail sequins. I had so much fun!

Keep reading – I’ll show you how to recreate the look – it’s easier than you think. I’ve included step-by-step written instructions and photo aids to help you follow along. (I’ve also included a link to missglamorazzi’s video and Alaeis’ swatches at the bottom of the post.) Continue reading

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China Glaze Broken Hearted Crackle Glaze Swatches & Review (Layered Over Orly Spark)

China Glaze Broken Hearted SwatchesI’m addicted to crack….polishes! But are they everything they’re cracked up to be? Is crack whack? Should I just get cracking on this review and stop making cheesy puns? Okay, fine, buzz kill!

Now, I’m sure everyone, their mother, and their cat, Rumpelstiltskin, has heard about the crackle trend.

OPI caused a frenzy with Black Shatter even though it was really CoverGirl who brought crackle nail polish into the mainstream years ago.

Since I’m always up for trying new colors and nail art, the China Glaze Crackle Glaze Collection was a must-have. Pre-ordered every single color…yet for some reason I’m only trying one of them now!

China Glaze Broken Hearted is the pink version. You can create a poop-load of funky color combinations!

I layered it over a fun yellow because I wanted something offbeat and in-your-face. Did I like it? How was China Glaze’s crackle formula? There’s only one way to find out.

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Orly Spark Swatches & Review

Orly Spark SwatchesI’m just mad about Saffron. She’s just mad about me. They call me Mellow Yellow!”

Although I don’t wear yellow nail polish often (and when I do, normally it’s a retina-burning neon), lately I’ve been really craving a demure yellow. Very uncharacteristic!

But while Orly Spark isn’t an ostentatious color nor does it have bells and whistles like holographic glitter or any duochrome, I was drawn to it like a bee to a flower.

Yellows can be quite a challenge to pull off. If you choose the wrong shade, you can look like you have a severe case of jaundice or anemia. But Orly Spark is very wearable – the perfect spring pick-me-up. Continue reading

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Clarins 230 Swatches & Review (Layering ‘Unicorn Pee’ over Orly Sapphire Silk)

Clarins 230 Swatches & ReviewClarins 230 nail polish is a page out of a makeup fanatic’s fairy tale. Heck, it’s even known as Unicorn Pee!

This shimmery rainbow in a bottle is so unique that people are willing to pay an obscene amount of money to own. And others lucky enough to have nail buddies are swapping for it.

Clarins 230 is highly sought after and is quite possibly the hardest to find nail polish because it’s been discontinued for several years.

Is Clarins out of its mind? The story goes that the sparkly multichrome pigment used for Unicorn Pee doesn’t exist anymore and can’t be recreated yet. No pigment? No polish!

My bottle photos turned out decent – I was able to capture the rainbow and shimmery goodness. But I was really disappointed with how my Clarins 230 swatches turned out. This polish really didn’t want to show its true beauty in the swatches even though I literally took hundreds of photos in all different lighting!

Most bloggers show Unicorn Pee swatches where they layered Clarins 230 over a purple polish. While it’s truly a mesmerizing combination, I took a different route and experimented with a dusty-blue base color – Orly Sapphire Silk (from the Spring 2011 Collection).

Despite my lackluster swatches, I hope that you can still get a glimpse into the wonder that is this polish. I tried to show you, but really, Clarins 230 is a polish you really have to see in person to experience the magic (as cheesy as that sounds).

Warning: This post is picture heavy!

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Haul of Shame: Nail Polish & Nail Art

Nail Polish Haul, Nail Art & Fauxnad Image PlateWelcome to the first ‘Haul of Shame’ post!

I’ve got a pretty special post coming soon (hint: it’s nail-polish related). So excited to share it with you, and I’ve been working hard on it for a couple of days now.

Today I’m putting up a haul post since one of our readers, Kee, showed some interest in seeing these type of posts. Please let me know if you’d like this to be a regular feature or not.

Haul of Shame posts will be where we air our dirty makeup laundry. We’ll show the good, the bad, the cheap, and the pricey. You never know what you might see. But hopefully you’ll like it. And hopefully we won’t look too much like makeup addicts (even though we totally are!).

If there’s something you see that you’d like to know more about or that you’d like to see a review on, please leave a comment to let us know. Continue reading

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Nail Art: Green & Black Houndstooth Konadicure Using Orly It’s Not Rocket Science & Konad Image Plate m63

Houndstooth Konadicure Orly It's Not Rocket Science SwatchWho doesn’t love houndstooth? With the right color combination, it can look as classy as Audrey Hepburn in a sheath dress. But mix up the hues in favor of hyperactive neons or sassy shimmers and you’ve got yourself some edge!

For today’s nail art, I bring you a green and black houndstooth Konadicure featuring Orly It’s Not Rocket Science and Konad Image Plate m63.

I wore the poop out of this manicure because I loved it like Larry King loves his suspenders! Removed it reluctantly when the tipwear was looking grungy and the shine was fading.

This was the first time I tried a Konadicure using the houndstooth print, and it won’t be my last. I’ve already been thinking up different color combinations to try.

Houndstooth, how much do I love thee? Let me count the ways! Continue reading

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Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe Swatches & Review

Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe SwatchesBefore you know it, Christmas will be here and the beautiful sparkly snow will come down for a winter wonderland. It’s a bit early, but I was feeling festive and decided to swatch a new green – Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (from the Orly ‘Tis the Season Collection).

I’m really impressed with Orly’s formula – so far I’ve never come across a thick or unruly formula, and I’ve also never gotten a defective or misshapen brush. So in my books, Orly deserves bragging rights!

If you’re a green nail-polish lover like I am, this is a definitely must-have as you’ll be able to see in my Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe swatches. Continue reading

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