May 20, 2013

NCLA Nail Wraps Review 5

by Andrea • Nail Art • Tags: ,

press sample
ncla-nail-strips

Nail Polish Canada sent me some NCLA Designer Nail Wraps to try.  The two designs that I chose are called It Doesn’t Matter and So L.A.  You can view all of the different designs on the Nail Polish Canada website.  Each package includes 44 nail wraps of various sizes.  I think the concept of nail wraps is great because they allow anyone to add intricate art to their nails with minimal time and skill.

Today I decided to try out the random black and white patterns in the It Doesn’t Matter set.  This was only my second time trying nail wraps, so I’m still an amateur.  I consulted the instructions and it certainly sounded easy…

ncla-instructions

… and it was! These strips were great to work with!   I cleaned my nails with an alcohol wipe and then applied a clear base coat and let it dry.  I studied the wraps to determine which sizes might work best with each of my nails.  My nails are a bit narrow, but there was such a wide variety of sizes that I was able to find a wrap to fit each of them without having to do any trimming around the edges.  BONUS… NO TRIMMING!!!  I applied the wraps to each nail, carefully smoothing them out to eliminate any air bubbles.  (In the photos you can see some bubbling on my index finger, but it’s not noticeable in person unless you look very closely.) My nails are also very curvy, and these wraps stuck from edge to edge without any lifting.  The wraps are also long enough to accommodate pretty long nails. I had a lot of excess hanging off the tip, which I filed off with the nail file that came in the package.  And finally, I topped each nail off with a clear top coat.

I’m very pleased with the final result… what do you think?

ncla-nail-strips-2

ncla-nail-strips-3

 

May 17, 2013

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup 0

by Andrea • Roundup • Tags:

beauty blogazon roundup

May 16, 2013

Gelish All About the Glow – Rainbow French Nail Art 0

by Andrea • Nail Art • Tags: , , , ,

I was going to leave my nails alone for a week to give them a break, but I caved!  I’ve been trying to think of ways to use the entire Gelish All About the Glow collection in some nail art and I have so many ideas running through my head.  My first thought was to do a colorful french manicure using a different color for each finger, but I only have 5 fingers and there are 6 colors… that won’t work.  So I decided to do a few French tips, and two rainbow nails using every color in the collection!

On my ring finger and thumb I started with two coats of Sheek White and used a dotting tool to draw on the different colored stripes (only one coat for the stripes).  For the French tips, I applied two coats of white, but only on the tips this time.  I applied two coats of color to the tips leaving some space to give the appearance of a white outline.  I applied one coat of Emerald Dust to each nail, and used a dotting tool to draw on a couple of small hearts.  I applied one thin coat of Gelish Top It Off, and viola!

I really love how this turned out… they’re bright and fun, and sparkly too!  The official Gelish FB page announced that they are having a “Summer Brights” nail art challenge.  Post your best “bright” manicure using Gelish polish to their FB feed by May 21st and they will feature their top 5 picks!  I’m definitely going to submit this one, and I can’t wait to see what other creations people come up with.

Gelish All About the Glow Rainbow French Nail Art Gelish All About the Glow Rainbow French Nail Art Gelish All About the Glow Rainbow French Nail Art

May 14, 2013

Gelish All About the Glow Color Comparisons 3

by Andrea • Gelish Swatches • Tags: , , ,

affiliate linkspress sample
I have the much anticipated color comparisons for you!  First up is I’m Brighter Than You, and the only color that this is close to is Sweet Morning Dew.  I was worried that these would be too similar, but I’m Brighter Than You is much lighter/brighter. The formula is also much better so if you’re deciding between the two, I recommend I’m Brighter.

gelish-im-brighter-comp

Brights Have More Fun vs. Shake It Til You Samba… not much difference here.  Brights Have More Fun is just slightly lighter/brighter, but I don’t see the need for owning both of these since they’re so close.  Shake It Til You Samba is probably my pick of the two because it has a great formula and offers full coverage with just two coats.

gelish-brights-comp

Sometimes A Girl’s Gotta Glow is seen here on the index finger and pinky… it’s pretty different from the other greens in the Rio Neon and Candyland collections.  It’s my fav of the three.

gelish-girls-gotta-glow-com

Sorry, I cheated on this one since my nails need a little break after all of the swatching.  :)   Radiance is My Middle Name is closest to Garden Teal Party, but again is a few shades lighter.  Garden Teal Party has better coverage with no visible nail line, but Radiance has a better formula…. it’s a toss up.  I love blues, and really like these both.  Radiance is so bright and fun.  I’ve been wearing it for 2 days now and plan to keep it on the rest of the week (that’s a long time for me).

gelish-radiance-comp

Are there any other comparisons you’d like to see?  I can take a few photos with my swatch sticks if I have the colors you’re curious about.

May 13, 2013

Gelish All About the Glow Collection Swatches – Summer 2013 2

by Andrea • Gelish Swatches • Tags: , ,

affiliate linkspress sample
The new All About the Glow collection from Gelish is finally here!  This has been promoted as their “brightest collection yet”, and I think it’s a pretty accurate claim.  The Rio Neon collection was bright, but in comparison these are even brighter!  I will have some comparisons to share with you very soon.

I am happy to tell you that the formula of these polishes is improved from some of the previous collections.  They aren’t thick and I didn’t experience any wrinkling or curing issues… and I actually tried to get them to wrinkle by applying some thicker layers.  I checked my swatches for fading after about 24 hours and didn’t notice any changes in the colors.  My only complaint about the formula is that the colors didn’t apply as evenly as I would have liked and required three coats each for even coverage.  With that said, I think they are all brilliant colors.  I’ve been wearing Radiance Is My Middle Name (teal) today, and LOVE it!

If you love these colors and would like a chance to win the whole collection, check out my giveaway!!

Gelish All About the Glow Collection Swatches Gelish All About the Glow Collection Swatches

Make You Blink Pink reminds me of a Barbie!  It’s a super bright pink unlike any other by Gelish.

Gelish Make You Blink PinkGelish Make You Blink Pink

Brights Have More Fun is a darker hot pink.  It’s very similar to Shake It Til You Samba, but it’s slightly lighter & brighter.

Gelish Brights Have More FunGelish Brights Have More Fun

I’m Brighter Than You is a vivid coral/peach color.  This one is similar to Sweet Morning Dew, but is also lighter and brighter.

Gelish I'm Brigher Than YouGelish I'm Brigher Than You

Sometimes A Girl’s Gotta Glow is a brilliant lime green.  I will compare this to Amazon Flirt and You’re Such a Sweet-Tart.

Sometimes A Girl's Gotta GlowSometimes A Girl's Gotta Glow

Radiance is My Middle Name is a bright teal color.  As I mentioned, I’ve been wearing this all day and absolutely love it.  I will compare this with Garden Teal Party, though it’s visibly brighter.

Gelish Radiance Is My Middle NameGelish Radiance Is My Middle Name

You Glare, I Glow is an electric shade of purple unlike any other by Gelish.

Gelish You Glare, I GlowGelish You Glare, I Glow

What do you think!? Are you as in love with these bright colors as I am?

May 10, 2013

Chickettes.com 1st Blogiversary Gelish MINI Giveaway!! 12

by Andrea • Giveaways • Tags: ,

Chickettes.com 1st Blogiversary Gelish MINI Giveaway!!

I can’t believe it’s been a year already!!  Chickettes.com is one year old today, and to celebrate I’m having the best giveaway a girl could imagine!  I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that my all time favorite gel polish brand has agreed to sponsor a giveaway…  Gelish® MINI is going to send the winner a stash of goodies that will make them GLOW with excitement!

The Prizes -  Over $200 value!!

ONE lucky winner will receive ALL of the following:

1) A complete All About the Glow Gelish MINI collection.  The six colors in the collection are (view my swatches here):

  • Sometimes A Girl’s Gotta Glow: Brilliant lime green
  • Radiance Is My Middle Name: Vibrant teal
  • You Glare, I Glow: Electric purple
  • Brights Have More Fun: Hot pink
  • Make You Blink Pink: Light pink
  • I’m Brighter Than You: Vivid coral

2) A Gelish Mini Pro LED Curing Light

3) A Gelish Mini Basix Kit, which includes:

  • Mini Gelish Ph Bond
  • Mini Gelish Foundation
  • Mini Gelish Top It Off
  • Mini Gelish Nourish
  • Mini Gelish Cleanser
  • Mini Gelish Artificial Nail Remover

The Rules

  • The giveaway begins today, May 10th and will run through May 19th.
  • Entries will be collected via Rafflecopter only.
  • The winner will be selected randomly via Rafflecopter and announced on May 20th.
  • The winner will be notified via email, and will have 48 hours to claim the prize or a new winner will be selected.
  • This giveaway is only open in the United States. The winner must be able to provide a valid US shipping address (no P.O. boxes).
  • Entries will be verified.
  • The Sponsor will be responsible for product shipment/delivery.

GOOD LUCK!

Gelish® MINI products are available exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply stores nationwide and online at sallybeauty.com. Follow Gelish® MINI on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and on Instagram (@GelishMINI).

Gelish® MINI comes in an array of colors, applies like polish, with a twist cap and applicator, but are cured in an LED lamp for 30 seconds or in two minutes with a traditional UV lamps, just like gels. Gelish® MINI stays on the nail for up to three weeks of beautiful wear, with no chipping or peeling. Gelish MINI® soaks off completely in only 15 minutes. For more information, please visit www.gelishminis.com.

May 7, 2013

Couture Tres Chic & Color Blocked Nail Art 4

by Andrea • Nail Art, Other Gel (SOG) Swatches • Tags: , , ,

press sample
I never thought I would wear yellow nail polish, but in the past month or so I have tried a few shades of yellow and the one I have to show you today is my favorite of all so far.  This is Tres Chic from Couture… a buttery yellow with a creme finish. I wore this for a day or so before deciding to add some nail art to it.  I did some color blocking with nail art striping tape, and made a short video to demonstrate the technique (below).  The colors used for the accents are Couture High Maintenance, Million $ Tweet, Teal the Show and Glam Squad.  I love how this turned out and can’t wait to use these Couture colors again.

Chickettes.com Color Blocking Nail Art

Couture Gel Polish - Tres Chic

Couture Gel Polish - Tres Chic

May 3, 2013

Beauty Blogazons Weekly Roundup 2

by Andrea • Roundup

beauty blogazon roundup

Check out what’s new in the beauty world this week!

May 2, 2013

Gelish Rio Neon Rainbow Nail Art 2

by Andrea • Nail Art • Tags: , ,

affiliate links purchased by me
I posted the Gelish Rio Neon swatches earlier today, but forgot to post the nail art that I did with these colors! :) The pink seen here is actually Daisy Classy Pink instead of Shake It Til You Samba because I hadn’t received that color yet when I did this. I started with a base of Sheek White, and applied the neons over top to give the colors more pop! I created a striped rainbow effect on the ring finger and added a stamp on top. Vegas Nights was also applied on top for some sparkle!

neon-rainbow-nail-art

May 2, 2013

Gelish Rio Neon Collection Swatches 7

by Andrea • Gelish Swatches • Tags: , ,

affiliate links purchased by me
I have another set of Gelish swatches for you! This is the Rio Neon collection that was released previously. Since Gelish will be releasing a new neon collection very soon, I wanted to swatch this older collection for comparison purposes.  All of these colors applied with ease, no wrinkling or curing issues.  A few of the colors are actually on the thin side and are a bit transparent leaving a visible nail line.

Gelish Rio Neon Collection Swatches

Gelish Rio Neon Collection Swatches

As you would expect with a neon collection, the colors are bright!!  This is Shake It Til You Samba, a neon pink.  This is a very fun summer color, and it has great coverage with just two coats.

Gelish Shake It Til You Samba Gelish Shake It Til You Samba

Tiki Tiki Laranga is a neon orange.  This color did have some shrinkage issues and pulled back from the edges a little.

Gelish Tiki Tiki Laranga Swatch Gelish Tiki Tiki Laranga Swatch

Coco Cabana Banana… the name says it all… hello yellow!

Gelish Coco Cabana Banana Swatch Gelish Coco Cabana Banana Swatch

Amazon Flirt is a neon green.  You’ll need a pair of sunglasses when you wear this or Coco Cabana!  ;)

Gelish Amazon Flirt Swatch Gelish Amazon Flirt Swatch

Ooba Ooba Blue… this one doesn’t really seem neon to me.  This color is a bit thin and I had some shrinkage issues.  I’d recommend Sugar Daddy over this blue since the colors are similar and it has much better coverage.

Gelish Ooba Ooba Blue Swatch Gelish Ooba Ooba Blue Swatch

And finally, Carnaval Hangover.  On all of the Gelish swatches this appears to be purple, and when you put it next to the other colors in this collection it is purple-ish… however next to other colors in my collection, this appears to be more on the pink side than purple.  It also doesn’t strike me as being “neon”, but it’s a gorgeous color and I’ve worn it a few times already.  It also has great coverage with just two coats.

Gelish Carnaval Hangover Swatch Gelish Carnaval Hangover Swatch
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