Pretty & Polished Beauty Box for July

Goooooooood morning!

*press sample* 

And a good morning it is indeed. Today I have the Beauty Box from Pretty & Polished to share with you guys for the month of July. This is my first experience with Pretty & Polished Beauty Boxes and I am super impressed! Chels really did a fantastic job and from what I read all of the boxes are superb.

The box for July contains two exclusive full sized polishes, two minis, a sample of her new Vanilla Mint foot soak, A nail file and brush, water decals, and a nail art bow. Seriously this box is packed! Oh and she also included a discount code for July in there so make sure you don't miss out on that :)  

Let's get started on the two full sized exclusive polishes.

Bioluminescense is a pretty cobalt blue sheer jelly filled with tiny blue matte glitters. I've also been told that this polish glow BLUE! Sadly, the base that I used for my swatches was too dark to get a good glow T.T and I haven't seen a good picture of the glow yet but when I find one I'll make sure to update this post with the link so you guys can see the gorgeousness! Because the polish is so sheer, I decided to layer it over a similar color (Nina Ultra Pro Blue Blaze). I really like the effect, but you can also layer three thicker coats alone for a squishy jelly look. The formula was great, thin but you still get a nice payoff of glitter with each coat. Below is two coats over blue with top coat. 

Mintabie is a stunning raspberry jelly base packed with beautiful sapphire glitters and iridescent shreds along with a subtle but gorgeous raspberry / purple shimmer. Even though the base is quite sheer you can build it to opacity, or near opacity, with three careful coats. The formula was a bit thicker, just because it is so packed with glitter, but still very easy to work with. Below is three careful coats with two coat of top coat to give it a nice sheen. 

Next up is the two minis.

Hubble Trouble is a great mix of multi-sized glitters in a variety of colors. Just looking at the bottle I can see bits of emerald green, gold, blue, purple, and copper just to name a few. All of the glitters are suspended in a blackened jelly base. The base is extremely sheer on this one so I'm not sure that it can be built to any sort of opacity so I decided to layer it over black. This polish would look great over any dark color, black is just always my choice because it brings out all of the gorgeous glitters. The formula was thicker on this because of all of the glitters but still very manageable. Below is two coats of Hubble Trouble over black with two coats of top coat, though the glitter still ate it and it's not as smooth as it should be. ;) 

Last up for the polishes is Nova Say Nova, a beautiful duochrome that shifts from a pumpkin spice orange, to a juicy maroon, all the way to a shy olive green that you can only see at the very edges. Love, love, love this shade! The formula was perfect, buttery smooth. This polish can be worn on it's own or layered over black for a more intense color shift. I chose to wear it on it's own. Below is three thin coats with top coat. 

The decals are super cute, the pack includes, hearts, stars, and lines, some that say love all in a lace-esque pattern. They were very easy to use, just dip them in water for a few seconds and the decal will slide right off of the paper backing. I also loved the nail art bow! I've never used bows before but I'm definitely going to use them again it's so cute and chunky! 

I don't have the foot soak pictured here, mainly because I hate feet and I'm sure you guys don't want to see my feet ;) But I did use the new soak, it was great actually. I was a little weary about the smell because I'm very sensitive to smells and it doesn't take much for something to be overbearing and give me a headache. But I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle, sweet vanilla aroma. It wasn't so strong to give me a headache but just strong enough to be relaxing. After I pulled my feet out they were so soft! Deifnitely a win if you ask me.

--

This box is available now and can be purchase along with all of Pretty & Polished polishes at www.shopprettyandpolished.com. The boxes themselves retail for $22.00USD or $30.00USD if you live outside of the US and can be purchased in 1, 3, 6, or 12 month subscriptions. Stay up to date with all new polish and product releases, sale, and beauty boxes by following Pretty & Polished:

Twitter | Facebook | Youtube | Instagram | Google +

What do you think of this month's box? Will you be picking one up?

**Products in this post were provided by Pretty & Polished in exchange for my honest opinion. For more information see my disclosure policy.

Thanks loves :) 

Summer Neon Gradient and Watermarble

I don't know where you guys are but I live in MA and man, it's been a cold spring! I keep waiting and waiting for that warm weather to no avail. But I think we may have finally gotten past the road block!

Summer is finally here and with the warm weather comes neon nail polish. I don't know what it is about neon polish that just makes you feel so summery but I absolutely love it!

I started with a base of Essie Blanc so my colors would really pop. Then I created the gradient using China Glaze Pool Party and Orly Highlighter. When that dried I created the watermarble over it using Essie Blanc and Maybelline Color Show Clear. I top coated them with Essie Good To Go and just because I love mattifying neons I added NYC Matte Me Crazy over everything. LOVE! 

Oh summer how I've missed you so! Please never leave again okay??? 

What's your favorite season?

Thanks loves :) 

Herringbone Nail Art with CG So Blue Without You

I've wanted to try out some herringbone nail art forever but every time I sit down to do my nails I never remember to do them! I think it's because for the longest time I didn't know what they were called so it made googling them reallllll hard ;) LOL

Well that's about to change now!

I didn't have any idea in mind when I decided to do my nails the other day and by some stroke of brilliance I actually remembered that "chevron-esque, trapezoid, nail art thingy" and after an hour of searching on the web I finally found out what they were called and set off to do my own.

I started with a base of China Glaze So Blue Without You, I absolutely adore this blue! When it dried I drew out the "blueprint" for the design using black acrylic paint and a nail art brush. I filled in the appropriate spots with black and white acrylic paint, sealed it in with some Essie Good To Go and the design was finished. 

I have to say the design was a lot easier to create then I thought it would be, and I'm pretty excited that the lines came out as clean as they did. I mean I still have a lot more practicing to do but I'm proud of my first attempt. 

Thanks loves :) 

Pink Leopard Birthday Nails

It's my birthday!!! Woohoo!!

To be honest, I wasn't really excited about my birthday this year... which is weird because I'm like a freak about it usually. I suppose I don't want to get any older, not that 23 is old by any means, but you know what I mean. The good news is though, I'm excited now! Birthdays are so much fun, and even though I don't want to get older, I do want to enjoy the day. 

Every year on my birthday I try to get down to Cape Cod in Massachusetts because it's one of my absolute favorite places to be and thankfully we're having good weather this year so I can go again!

But let's get down to the important stuff... my birthday nails! I wanted to do something that represented me and was something that I loved. What better answer then my favorite white french manicure with my favorite neon pink leopard spots and my favorite holographic top coat?! Nothing that's what ;) 

I started off with my french tips using Essie Blanc on all of my nails except my ring and I cleaned up the smile line with my clean up brush dipped in acetone. When that was dry I added two layers of OPI Bubble Bath and then added my spots using China Glaze Pool Party. I outlined my leopard spots with some black acrylic paint and sealed it in with Essie Good To Go. For my ring I did three layers of China Glaze Pool Party, I probably should have used white as a base but I wasn't really sure where this nail was going ;) When that dried I added my favorite holographic top coat, HITS Hefesto. To finish it off I added two black dots with black acrylic paint and sealed it in with Essie Good To Go. 

I wasn't sure how these nails were going to turn out because I didn't really have a concrete idea in my head as I was creating them but I actually really love them! They are a combination of some of my favorite things and I think they are perfect for my birthday nails.

What do you guys like to wear on your nails for you birthday?

Thanks for reading loves! I'm off to enjoy the Cape! :)  

Baroness X Polish for the ASPCA

*sponsored post*

Want to see some gorgeous polishes? A while back I swatched some pretties for the wonderful Baroness X, well guess what? She's back at it again! This time she's bringing you two super sweet polishes as a benefit for the ASPCA. As a lot of you probably know I'm a huge animal lover, I actually even have an instagram account just for my two pups @leana_and_lily. Yeah I'm kind of crazy but I'm sure you guys knew that already ;) 

I'm so excited to share these with you, a perfect combination of my two favorite things.

Pampered Poodle is a beautiful soft bubblegum pink with an icy blue shimmer. The formula was great, super smooth and easy to apply. Below is three coats on all nails except for my ring where it's one coat over black, man what a transformation! Pampered Poodle dried quite shiny but I added top coat for longevity. 

Purr-ple Purr-fection is a juicy grape jelly packed with glitters of all sizes. From what I can see in the bottle there are tiny silver holo hexes, medium blue hexes, pink circles, and some shredded glitter too. Because it has so much glitter in it, Purr-ple Purr-fection is a bit thicker, but by no means difficult to work with. You also get a cute package of neon stars to add in if you wish, I've got one sandwiched between layers on my ring finger. Personally I love it! Below is three coats plus top coat. 

Baroness X retails for $4.00-$4.25USD for 5mL and $8.00-$9.00USD for 15mL and can be purchased from her website: www.baronessx.com or her Etsy store. I should also note that all Baroness X polishes are 5-free and and Cruelty Free. If you want to purchase these two polishes for charity make sure you buy from her website since they are only available there :) Stay up-to-date on all the happenings by following Baroness X:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram 

Thanks loves!

Talk nerdy to me

Yes talk nerdy, er geeky that is, to me ;) I mean I won't understand a word you're saying but I'm sure you'll look cute doing it LOL! 

When I saw the "I <3 geeks" image on Bundle Monster's plate I knew I had to pair it with some super geek chic black glasses. And can I tell you how hard of a time I had painting them?! I have no idea why but I guess I'll never be a glasses artist ;) I'm still not sure that they look the way they are supposed to but this is the best I got and hopefully you can see what I was trying to do. 

I started with a base of Essie Blanc and waited for it to dry. When it was dry I created the glasses and the dots using black and white acrylic paints. I stamped on my ring finger using BM-401 and L.A Colors striping polish in Black. I colored in the little heart with some red acrylic paint and then added a layer of China Glaze Fairy Dust because everything is prettier sparkly ;) I sealed everything in with a generous layer of Poshe and ta-daaaaaa! Geek chic.  

I'm so happy that the image fit on my nail, I was a little weary at first because the images on the plates seem to be so big that almost none fit completely on my nails! That's alright though because it's fun to take bits and pieces of some images and create something completely different. 

Thanks for reading loves :) 

Under the sea

Undah da sea! Undah da sea!

When da sardine

Begin da beguine

It's music to me!

Now someone tell me what song this is! ;) And tell me you had to sing it in his voice, because you know I did.

My design today is inspired by an inhabitant of the sea, an octopus! I've always been so intrigued but the octopus, why I'm not certain, they are just beautiful creatures. Yeah I know, point and laugh at the weirdo it's okay <-- LOL

No let's get on to the nails! I started out with a base of Color Club Over the Moon and stamped over it using two images on plate BM-401 and Maybelline Color Show Navy Narcissist. I added in some bubbles with some white acrylic paint and Color Club Over the Moon. Finally a layer of Poshe to seal everything in finished up the design. 

These nails were so quick to create and the final product was worthy to be 10,000 leagues under the sea ;) 

I gotta know, what's your favorite sea creature?
Thanks loves :) 

Simply spiked

Hey loves!

I must really be on a role with these simple designs because I think I love these ones even more then the sparrows! 

You can't really ever go wrong with white and nude nails. They are the epitome of class and will absolutely never go out of style. It's always fun to grab a white and nude polish and see what you can create. More often then not the final result will be cool and classy. I took a bit more of a daring spin on this simple combination, I added some holographic extra and some petite spikes to boot ;) 

I started with a base of Color Club Cosmic Fate, an orangey holo but just neutral enough. When that was dry I took some tape and cut it into long triangle shapes and stuck them on my nails by my cuticles. After they were positioned correctly I painted over everything with a generous layer of Essie Blanc. I peeled off the tape to reveal cute spikes and topped everything off with Poshe top coat to finish the design.

 I really enjoy this design, especially with neutral colors like this. And the holographic base just gives it that little extra oopmh to make it interesting.

What about you guys? What is your favorite white and nude combination?

Thanks loves :)