Saturday Spam- June 29

Welcome to Saturday Swatches, or Saturday Spam, as I'm calling it this week.  Well it's week 2 and I'm already kind of changing it up... I have been participating in two nail art challenges for the month of June, I have already featured these mani's on my Instagram, @sparkleandpolish, you should follow me if you haven't already :)
Instead of writing up a whole post for each one, since I have shared them already, I have compiled my favorite challenge entries to share with you here.  For the July challenges, I will try and be a better blogger and keep up with Instagramming my mani's and blogging about them here.

Nail Art June Challenge (nailartjune)

Sparkle Nails

Polishes used: Sinful Colors Sunburnt, China Glaze Angel Wings, Julie G Cleopatra's Cobra

Sea Critter Nails

Polishes used: OPI Can't Find My Czechbook and Gargantuan Green Grape. China Glaze Flirty Tankini

Ocean Nails

Polishes used: Pointer and Pinky- Deborah Lippmann Across The Universe. Ring and Middle- Sinful Colors Ciao Bella, Hex Glitter from Milani Teal, fish are Sinful Colors Jolt and China Glaze Highlight Of My Summer, octopus is China Glaze Sweet Hook

The Nail Art Story June Challenge (#tnasjunechallenge)

Kawaii Nail

Colors used: OPI Mod About You, China Glaze Sweet Hook and Sinful Colors Tidal Wave gradient topped with China Glaze Fairy Dust.  Ring finger looks bad, rhinestones from Michaels.. In retrospect I should have done a base color, like China Glaze Glistening Snow.

Neon All The Way

Polishes used- base color is China Glaze White on White. Pinky and Pointer finger- gradient with China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise and Highlight of my Summer, same colors used for leopard on ring finger. Middle finger is Salon Perfect Kaboom!

Vintage Floral

Polishes Used: OPI My Vampire Is Buff and Mod About You, China Glaze Pink Plumeria and Zoya Wednesday. 

Birthday Nails

Polishes Used: OPI Mod About You, My Boyfriend Scales Walls, Don't Be Such a Budapest. China Glaze Electric Beat.

Stay Sparkly,

A

Glitter Gradient Tips

This is a base of OPI So Many Clowns So Little Time, with a gradient of China Glaze Glistening Snow and China Glaze Fairy Dust. This post is picture heavy, my apologies, but I just loved the look of this mani, so I took a lot of different pictures. It is so light and feminine, a great palate cleanser after all the crazy looks I've been doing for my June challenges.
Starting off with the shade pictures.
In the shade it is a lovely, soft silver gradient. Very subtle.

Indoor, up close to a light, not color accurate, but I loved the shot.

Outside in natural sunlight. Showing the lovely holo sparkles.

Blurred to show the holo. 

Hope you enjoyed the holo picture spam. This mani is so gorgeous, it is still on my nails as I type this. 

Stay Sparkly,

A

Lush Lacquer Chicks Rule

This polish is amazing!! The colors are so bold and bright, but they work very well together.  This is a clear, or maybe slightly pink toned base with raspberry, orange and coral matte glitters.  The glitters are very thin and sheer, creating other colors when they layer over each other.

First Look:

This is a skittles mani, starting with a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on all nails. Pointer and pinky are a gradient with Essie Sunday Funday and Essie The Girls Are Out. Middle Finger has 2 coats of Chicks Rule. Ring finger has dotted flowers in Sunday Funday and The Girls Are Out

Second Look:

This mani features a base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on the pointer, middle and pinky fingers. Essie The Girls Are Out on the ring finger. Two coats of Chicks Rule on all white parts, including my wonky freehanded heart on the ring finger

In terms of formula, this was flawless. Flowed smoothly on to the nail, glitter came out easily, no fishing required.  The glitter is a little sparse even at 2 coats, but that is the look I prefer.  I like that the base polish clearly shows through.

I have been bitten hard by the indie bug, any brands/polishes you think I should look into?

Stay Sparkly,

A

Bubble Nail Art

This is done using acrylic paint to make water spot bubbles on top of polish. I loved this look, changed up the accompanying nails to extend this mani.  To do this, you water down acrylic paint, apply small dots on your nail, allow a minute or so to set on your nail, and then absorb the excess water.  I followed a tutorial from @tabitha_nicole on Instagram to do this, and it was surprisingly easy to do.

First Look:

 base of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls on all nails

Pinky and pointer I did a jelly sandwich with OPI Polka.com and OPI Don't Touch My Tutu.

Ring and middle water spot bubbles using acrylic paint.

Second Look:

Ring and Middle- same as before

Pinky and Pointer- Essie Naughty Nautical, with a dot of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls and China Glaze Fuchsia Fanatic

Here are a few more looks at the water spot nails. 

Too fun. Definitely going to try these again. Full swatches of Essie Naughty Nautical will be coming up soon, I'm still tracking down a few more colors from the collection, then I will post them all for you.

Stay Sparkly,

A

Disney Nail Art Challenge: Jasmine

Princess Jasmine nails!! I love Princess Jasmine, these nails weren't even intentionally planned to be for her, but when I was finished they just screamed Jasmine to me. Teal chevrons with subtle gold glitter on the accent nail and a sheer teal-green glitter on all nails. 

Base Color- OPI So Many Clowns So Little Time

Tips- China Glaze For Audrey

Glitter Overlay- Cult Nails Hypnotize Me

And Gold Hex Glitter 

Here is a picture without the added bling, I wore it like this for a few days and absolutely loved it! If only taping off the chevrons didn't take so freaking long. I would totally do this more often. 

Also, if you aren't already doing so, you should follow me on Instagram @sparkleandpolish because I post sneak peaks and extra manis that don't show up on the blog :)

Stay Sparkly,

A

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

Recently I was at Planet Beauty looking for OPI Gargantuan Green Grape, I was excited to see 6 bottles of polish in the slot, but when I looked closer I noticed there were 2 distinctly different shades of polish there.  I checked, and double checked the labels and both were clearly marked Gargantuan Green Grape.  I did what any polish enthusiast would do, and bought both.

 I swatched them both to compare color and formula.

Green Version Thumb, Pinky and Middle
Blue Version Pointer and Ring

 Even in bright light, you can tell these are two very different colors.

In terms of formula, the green version was much more opaque, it took 4 thin coats to get this desired opacity from the blue version.  I completely love both versions of this polish.  Regardless of the reason for OPI releasing a bluer version, whether it be a change of pigment or lax quality control, I am quite happy about it. Both shades are gorgeous and I am happy to own them both. 

Do you have either version? Which one do you prefer?

Stay Sparkly,

A

Saturday Swatches- June 22

I have decided to try something new for my blog, I have seen this idea on several other blogs and I really like the idea.  I will be posting swatch spam posts on Saturdays, giving a quick review and only one picture of each.  If you would like more pictures or more info about a certain polish, leave your request in the comments and I will do a more detailed post on the polish :)

Chrome Girl Barely Legal

Gorgeous, well pigmented baby blue.  A thicker formula than I am used to be, but it covered really easily.

Chrome Girl Endless Summer

Amazing formula for a yellow polish. A slight, mostly hidden shimmer. Covered easily in 2 coats. 

LA Girls 3D Effect- Teal Dimensions

Obsessed. Beautiful, holo, glowy perfection. If you can find this polish, and love teal or scattered holo, I strongly recommend buying it. 

 OPI Funny Bunny

One of my favorites.  I personally do 3-4 very thin coats to achieve a squishy opaque look for this polish.  

Sinful Colors Lavander (their spelling, not mine)

A gorgeous grayed out purple shade.  When these gray/purple colors were getting really popular I totally didn't see the allure, I now do.  This is a bold neutral that I think I will reach for often during the fall. 

Chanel Black Satin

This is the polish that started it all for me.  I bought it when I was 18, and that was where my love/obsession with polish really began.  I love this polish, gorgeous glossy formula, and wears very well on me. 

Hope you have enjoyed the first edition of Saturday Swatches, anything you would like to see more of or learn more about, please let me know in the comments.  Also, if there is something I have in my stash that you would like to see swatches of, please request it. I would love suggestions.

Stay Sparkly,

A

China Glaze Flirty Tankini

This is quite possibly my favorite manicure that I have ever done, and I fully intend on recreating this multiple times over the summer, using more "me" colors. 

This is China Glaze Flirty Tankini and Angel Wings, the white is OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls.  The gold glitter is from Julie G Cleopatra's Cobra. Glossy and bright and absolutely stunning, with more of a tan I could have pulled this off better.

But of course I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I changed my pointer finger and pinky to Angel Wings... which pretty much ruined it :(

If you follow me on instagram you already saw these, and saw that I entered them in a few contests... If you don't follow me on instagram, you should!! @sparkleandpolish

Stay Sparkly,

A

Blue and Green Skittle Mani

It's no secret that blue and green polishes are my favorites, so obviously I absolutely adored this mani!

Pointer- Essie First Timer with a dot of Sinful Colors Sweet Nothing
Middle- Base of Mabeline Color Show Poolside with dots of First Timer and Sweet Nothing
Ring- Gradient of Sweet Nothing and First Timer
Pinky- Sweet Nothing with a dot of First Timer

I entered this mani in a few Instagram contests, so I'll let you know if anything happens from that. And if you aren't already following my on Instagram you should be @sparkleandpolish  :)

Stay Sparkly,

A