For Audrey Chevron

One of the first polishes I ever remember purchasing is China Glaze For Audrey. I remember looking up swatches and knowing instantly that I had to have it.  For Audrey was my very first polish purchase as a polishaholic that I remember. It was my gateway polish! lol

For Audrey is such a fantastic color, and is a staple in my collection.  No matter how many polishes I have that are a similar color, For Audrey is still the one that comes to mind.

Today's nail art is very simple using striping tape over For Audrey to create a chevron design on the accent nail.  I used Wet N Wild Black Creme as the black polish in the design.

Every time I wear For Audrey I get compliments! This is a classic design for a classic color. I love it!

XOX Caitlin

Deborah Lippmann - Lets Hear it for the Boy

Today's swatch is Deborah Lippmann's Lets Hear it for the Boy, which is a gorgeous baby blue cream. This was two coats of perfection, no topcoat. This came as part of a Footloose Duo I purchased a while back from HSN.  I really like the application, although in the bottle it feels a bit runny. It is a highly pigmented cream and two thin coats covers well.

XOX Caitlin

Simple Dots

If you follow me on instagram you may have seen the color palette that is the inspiration for this mani! (I included the photo below just in case you are not!) 

These colors used in this mani are one coat of Kiko 380 for the base, and OPI Dating a Royal and Fiercely Fiona for the dots(applied with a dotting tool). I also applied Butter London's Matte Topcoat on top of this mani to make it matte.

Here is my color inspiration for this mani, I was mixing colors with my waterbrush and cleaning them in the palette, and these colors were what was left when I was finished at the end of the night! This color palette inspired this mani, and i am quite happy with it!

XOX Caitlin

Barielle Summer Brights collection!

Today I have for you the Barielle Summer Brights collection!

 First up is Barielle Lemondrops.   This bright yellow was pretty easy to work with, shown here is two coats with a layer of G&Gs HK Girl Topcoat on top.

 Barielle Pink Flip Flops is the softest shade of this collection.  I would say this is a baby pink or cotton candy pink, and in the box with the others goes perfectly.

 Barielle Cosmic Kiss is a polish that I already owned prior to receiving this collection to review, so it is most likely a re-promote.  It is a gorgeous pink, and in this photo is showing a little more neon than in real life.   Two coats and one coat of topcoat are shown here.

Barielle Sweet Addiction is a green with a slight hint of teal in it.  The formula on this one is tied for my favorite, I could have done only one coat and been happy, but I applied two just out of habit.  Here is two coats with Topcoat. 

Finally the last polish in this collection is Barielle Blue Capri.  This and Sweet Addiction are tied for my favorite from this collection.  This is a gorgeous dusty blue that only really needed one coat, but I applied two out of habit.  Shown here is two coats with no topcoat because as you will see in the photo below topcoat somehow changes this polish! 

So here in this photo I started to add G&Gs HK Girl topcoat to the top of the nail, and I noticed that the polish began to lose its dusty tint to it, and became more of a vibrant blue! How strange! I still love it though, and with topcoat it is still a gorgeous color.  It just makes it more versatile!

Overall these polishes are all great colors for summer. My favorite polishes from this collection are Sweet Addiction and Blue Capri. The formula on most of these are pretty thick, but not to the point of being unusuable, I will suggest to not sit near a fan when polishing your nails, because that will dry out the polishes faster and they will become goopy, but if you polish your nails normally with 2 coats you should be fine. You can also add thinner if they are too thick for your liking.

These Barielle polishes can be purchased individually from their website for $8 (here) or in the 5 pack soon for $25 (here)

 XOX Caitlin

*These polishes were sent to me for my honest review*

Barielle Sweet Treats Spring 2013 Review

*these products were sent to me for consideration for an honest review*

I have a nice pastel spring collection to review for you all.  The Barielle Sweet Treats collection consists of a shimmery blue, a pastel yellow, pastel purple, a bright chartreuse, and a vibrant coral.

First up is Barielle Blue Cotton Candy.  I was in love with this color in the bottle. It is a gorgeous blue with a silver shimmer.  This is the only shimmer in the collection.  The application was great on this one, two coats covered completely. After I applied it though, I think it washed out my skin tone.

Up next is Barielle Green Apple Chew.  This is probably my second favorite from this collection.  this bright chartreuse green is one of my favorite colors, and the application on this polish was not bad at all.  It was a little on the thick side, and two coats covered with no VNL.

Barielle Orange Parfait is my absolute favorite from this collection.  It is a gorgeous coral that applied well with two coats.I've worn this twice already since receiving the collection to review, and it lasted three days before I removed it to apply another polish.

Barielle Banana Drop is a light yellow.  the formula on this one is a little thick, but like Green Apple Chew applied in two coats with no VNL.

The final polish in this collection is Barielle Lilac Jelly Bean.  This pale lilac purple applied well in two coats, but similarly to Green Apple Chew and Banana Drop was on the thick side. It was not unmanageable though. 

Overall I think this is a great spring collection. My favorite color from this collection would definitely be Orange Parfait, followed by Green Apple Chew. My least favorite would have to be Blue Cotton Candy, because I think that it washes out my skin tone, and that it is the only shimmer in this collection.

XOX Caitlin

*These polishes were sent to me for consideration for an honest review*

Rainbow Honey 20% Cooler

Today I have for you an Indie polish I have had my eye on for some time. I am not big into indie polishes, because I find that I can not afford the majority of them, and I am not a super huge fan of glitter bombs.  I have admired Rainbow Honey's polishes for quite some time, ever since I saw her cute labels and packaging, and I was able to get my hands on a mini in a swap I did a few weeks ago.  Everything about this polish is adorable.

Today's mani is China Glaze Electric Beat from the ElectroPop collection, followed by Rainbow Honey's 20% Cooler.  Electric Beat covered quite well in two coats, and is a gorgeous powder blue.  20% Cooler (on the accent nail) is a mix of rainbow glitter with some blue shimmer in the base. I am totally in love with this polish.  The brush was quite tiny in my mini bottle, which made it quite hard to apply polish, I have to admit.  If I were to order from Rainbow Honey I would definitely want the full size bottles, so that the brush is actually full sized. That's my only complaint. (In general though, I am not a fan of mini bottles, so nothing against Rainbow Honey)

Final thoughts: I would definitely purchase from Rainbow Honey, Her packaging is so cute, and the quality of the polish is very good from what I have tried in this mini bottle.

XOX Caitlin

Digit-al Dozen Blue Week: Model's Own

I have a good excuse why this is late! I promise! You shall find out in my next post. ;)

Here is my final Digit-al Dozen Blue Week post. Who doesn't love Model's Own Indian Ocean? It is a gorgeous polish that is sheer, with a pinky-gold shimmer in an aqua base. It is so gorgeous, and in these photos I layered it over Model's Own Beths Blue.

Bottle Shot:

Here is Model's Own Beth's Blue topped with Indian Ocean.

My Indian Ocean has some random dark glitter in it, which I don't think is supposed to be there. you can see it on a few of my nails in the following pics.

XOX Caitlin

Digit-al Dozen Blue Week: Foil

For today's installment of blue week, I have a foil for you. To me, foils are a gorgeous way to have a super shimmery metallic on your nails or a holographic effect you can't achieve any other way.  The only problem is they don't last very long and they don't like any topcoat I have tried. :(

For these nails I used OPI Dating a Royal as the base, and then I used the foil Opal Glitter from Dollar Nail Art.  Having Opal Glitter on top of this gorgeous royal blue, I was really happy with.

AND THEN....

All of the "glitter" part of the Opal Glitter foil went away when I applied topcoat. :(

This is how I feel.

I have tried every single topcoat I own, and all of them still dull the effect. They actually cause the foil to crinkle and that is what takes away the effect.

Anywho, I actually like how the nails turned out, they look as if they are frozen. What are your thoughts?

XOX Caitlin

The other Lovely Digit-al Dozen ladies!

Ditit-al Dozen Blue Week: Turquoise and gold

Blue Week Day 3!

So a few weeks ago all over nail boards and groups there was a technique called "Saran Wrap" or "Cling Wrap" mani.  There are two variations of the Saran Wrap mani, and I have one for you today.

I used Kiko 344 as the base of these nails, followed by Orly Glitz for the gold accent on top using Saran Wrap.

The way I achieved these nails, was by painting the gold onto a piece of paper and balling up my saran wrap and dabbling it onto the polish and then dabbling it onto my nails. 

The other variation you paint a base color and then paint the second color and use saran wrap to remove the top layer so the bottom layer comes through, instead of using the saran wrap to apply the polish. That is the main difference. I may do a variation of that soon on my blog. We shall see. :)

XOX Caitlin

Check out the other lovely ladies in the Digit-al Dozen!

Digit-al Dozen Blue Week: Baker Street vs Kiko 336!

Today's Digit-al Dozen blue post I have a comparison for you guys!

Blue is one of my obsessions, as you can tell from this blue comparison post i did a while ago, and while I was on my trip to London, I picked up a ton of Kiko polishes.  For the duration of the trip I had Baker Street on, and when I was in the Kiko store, this blue popped out at me as being very similar to what I was wearing! I really wanted a backup bottle of Baker Street, and I am definitely happy with my purchase!

I present to you: Kiko 336 vs Nails Inc Baker Street!

Kiko 336 is a tad bit darker and is not as dusty as Baker Street, so I can definitely justify having them both in my stash. ;)  The Kiko polishes are .37 fl oz and were on sale for £1.50 (approx. $2.41)  wheras when I purchased Nails Inc Baker Street at Sephora it was $9.50 for .33 fl oz of product. So I think you definitely get more bang for your buck with the Kiko! The only problem is that they are mostly available in Europe(I believe, I'm not sure exactly where their stores are located, as I purchased mine in Westfield London in Shepherd's Bush) but if you have a swapping buddy who can easily access kiko polishes, go for it!

XOX Caitlin

And the other lovely members of the Digit-al Dozen!

Digit-al Dozen - Kick Off Blue Week

Digit-al Dozen Blue Week! About a month ago, I was approached by Debbie over at The Crumpet to join a small group of 12 that participates in a challenge once a month for five days based on a theme the group chooses. This week is Blue!

To start this week off, I am bringing you a really cool glitter sandwich to kick off Blue Week.

I started this mani off with China Glaze Ride the Waves, which is a very sheer blue jelly polish.  Because it is so sheer it is perfect for jelly sandwiches.  Then I added a layer of China Glaze Lorelei's Tiara. Lorelei's Tiara is a silver micro glitter with larger blue glitter.

This looks amazing, if I do say so myself. The blue China Glaze is very sheer, and perfect for jelly sandwiches.

And a macro to show the detail of the glitter sandwich. 

XOX Caitlin

The Inlinkz tool for the Digital Dozen! XOX

Model's Own and a Stroke of Brilliance

 Here I have for you two polishes I got during my trip, Model's Own Beth's Blue, which I got from the Model's Own polish store at Westfield London, and Essie Stroke of Brilliance which I got from Klout Perks in the mail during my vacation.

I am in absolute awe of these two polishes together. They are amazing!

The formula on the model's own was nice, it was a tad thick, and you don't want to be sitting near a fan when you apply it, but it was opaque in 1 coat, I applied 2 just to be safe and make sure there were no streaky spots. Then I applied Essie Stroke of Brilliance, which is an awesome blue glitter with small, medium and large hex glitters. I used 1 thick coat and dabbed it on my nails, so I got good coverage.

I think these two colors go great together, the blue in both of them have a slight periwinkle tint to them, and I think the combo looks great.

A photo with the Essie bottle.

And the labels.

I love this so much!  what do you think?

XOX Caitlin

BFF Challenge: 80s

Who doesn't love the 80s? Bec also chose today's challenge and I love the 80s.  I googled the 80s and lots of neon prints  came up, so I deided to try and replicate them on my nails.

I used Sinful Colors Snow me White as the base of my ring finger. and I used Color Club Warhol as the pink on the pointer and pinky.  I used Color Club Chelcea Girl for the base of the blue nail.  I also used nail art brushes and acrylic paint to freehand the designs on all of the nails. I really like them. :)

XOX Caitlin

Check out these other lovely ladies in the BFF Challenge!

Thiamere of On Beauty Stuff & What Else's

Pram of My Nail Polish Addiction

Bec of Lacquer Dreams

Kerrie of PishPosh and Polish

Emma of Manicurity

Alyssa of Fancy Phalanges

Sally Of Nail Pron

Blue Comparison!

Blues! I have an obsession with blues, as you can see from the picture.  I love all of these, and they are all a little different.

I will go in order, and talk about formula, application, and what I like about the polishes. All of these polishes have 2 coats.

Nails Inc Baker Street: This is my absolute favorite of them all. It is an amazing cobalt blue with a bit of an electric feel to it. It applied flawlessly in 2 coats, and is the brightest of the polishes on this swatch wheel.

Essie Mesmerize:A great creme blue.  This polish has a great formula, that covered perfectly in 2 coats. I will definitely reach for this one quite often.

Illamasqua Force: This polish has a bit of a purple undertone. The finish on this one dries more satin than the other polishes, and on the nail it lasts quite a while. Illamasqua formula is great, and the consistency of this polish is amazing. It is a gorgeous creme, and covers perfectly in 2 coats.

China Glaze First Mate: This one is a darker creme blue.  I have had it in my stash for some time, and don't wear it often, but I probably should! It applied very well in 2 coats, and it a dusty royal blue.

OPI Dating a Royal:  this polish is tricky. When I first applied it, I was a bit worried that it was super sheer.  On the second coat, I got better coverage though, so it made it all better. In these photos I used 2 coats, and they covered all the way, but in my application I tend to use thicker coats, so you may need 3 thin coats depending on how you polish.

China Glaze Manhunt: This blue is a semi jelly looking polish, and it applies much like OPI Dating a royal.  At first coat I thought they would be dupes, but they are obviously not.  Manhunt is a deeper blue than Dating a Royal, but I can justify having both of them. ;)  I would say that this one is a jelly, but covers to look like a deep creme.

Revlon Royal: A royal blue jelly! This one has been one of my favorite for quite a long time. It is sheer, 2 coats works well, but in 3 coats it is perfectly opaque. It is great for jelly sandwiches.  This one was not too bad in the beginning in regards to formula, but I am halfway through my bottle, and for some reason it began to smell differently!

Essie No More Film:  This one is absolutely perfect.  One coat is opaque, but I did 2 for consistency. It is more purple than blue, especially in this picture, but in certain light it looks like a deep navy blue.  I included this one thinking it would be similar to some of these polishes, but it obviously is not. lol.

NYX Ink Heart: This blue is a slight jelly polish, but is still a bit creme. It stains terribly, and stinks a little bit.  Not really one of my absolute favorites. I don't find myself reaching for it often.

Barry M Indigo: I love love love this one.  It is a cool indigo blue jelly like polish. Covers in 2 coats, and has a great coloring to it!

Ruby Kisses Blue My Mind:  This one stinks to high heaven! I don't think it is B3F but I could be wrong. It is a really cool jelly, and needs more than 2 coats to be opaque.

Jessica Solar Eclipse:  This polish I was expecting more from.  I wanted it to be a creme, and it was a jelly. It was a deep dark jelly. It is a pretty color, but it looks quite similar to the Barielle right next to it.

Barielle Berry Blue: Another dark jelly polish.  I wasn't wowed by this polish either. It applied easily in 2 coats, but the color was average and very similar to the Jessica next to it.

All in all, I think I like the lighter blue polishes more than the darker ones. and it really proved my love for cremes. especially one coaters. lol. Of all of these, my favorites would have to be Nails Inc Baker Street, Revlon Royal, Essie No More Film, and Barry M Indigo.  Other notable mentions would be Essie Mesmerize, Illlamasqua Force, and China Glaze Manhunt.

Hope this helped out in your search for the perfect blue!  I know there are plenty of polishes that I have yet to come across that would be a great blue to add to my collection, if you have any suggestions, please leave a comment telling me about it! 

XOX Caitlin

BFF: Striping Tape Challenge

For todays BFF Challenge, Pram chose Striping Tape!

These didn't turn out exactly how I wanted, but I am not disappointed with them.  I used Sinful Colors Snow me White as the base, and then I used striping tape to tape off the chevrons.  I then used China Glaze Manhunt to create the blue chevrons.   I was originally going to do these in black, but I had all of my blues sitting in front of me, so I decided why not do blue instead. :)

This one turned out ok, but  I feel it could have been better.

XOX Caitlin

Check out these other BFFs:
 

 Thiamere of On Beauty Stuff & What Else's

Pram of My Nail Polish Addiction

Bec of Lacquer Dreams

Kerrie of PishPosh and Polish

Caitlin of Caitlin's Creative Corner

Emma of Manicurity

Alyssa of Fancy Phalanges

Sally Of Nail Pron

Magnetic Week: Filthy Gorgeous Got the Blues

Ok, this is my absolute favorite magnetic that I own. It is simply gorgeous, and I think it is very unique in that the magnetic particles pull purple instead of black/grey!

This polish is called Got the Blues and it is from Filthy Gorgeous.  This is a polish purchased in the UK, so I am not sure on how to get it in the US.

This is 2 easy coats of Got the Blues, and I used the magnet from the Nails Inc polishes, because it is stronger than the on that came with this polish. I also did a topcoat of Hong Kong Girl Topcoat, which is just amazing.

My absolute favorite thing about this polish is that the pulled magnetic pigments are purple, in contrast to the blue of the base, instead of pulling black or grey like they do in other magnetic polishes.

Look at the amazing purple shimmer that pops through with the magnet!

And a macro to show the purple shimmer up close!

I love this one!

XOX Caitlin

Don't forget my giveaway ends in 2 days! Check it out in the sidebar, and click through to enter!

Patriotic Nails

Yesterday was the Festival of Stars here in my hometown of Ninety Six, South Carolina.  There was a fireworks show and all, so of course I had to have a mani to go along with the Celebration!

I used China Glaze Frostbite as the base of all of the nails, followed by China Glaze Love Marilyn as the accent nail on the ring finger. To finish it off I put a matte top coat, using the NYC Matte top coat.

I actually like how simple this is.

Don't forget about my giveaway! It ends on July 15!

XOX Caitlin

Essie and Spoiled Stripes

 Ahhhh stripes.  I love stripes. And these stripes are awesome!

I started with a base of 2 coats of Spoiled I Only Eat Salads, followed by striping tape and painting with Essie No More Film.  I think that the color combination is really great together, and the stripes really are a great accent.

I have to say that the green, Spoiled - I Only Eat Salads, Stained my nails SO BAD! My nails were green after I took the polish off, which just makes me remember to put on a base coat now, and to never forget before I use a green or blue again.

Also don't forget about my giveaway! Click Here to enter!

 

 http://www.caitlinscreativecorner.com/2012/06/caitlinscreativecorner-400-follwer.html

What do you think?

XOX Caitlin

Fishtail Nails

Pretty pretty blues.  I got nail mail yesterday from Copious, and decided to give these fishtail nails a try from Chalkboard Nails.  There is also a tutorial on her page as well.

The base of this mani is OPI Dating a Royal which is the polish I got yesterday.  The next layer is Color Club Lumin-escent followed by Jessica Cosmetics Movie Premier. These are just freehanded in a curved chevron pattern.

XOX Caitlin

Also, Don't forget that I have a giveaway going on! Check it out here! 

Essie No More Film with Stamping

For these nails I used Essie No More Film as the base.   It is a blurple that leans more purple in real life.  There are hints of blue though, so it is really hard to photograph. I got No More Film with copious credits last week when they gave $10 extra.  I am still waiting on 2 other polishes, and I plan to do a dupe post of the many blues I have now. lol

The formula was really great, it covered in 1 coat, but I did 2 for good measure. I then stamped with Sally Hansen Insta Dri Whirlwind White using Cheeky Ch10 for the stamp.

I really like how this one turned out. It kind of reminds me of cool wallpaper. lol

XOX Caitlin