October Julep Maven Box

Hello everyone!  I hope you are all having a wonderful day.  Today's post is going to be a combo post. Over on Reddit the girls in r/redditlaquristas has started a 52 week challenge.  I really want to try out some new stuff and this seems like the perfect way to go about it.  I am playing catch up now because it started the week I was prepping for the huge local craft festival but I should be on schedule by Monday.  I have combined this months Julep box with the first weeks challenge, taping.

I almost skipped the Julep box this month when I saw all the crackle polish, but the ladies over at Julep heard their customers and quickly came up with another box, the Maven's Choice box.  Once I saw the colors I was sold, all three are perfect winter colors.  This months box included Lisa, Keira, Eloise, orange and black loose glitter, and some tasty candy corn.  Eloise is my favorite color of the three but I always pick the blues.  All in all, this months box rocks!

This month was my favorite when it came to the extra goodies.

In order: Lisa, Keira, & Eloise

These colors work perfect for my stipe pattern!

This was my second attempt at using tape and the first time I did all 10 nails!  Halfway through I wanted to give up but pushed myself and certainly happy with the results.  All three colors work well with each other but would look amazing all on their own too.  A big thanks to Julep for listening to us and pushing out such a great box so quickly.  If you want to give Julep a try just follow this link and use code COLOR2012 and get your first box for a penny.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by today and I look forward to seeing you guys again.  If you want to follow along with the 52 week challenge just click on the tab in the upper portion of my web page.  Have a great day!

Going Pink on Wednesday

Good day everyone!  I am back again with another set of pink nails.  Each Wednesday this month a group of bloggers and I have gone pink to help raise more awareness for breast cancer.  I am sure most of you by now are aware but did you know how easy it is this month to help out?  Lots of us live on tight budgets and don't think we could donate but it is so easy this month to help out and not spend any extra cash.  How you ask?  Well when you go out shopping this month for your regular household supplies, food, personal care, etc. look for specially marked packaging.  These vendors will donate preset amounts from their sales to many different foundations that help in the research or care of breast cancer.  If you shop at Walgreens they have made it super easy to donate cash by giving you the option at check out.  You select your amount and they just added it to your total.  It's that easy!  Now time for those pink nails.

I was asked by a friend last month to create her a pretty polish but didn't want anything glitter, I gladly accepted the challenge.  Now this friend has been through some rough times in the past few months but has stood strong and pushed through these problems to rise on top in the end.  I felt it would be appropriate to name this polish "Strength" after her.  Strength is a soft pink with the slightest rainbow glitter scattered through out.

Strength

Macro of Strength

This was only two coats.

Again, the glitter is such a soft touch but that needed sparkle we all must have.

If you like Strength then I would suggest heading over to Cosmetich and entering her amazing October giveaway!  You can also enter the Model City Polish giveaway, Giveaway tab in header, and pick this as one of your freebies.  Hope you all have a great day and remember, stay strong and you will end up on top.

Etsy Shop of the Week: F4 Polish

Good evening everyone!  It's time again for another awesome shop from Etsy.  Today I am going to show you a few from F4 Polish.  The collection I have for you guys this evening has something for just about any polish lover.  Each blend is unique and fun to work with.  First up is one from their Halloween collection.

Who doesn't love the movie Hocus Pocus?  Hocus Pocus is packed full of purple, green, and black glitter and makes for a wonderful glitter bomb.  Application was super easy and only took three coats to get full coverage.  If you wear this as a bomb then I would highly recommend going with your Elmer's base.  I feel this one would also work great as a top coat with a fun color as the base, maybe an orange?

Hocus Pocus

Macro of Hocus Pocus

Again this was only three coats.

The green glitter adds such a unique look!

Next up is Stormy Night.  This one is such a fun polish!  The various shapes are awesome and really stand out on your nails.  Stormy Night is filler with purple, blue, white, and black matte glitters.  At first I had picked out a grey base to go with stormy night but change my mind at the last minute......

Stormy Night

Macro of Stormy Night

I love this on pink!

As if the shapes weren't enough, I had to add another loud element.

Lastly, Go Bucks!  Once I saw this one I had to have it.  My husbands family is from Ohio so it is pretty much my second home.  The glitter is really packed into this one so I suggest few coats of clear to get a smooth finish.  

Go Bucks!

Macro of Go Bucks!

It only took two coats to get good coverage.

I love it!

There you go, something for everyone.  F4 Polish has many other unique blends that are must have for polish lover.  Go check out their shop and be sure to tell them Model City sent you.  In the spirit of football season and the awesome Buckeyes, I leave you tonight with a super cute performance by the Ohio State University Marching Band.

These were sent to me for review purposes but doesn't not influence my post in any way.

52 Week Challenge: Week 4 Gradient or Ombre

Hello everyone!  Hope you guys are having an amazing day!  Today I have my Week 4 challenge, gradient or ombre.  I have never personally done an ombre pattern where each nail is a different color, so I picked this option for my challenge.  The obvious color choice was blue and it turned out awesome.

It actually took me some time to pick out the perfect colors.  I would pick one but as soon as I paired it with the other color choices I would notice one had more purple or green tints.  I ended up with 5 lovely blue colors that worked perfectly with each other.

Icing J'adore, Julep Claire, Sinful Colors Why Not, Finger Paints Inkblot Blue, and Julep Eloise

I was pretty happy with the results but me being me, I wanted something else.  All of the polishes were a cream base but had a finish shine difference.  Solution.....matte it!  I recently acquired the Butter London Matte Finish but hadn't had a chance to use it yet, here was my opportunity.

I love it!  The colors mate even better now.  The Butter London matte went on super smooth and dried surprisingly quick.  My pinky nail looked almost black before but adding the matte brought the blue tones out better.

Butter London Matte Finish

I am glad I have this blog to make note of this color combo because I will certainly use again.  The colors worked great together and the matte was an awesome finish touch.  I hope you guys are enjoying the 52 Week Challenge, I know I am!  Have a great day everyone and I'll see you soon.

Go Pink on Wednesday

Good evening everyone!  Tonights post is dedicated to everyone who has ever had any experience with cancer.  It's safe to say everyone has been affected by cancer at some point in their life and all know too well that early detection is key.  October is well know for raising breast cancer awareness and this month I want to every Wednesday discuss what you can do as an individual to help yourself and others.  This one is about checking for breast lumps.  It take just a few minutes each month and could truly save your life.  Here is a super easy walkthrough for checking for lumps published by the National Breast Cancer Foundation.  Also remember it is important to pay attention to any other unusual lumps that may show up through out the body.  If you see or feel something, make an appointment to see a physician immediately.  Now for the pink nails....

Hawaiian Punch

Macro of Hawaiian Punch

Only two lovely coats

A great bright pink to attract attention for October.

Sorry for the preaching but you are special.  Live life to the fullest!  Thanks for stopping by tonight and look forward to seeing you guys next time..... now go check those boobies!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Nailgasm

Good evening everyone!  Sorry I wasn't around this past week, me birthday was right in the middle of the week.  I am back now and have a ton of stuff coming up.  First let's start with this weeks Etsy shop. I met Brittany, the brains behind Nailgasm, through r/redditlaqueristaswap a few months back and worked out a trade, my Model City for her Nailgasm.  I only own the one bottle from her but certainly have me eye on a few more.  Today I am going to show you Unicorn Barf.

Don't let the name scare you away, this is magical Unicorn Barf.  The unicorn on the bottle is so cute!  It is packed with purple, red, pink, blue, green, and iridescent glitter in various sizes.  Now me personally, I don't care for the bottle but her shop does mention that she is changing bottles soon so I will be on the lookout.  I only noticed the slightest bit of settling and the blend was easy to apply with great glitter distribution.

Unicorn Barf

Macro of Unicorn Barf

I love this one paired with yellow.  Such a bright cheery blend.

This was only one coat of Unicorn Barf.

All in all I am very pleased with Nailgasm and will certainly be buying in the future.  Be sure to checkout her shop for some other cute blends.  The prices are very reasonable and shipping is super quick.

Ok now for the upcoming projects.  Each Wednesday in the month of October a bunch of us girls have decided to go Pink to help raise breast cancer awareness.  Each Wednesday I will feature a new set of pink nails and would love to see yours also.  If you would like to take part just send me a pic of your pink nails by 5:00 PM CST each Wednesday and I will add yours to the blog post for that evening, be sure to include what color you used and where you are located.  I hope to see some of your lovely nails!  I look forward to seeing you all again next month!  Have a great evening!

Etsy Shop of the Week: Different Dimension

Good evening everyone!  Tonight I have another great shop for you guys.  I have seen Different Dimension floating around for sometime now, but when the pics started showing up on Spectral Tiger I was sold.  Being a huge fan of World of Warcraft, I fell in love with her limited edition set.  I wanted them all but budget restraints would not allow me to buy them all at this time.  Spectral Tiger was hands down my favorite so it was my lucky pick.  Sad part, you only have a few days left to buy them!  As I said, this is a limited set and will only be sold until the new World of Warcraft expansion pack comes out Tuesday, 9/25/12.  After you see these pics I would recommend rushing over there and buy some up before they are gone.

Spectral Tiger

Macro of Spectral Tiger

I paired this with Zoya Jo for an ice cold look.

This was only one coat of Spectral Tiger.

The blend went on super smooth and glitter was distributed evenly.  Only thing I noticed was the "good stuff" settled on the bottom so I would recommend shaking the bottle a few minutes before use.  Don't want those nasty bubbles popping up on your nails.  So this "good stuff" I speak of was the biggest reason why I bought this blend..... wanna see the "good stuff"?

Holy crap, this stuff is AWESOME!

It really looks like a clear night sky on your nails.  Jaw dropping!

I am a sucker for glow in the dark polish and this stuff doesn't compare to any others I have seen.  It is truly amazing.  The glitter again distributes perfectly!  I love this polish and will cherish it dearly.  It looks great day or night and will work with any polish I own.  Head on over to Different Dimension and check out her lovely polish.  She has many other beautiful blends.  While your there, if you want to pick me up Horde or Murloc.........

Now before I leave tonight I would like to give a big thanks to everyone who made my successful store stocking of my new blends.  I really appreciate your business and hope to mix many more special blends for you guys.  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I look forward to seeing you guys again real soon.