Dinosaur Egg Nails with Zoya & Essie

Hi friends :)

I started a new job today, and my nails were looking pretty shabby - so I figured it was time to upgrade. I got both of these polishes in Birchboxes (February & March).

I love how this glitter has two different sizes to it. It reminds me of dinosaur eggs :)

The bottom color is by Zoya and it's called Megan. Zoya polishes run $8 each & I am a really big fan of this color of spring. It's listed on the website as being in the gray family - but I honestly think it looks lilac to me. There is a definite purple tone going on.

The glitter is by Essie and it's called Set in Stones. This polish also runs $8 and even though it's a just topcoat - I absolutely love it. Unlike a lot of glitter top coats that don't distribute evenly and end up looking weird and clumpy on your nails - Set in Stones applied perfectly on my first try. I am really skeptical with these "various glitter sizes" type polishes, but this did not disappoint in the least. If you're tired of dabbing the brush angrily on your nails trying to get the bigger glitter specks in the right place, quit driving yourself nuts and invest in this polish. Plus - silver looks great over just about any color.

If you'd like to purchase either polish - just click the name links above :) Those will take you directly to the corresponding websites.

Born Pretty Review - Nail Art Brushes

As you may have picked up from the last post, I have been somewhat into nail art lately. I do my nails at least once a week & at some point in time - this happened:

.. don't judge me.

But I have been really into the "skinny brushes" lately & aside from a few I picked up at 5 below - I didn't have many color options. Then, I got a really sweet offer from a website called "Born Pretty" that sells a lot of different beauty supplies, but focuses mainly on nail art. They're a china wholesale site, but you don't have to order 16 of anything to get a good deal. The prices are really affordable and I was impressed at the quality of the polishes I received from them. So just because it's China wholesale - don't assume you're getting crappy products :)

Also, everything ships for free and within 24 hours. Which is really rare for a site like this.

So anyways, I chose to review the 9 piece acrylic UV gel nail art kit. That's a really long name. In short - they're skinny brush polishes that are glittery and actually have some color to them. The whole 'having a background color" and not just being clear polish with glitter in it was a big plus for me. You don't need to coat them 30 times & they're not clumpy like a lot of other glitter polishes either.

If you order 1 set (you get all 9 colors) - it runs $8.07.. But it's wholesale, so if you get more than one, the price goes down. This site would be great for Christmas presents, so keep that in mind.

Anyways - I pulled this off with them:

It reminds me of Fruit Stripes gum :) But that was one coat.. didn't have to go over any of the stripes a second time. Very clutch.

If you're into doing your nails pretty, it's definitely a site to check out. Aside from polishes - there are a ton of nail art decorations (stickers, slices, nail dangles, etc...) so you can really put together some cute designs with the stuff they have available. If you were thinking about ordering, they were nice enough to send me a 5% code from unnecessary drama readers :) So enjoy! Take advantage.

The website is:

http://www.bornprettystore.com

Post #200 is Dedicated to Something That Needs to be Said

Well well well, whaddaya know? This is my 200th post. I'd like to thank all of you for sticking around and continuing to read even whenever I'm not the most *diligent* blogger. I know I always say I need to update more, which I do, but I appreciate all of the understanding and loyalty.

But enough with the nice stuff..

This post is about something that needs to be said.

Instagram is fantastic, and I really love the concept of it. But it has also become an extremely popular outlet to show off your fresh manicure. And not necessarily the one you got at the salon, the one you did yourself at home while watching Boy Meets World reruns.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with that.

There are certain nail jobs that deserve to be flaunted. My friend Julia is a nail art GENIUS. When she posts a picture of her nails, they are always adorable and cute. They're totally worthy of being shown off.

She copied this design after seeing it on Instagram

Cute little cherry blossoms!

But not everyone is Julia. We are not all skilled with the nail polish brush. And that's OKAY. YOU ARE STILL SPECIAL.

I want to just say that whenever you take a picture of your nails, with no design on them, and you've got the paint ALL OVER THE SKIN AROUND YOUR NAIL - nobody is looking at it and thinking "oh my gosh that is such a pretty color!".. They are thinking: Did she let a blind 3 year-old paint her nails. I have talked to so many people that don't understand this fad - and I have to say I'm right on board with them. 

Either dip a cotton swab in some remover and clean up your freaking MESS or think before you post. Just a friendly suggestion. It's not the worst thing you could do - but this is a beauty blog. These are the issues we cover.

Here's to paint-free cuticles, ladies. Cheers.