the end is where I begin

No, I'm not a skeptic anymore.

2012-12-18T07:39:23Z

hypothetically if you were point A and theoretically if I was point B...

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Polish Wish List

2012-08-22T23:47:31Z

Ah...the polish ban is in full swing but that doesn't mean I can't look, right? I've definitely been looking and keeping up with releases and I decided it's time to update the polish wish list. I'm way too lazy (and don't have the time) to do another image wish list so this one is going to just be text--boooooring, right? Sorry. The order will be major, commercial brands then indies.

OPI

Berlin Here, Done That
Don't Pretzel My Buttons
~~Every Month is Oktoberfest~~
Golden Eye
Live and Let Die
OPI Ink
Lucern-tainly Look Marvelous
Bubble Bath
DS Mystery

China Glaze

For Audrey
Emerald Fitzgerald
Emerald Sparkle (replacement)
Concrete Catwalk
Smoke & Ashes
Unpredictable
Deviantly Daring

Essie

Aruba Blue
Go Overboard
Stylenomics

Butter London

~~Branwen's Feather~~
Chimney Sweep
~~Knackered~~
The Black Knight
Stroppy

a England

Tristam
Lancelot
~~Ascalon~~

Rainbow Honey

Koi Pond
Hanami

Candeo Colors

Deep Space
Sour Grapes
Plumage
Sprouse
South St.

Once Upon A Polish

Flotsam and Jetsam
Ursula
Red Riding Hood
The Beanstalk

Sonoma Nail Art

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Clockwork
Sister Sparkle The Exalted One

Candy Lacquer

Block Party
Poker Face
Love Letters

Enchanted Polish

Unicorn Tears
Once Upon A Time

Whimsical Nail Polish by Pam

Nimbus
Saturday Morning Cartoons
I <3 NY
Butterfly Kisses
Ooh La La!
BOO!

Dollish Polish

Team Salvatore
Random Dancing
Hylian Princess
Expecto Patronum

Picture Polish

Jade
Water Melon
Tiffany
Honey Dew
Lime Lite

Hare Polish

Midsummer's Midnight
Supernova Springs

There are a few more, but this list is good for now. Over and out.

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More Swatches

2012-08-20T06:31:00Z

I swatched my entire left hand but the other two fingers weren't included in the last post.

Naild'It - Berryeed Treasure
Sonoma Nail Art - Sonoma County Gazette
Sonoma Nail Art - Parasol
Sonoma Nail Art - Bubble Room
Lush Lacquer - Party Rock

--Cheryl

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Sonoma Nail Art - Swatches & Bottle Shots

2012-08-20T06:22:01Z

This is my entire collection, so far, of polishes from Sonoma Nail Art. She doesn't ship to Hawaii so I had to go a "back route" and get it shipped to a friend in Chicago first (thanks Juu). Anywho, the three colors I got are gorgeous! There are a few more colors I'd like to pick up but she sells out so fast! (That and I'm a polish ban...and she restocked 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea) Each swatch on the nail is three easy coats. ^^

--Cheryl

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Enchanted Polish - Starbright Sparkles

2012-08-20T06:13:03Z

I wore this some time ago...it was nice in an understated way. I think this is three coats. Starbright Sparkles is multicolored glitter in a sheer holographic base.

--Cheryl

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Rainbow Honey - Equestria Collection

2012-08-06T02:58:25Z

Rainbow Honey had a promotion for free shipping (they charge a flat rate of $5.95 for shipping) so I decided to pick up the entire Equestira Collection in the mini 7ml bottles. Half of these are gifts (I won't say who is getting what) so don't judge me! These were also bought way in advance of my polish buying ban so I'm safe. I'm also absolutely in love with the packaging and detail paid to the RH polishes. Aren't they cute?! I already own The Worst Possible Thing in the full sized bottle so I'll also include those images here.

--Cheryl

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Jade - Holographic - Fascinio Violeta

2012-08-06T02:52:19Z

This polish is one that I won from Llarowe when she was having a giveaway. It's a gorgeous purple holographic polish (more of a red-based purple than a blue one). Hey, just because I'm on a polish-buying ban doesn't mean I can't win it! ...or get it as a gift. Or buy it for someone else as a gift. ;D

--Cheryl

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Custom Mixed Colors

2012-08-06T02:49:07Z

These are a few of the colors I mixed from suspension base, micas, and pigments.

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a England - Excalibur, King Arthur, & my collection

2012-08-06T02:46:24Z

I'm in love with a England polishes. They're highly pigmented, cover in 1.5 coats, and are just amazing. I would love to own them all someday, but, for now, I only have six from both the Mythicals and Legends collections.

These are my two newest polishes from a England. I purchased them when they had their promotion after achieving 5K facebook likes (polishes were £ 5; normally they're £ 9). These two aren't listed on Llarowe so I decided to get them. I would have gotten Holy Grail, but I was being cheap.

This is my collection. ^^

I'm actually currently wearing King Arthur. The wear on it is incredible. I had my hands wet practically the entire day and there isn't a chip in sight!

--Cheryl

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Absolutely Alice - An old favorite

2012-08-06T02:32:54Z

I dug up OPI's Absolutely Alice, one of my first and favorite OPI polishes. I actually own three bottles of this since I love it so much (and it's discontinued). Unfortunately my first bottle is pretty much unusable...so thick no matter how many times I thin it. So I moved onto my second bottle. It was terribly gorgeous, but it chips really fast. Took a shower after wearing this for a night and a day and it was chipped. Cleaned a fish tank that same night and it chipped further. It's safe to say that I took it off completely and am now wearing something else. However, it's still a favorite of mine. ^^ ..and my poor pinky nail! D:

--Cheryl

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Custom Mixed Color

2012-08-06T02:29:11Z

Here's a custom mixed color I created. Originally it was supposed to be The Dark Arts, but I added too much holo bar glitter for my liking. We'll see what this becomes...if I ever get around to changing it. It may be hard to see, but the black base has a fine green shimmer glitter in it...

--Cheryl

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3D Japanese Nail Art

2012-08-06T02:26:31Z

For Bethy's wedding I decided to try out 3D nail art. It was terribly flashy and a hindrance, but really neat looking. I hated the nail glue I used since it bled into my cuticles and crusted there. Plus it was so difficult to get off! However, I do love the way these look and they were such statement nails. Terribly crazy.

Gosh, I don't even really remember what polish colors I used...I think it was all Sinful Colors though.

--Cheryl

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Rise & Shine, Mallard!

2012-08-06T02:22:32Z

So I'm back to updating. Sort of. RL got in the way coupled with pure laziness which resulted in a time lapse between entries, pictures, andtumblr posts. Our queue ran out of images...and because Janelle was in Hawaii with me we weren't taking pictures. Heh. Hopefully wecan build up the queue again since Julie may be sending in more images. *hint hint*

I wore this mani back in early July...right before my friend's wedding. So...probably July 19th.

Colors Used:

Sinful Colors - Rise & Shine
Candeo Colors - Mallard

--Cheryl

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Black Cat Lacquer - Tetris

2012-07-16T23:15:36Z

I seriously just got this polish today and it is gorgeous. It reminds me of f(x)'s Electric Shock for some reason...bright colors? Square glitter? Maybe...? I dunno, but I love it. And the fact that it's called Tetris--genius! I'm a total sucker for square glitter so I just had to pick it up when it was restocked. ^^

"I'm in shock...Electric Shock!"

--Cheryl

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Windestine - Hearts of the Forest

2012-07-16T23:09:27Z

Here are the bottle shots and close ups of Windestine's Hearts of the Forest for your viewing pleasure. ^^

--Cheryl

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Found Love in the Forest mani

2012-07-16T23:04:35Z

Since Janelle came home, we did a polish exchange (I handed over her Whimsies while she slipped me my Windestine) and I just had to test out Windestine's Hearts of the Forest. My mom actually swatched it on herself right after I showed it to her--the glittery goodness was just too difficult to resist! Anywho, the reason Janelle bought this for me is because Windestine, like Sonoma Nail Art, does not ship to Hawaii. Understandable since I've done research on shipping and whatnot. So, like the amazing friend she is, she bought it for me and brought it back with her. Sadly this mani is still barely hanging on as I'm having serious issues with lifting these days--my nails are just too long! Between work and home, my nails take a beating shock wise with typing coupled with other things. I swear, I was wiping a dish yesterday and accidentally caught my nail on it and the polish near my cuticle just popped up. /sigh I have these issues and I cannot wait to cut my nails shorter next week. I mean, I like the way they look long, but the impracticality of them is driving me crazy!

Gorgeous, right? I layered it over OPI's Did It On 'Em from the Nicki Minaj collection (and I would never wear that base color alone).

--Cheryl

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Candeo Colors - Mallard over Mumbai

2012-07-12T07:39:04Z

I'm seriously in love with Mallard by Candeo Colors. I know I said that I was in love with it pre-wear, but wearing it makes me love it even more! The sheer shimmer base and smaller sized glitters make this polish subtle. I applied two coats of Mallard over 3 coats of OPI's Moonlight Over Mumbai to get what you see below. For a more subtle mani, put only one coat of Mallard--it goes a long way over a creme base!

--Cheryl

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essie - Mirror Metallics Collection - Summer 2012

2012-07-12T07:31:42Z

This is essie's newest collection for Summer called Mirror Metallics. I think these will make nice bases for glitter polishes. ^^

--Cheryl

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Candy Lacquer - Argyle

2012-07-12T00:01:30Z

Today I bring you Argyle by Candy Lacquer. I've had my eyes on this one since I saw it on CL's facebook page. A mix of matte turquoise and white diamonds and bars, Argyle is a visually interesting interpretation of the argyle sweater. Being that I adore color combos like this (black and white mixed with another color), this is right up my alley. I have no idea what to wear under it as of yet, but I'll figure something out. ^^ But it's so gorgeous to look at in the bottle!

--Cheryl

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a England - Holographic Diamonds

2012-07-10T12:49:05Z

Ah, yeah I don't think I'll be doing this nail art technique for a long while...it took forever! I used striping glitter tape to make the lines (just make sure your base color is completely dry before doing this! I painted mine the night before.). It's incredibly gorgeous and really subtle. In indoor lighting it looks like one color with some interesting depth, but in the sunlight it's killer. Completely love! I do have to admit, though, that when I was doing it I was meong (멍)-ing out (meong = 'blank' in Korean). It was oddly therapeutic.

Warning: This post is extremely image heavy!

Colors Used:
★ a England - Bridal Veil
★ a England - Saint George

--Cheryl

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Enchanted Polish - Marge's Blue Beehive

2012-07-10T12:26:41Z

My replacement for Green Goblin came in today from Chelsea at Enchanted Polish! It's a lot lighter than I expected it to be, but I'm a sucker for almost any kind of blue so it's all good. The only gripe I have with holo polishes is their difficulty to capture on camera. They're never as beautiful in a picture as they are in person...and this one is absolutely gorgeous in the sun. I honestly cannot wait to wear this!

--Cheryl

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Cuticles: Finally doing something about them

2012-07-09T11:06:35Z

If there's something that I've struggled with nail-wise it would be having dry hands and cuticles. I was/am always bothered by them since the skin around my nails became hard and generally made me embarrassed of my hands. I never really did anything about them because I, and I am admitting this, hate lotion. I'm not someone who uses lotions for long periods of time--I absolutely detest body lotion for odd reasons. I've been conditioning myself to use hand lotions for about a year now and I do use them often, but it just still did nothing with my cuticles--they were still hard and I still found myself cutting them (something you really shouldn't do!). I'm also a bit afraid to use new products on myself, just like how I'm often afraid to try foods I've never eaten before, due to allergic reactions. Going through a year of allergic reactions and medical issues will make a person phobic--and I've pretty much become that. I'm a lot better than I was last year (last year was the worst!), but I'm more cautious than phobic now.

Anywho (I'm getting off topic!), I decided to finally do something about my dry cuticles. Taking pictures of your hands makes you even more self-conscious when editing them and you see all the nasty rough patches. I went to Longs/CVS and scoped out my choices and, boy, were there a lot! I didn't know what to get. I knew Sally Hansen carried a good amount of nail care (not just polish) items so I started and ended there. I had seen The Beauty Department put the pen cuticle oil on their list of nail necessities, but I decided, instead, to get the more inconvenient bottle. I picked up the Sally Hansen VitaSurge Cuticle Gel due to it having vitamin C in it; that's what basically sold me. I've been using a vitamin c based lotion since last November and it's done wonders for my dark spots so I figured, what the heck. I've been using this product for only about two weeks, but there's a definite improvement in my cuticles! However, I do notice that if I don't do it often, my hands dry out really fast and they come back. DX I've also made it a point to do a routine exfoliation after a manicure (about twice a week) and to frequently use my hand lotion--especially at work. Doing this routine really makes it feel like I'm pampering myself...especially the hand scrub. It's amazing!

Routine:

True Blue Spa Sugar Hand Scrub
True Blue Spa Paraffin Super Softening Hand Lotion
Sally Hansen VitaSurge Cuticle Gel

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Candeo Colors - Mallard

2012-07-08T08:28:30Z

I love this color! Mallard is a great top coat glitter--it makes anything I've swatched under it gorgeous--and I've swatched it over seven colors so far! Shimmery pale lilac base, round purple microglitter, small yellow and green square glitter, and holographic green and silver hex glitter. If you get any color from Candeo Colors...get this one! It's now one of my favorites despite having not worn it once.

--Cheryl

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Experimentation in Water Marbling - Holographic Edition

2012-07-08T08:12:50Z

After these_ordinary_days sent me pictures of her water marbling (so pretty!) I decided to just test some color combinations. I did these right over my OPI DS Magic mani in the last post. It didn't come out too bad...but it reminded me of why I hate water marbling. It's super messy. I didn't bother to tape off the area around my nails since I was just going to remove the mani anyway...but, ugh. So messy!

I used all holographic polishes. The first three are Enchanted Polish's Awesomeness and Gummy Worm while the last one is a England's Bridal Veil, Saint George, and Lady of the Lake.

--Cheryl

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OPI DS Magic - 3D nails

2012-07-08T07:59:39Z

I've recently been testing out some 3D nail stuff I bought and it's been going pretty well...still getting used to stuff being on my nails though. This past week was especially rough at work--SO. MUCH. RUSHING. This coming week isn't going to slow down either. Anywho, I decided to wear my favorite blue to cheer me up. Sadly it kind of died after I spent the whole day packing and unpacking books, moving boxes, and sorting through piles of stuff. The flower on my right index finger got pulled off during a map-rolling incident. Although that wasn't until the end of the day...but still. These lasted pretty long considering the day before (4th of July) I had my hands in water for about an hour and a half as I cleaned and rearranged my fish tank. Honestly, I just touched up the tips and glued the flower back on instead of changing my polish since Friday was the end of the week. These pics are actually the retouched version of this mani--amazing, huh? ^^

--Cheryl

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