Here's my fourth and final manicure for Spring flower theme for The Nail Challenge Collaborative. This is more of a jelly polish and stamping combination for the nail art today. Since I've been pretty busy, I've really been into stamping a lot more than doing freehanded nail art recently.

I used Nostalgic Blane on all the nails. Then I stamped with Cult Nails Riot with stamping plate BP-20 from Born Pretty Store. You can use coupon code YCL91 to get 10% off your order. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

I'm surprised this turned out pretty good. It did take me quite a few coats of Nostalgic Blane to make it this opaque though. What do you think?

Personal life update: I got offered a job at my office practicum and I accepted it! It's going to be my first office job so I'm excited to gain more experience from it. I'm still a bit unsure if I like the work I'm doing but I accepted the position more for the work experience. I'm going to be juggling two jobs though so I am planning to resign from my part time job soon since I do want some days off from work. I officially start on Monday!

An InLinkz Link-up

Essence Break Through

I'm back with another polish swatch. I'm on a roll with these and hopefully, I can keep up with it. I only have a few more in my blogging folder to share so I need to do more swatching soon.

Essence Break Through is a medium magenta purple with a subtle pink shimmer. It almost looks like a straight up creme here but in the bottle and in real life, there is a bit of shimmer in it. My pictures here don't really show the true color of the polish though since it looks totally different than what is seen here. Formula and application was good on this polish. This is two coats.

I don't own a lot of Essence polishes which is a shame since they do have some really nice colors. I like that there so affordable and accessible too. I did wish my swatches was more true of color but this polish was just really hard to photograph. What do you think of this polish?

Twinsie Tuesday: Mattify!

Today's Twinsie Tuesday theme is mattify. I don't do a lot of matte manicures so I was excited for the theme. Since its been ages since I've done a gradient so I decided to do one.

To create the gradient, I first applied Avon Super Nova on all the nails. After that dried, I applied that with Avon Starburst on a makeup sponge and sponged the gradient on. For more sparkle, I added a coat of e.l.f. Fairy Dust on top. Finished with NYC Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat.

So happy with how this gradient turned out. I was a bit sad that the flakie isn't really that noticeable in the pictures but in real life, it totally is. What do you think?

Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amanda at Fashion Footing
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Bridget at A Painted Nail
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer
Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Lisa at The Polish Playground
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Blue and Silver Collage Floral Stamping

Happy Monday Blues! Please excuse the state of my nails. Its been so hot here that the skin around my nails have been really dry recently. Sometimes when I attempt to do my nails, it just doesn't really work out. This is one of those days.

I used Barielle Swizzle Stix on all the nails. On top, I applied Lilacquer Bohr-ing. I stamped with American Apparel Silver Jazz with BP-L002 from Born Pretty Store. Use coupon code YCL91 for 10% off. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

The silver stamping didn't really show up here so that was disappointing. I don't know if it was the polish I used or the stamping plate but I just had a hard time getting the design to transfer onto my nails. What do you think?

Orange Floral Burst Stamping

Here's my third manicure for this month's Spring flower theme for The Nail Challenge Collaborative. With my love for crelly polishes and stamping, I did another one with an orange and blue combination instead. Let's see how it turned out.

I used Daring Digits T-Shirt + Jeans on all the nails. I stamped with Dearberry 20 with stamping plate BP-28 from Born Pretty Store. Be sure to use coupon code YCL91 at checkout to get 10% off your order. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

I thought the orange will be more vibrant but instead, it turned out much more subtle. I still really like it though. What do you think?

An InLinkz Link-up

Julie G Light It Up

Continuing with the polish swatch last week, I have swatches of just one of many rainbow glitters out there. Its nothing too unique but its so fun to layer over any color.

Julie G Light It Up has a mix of various hexagon glitters in silver, purple, green, yellow, and orange in a clear base. I own quite a few of these rainbow glitters so depending on your preference of the polish brand, there pretty similar to one another. Formula and application was good on this polish but I did use the dabbing method to get the glitters placed where I wanted them to be. This is one coat over Pure Ice Twinkle with top coat.

This was a great rainbow glitter. Application and formula was great on it so if your looking for an affordable option, check this one out. What do you think?

Twinsie Tuesday: Inspired by Your Favorite Cup/Mug

Today's Twinsie Tuesday theme is to create a manicure inspired by your favorite cup or mug. To be honest, I've always wanted one of those cute mugs everyone seems to have but instead mine is just one solid color. I still really like the mug so I did a simple manicure inspired by it. Let's see it!

I used OPI Ski Teal We Drop on all the nails except the ring. On the ring nail, I used American Apparel Dance. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

The teal I used here is almost an exact match to the color of my mug. I also added that light nude accent nail to represent the color on the inside of my mug. What do you think?

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Lisa at The Polish Playground

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
 Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amanda at Amandalandish

Alaina at The Little Canvas

Blue & Green Brushstroke Nail Art with Rhinestones

Happy Monday Blues! Its Victoria Day today so I don't have to go to my office practicum but instead I have an extra free day. I'm planning to do a bit more blogging and then practicing for my final presentation before I graduate. Anyways, let's get to the nails. This was inspired by this Spring Grunge Brushstroke Nail Art With Rhinestones by The Nail Polish Challenge.

I used OPI Mermaid's Tears on my pinky and OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui on my ring and thumb. For the rest of the nails, I used OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls. Taking the two previous colors, I made sure to wipe off as much polish off the brush before I applied it on the white nails horizontally and vertically to create the brushstroke design. I also applied rhinestones from Born Pretty Store. Use coupon code YCL91 for 10% off. Finished with NYC Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat.

I haven't done much of the dry brush technique so I just love how these look. I'm thinking of all the different color combinations I can do with it now. What do you think?

Oh So Sweet Floral Nails

This is my second manicure for this month's Spring flower theme for The Nail Challenge Collaborative. I've been really into wearing crelly polishes and stamping so I decided to combine them in this manicure. I just love the end result. Its just so girly and cute for Spring.

I used 365 Days of Color Glitter Princess on all the nails. I stamped with Dearberry 21 with stamping plate BP-24 from Born Pretty Store. You can use coupon code YCL91 for 10% off your order. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

I really like how the stamping turned out here. I don't know if it was the stamping plate or the polish I used, but it just came out so beautifully. What do you think?

An InLinkz Link-up

Pure Ice Twinkle

I'm back with another polish swatch today. I've been trying to get back into swatching more polishes instead of just showing nail art all the time. Most of the time, my nails are just one plain color too. Let's see the polish then.

Pure Ice Twinkle is a peachy orange with gold shimmer. Formula and application on this polish was good for me. I wasn't expecting to like this color but I do and I think its perfect to wear during the Spring or Summer season. The shimmer in it is gorgeous too. This is two coats.

An unexpected color that I didn't think I would like but did in the end. I also don't own a lot of peachy orange polishes like it too. What do you think of this polish?

Twinsie Tuesday: Inspired by Artwork

Today's Twinsie Tuesday theme is inspired by artwork. I decided to go on Pinterest to find an inspiration and chose to try recreating this Dandelion Art. Let's see how it turned out.

I used American Apparel American Denim on all the nails and a coat of Nina Ultra Pro Holographic Topcoat on top. I stamped with Milani White On The Spot with stamping plate BP-46 from Born Pretty Store. Use coupon code YCL91 for 10% off. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

This isn't an exact replica of the artwork but more of an inspired design instead. I really like how they look a lot. I was originally going to use a different stamping image for the dandelions but it didn't stamp all too well when I tried it. This one worked so much better. What do you think?

Alaina at The Little Canvas
Amanda at Amandalandish
Amanda at Fashion Footing
Amber at Nails Like Lace
Bridget at A Painted Nail
Chelsea at Nailed Blog
ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi
Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer
Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails
Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
Lisa at The Polish Playground
Marisa at Polish Obsession
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les
Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Tiffany at Polished To Precision

OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise

Happy Monday Blues everyone! Since I've been working 8 hours on the weekdays for my office practicum, I haven't found the time to do my nails at all except for on the weekends. A bit sad about it but at least I'm learning a lot at my office practicum. Its still stressful but everyone there has been friendly. I do have a swatch to share today so let's see what it is.

OPI Austin-tatious Turquoise is a sheer turquoise glass fleck that's packed with blue micro shimmers. The formula was on the thin side so application was watery. I had no trouble building the color up to the desired opacity though. This is three coats.

I actually quite like this color. I did wish it was a bit more opaque but the color is just so pretty that I don't mind having to apply three coats to achieve it. What do you think?

White and Yellow Flowers with Studs

This month's theme for The Nail Challenge Collaborative is spring flowers. I'm going for more spring colors in my four floral manicures for the theme so I hope that's okay. First up, I have some simple white and yellow flowers combined with gold circle studs.

I used Hard Candy Piece of Papaya on all the nails. For the flowers, I used Salon Perfect Sugar Cube and Nicole by OPI Hit The Lights with a dotting tool. I also added some gold circle studs from Born Pretty Store in the empty spaces on the nails. Use coupon code YCL91 for 10% off your order. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

I think I should have went with some smaller circle studs but other than that, I quite like how these turned out. What do you think?

An InLinkz Link-up

April 2015 Product Empties

Here's my April product empties! Like last month, I didn't finish a lot of products but I'm happy that I still emptied out some from my collection.

1. Hologram Collection Whitening Serum
This serum was so cool looking that I didn't want to use it. It felt nice but I didn't really notice any whitening happening which was fine with me. Smelled good and felt pretty moisturizing. I really like the pump packaging since it makes it much more sanitary to use.

2. Max Clinic Caviar Massage Oil Foam
This cleanser took me quite a while to finish. I do tend to like oil based cleansers since they don't leave my skin feeling dry or tight after using it. There was a scent to it but nothing that I loved or minded. This was mainly used as my night time cleanser.

3. Ariul Spa Water 24 Hours Moisturizing De-tox Mask
This was a super fun product to use. I mainly used it in the morning and it really helped to wake me up. It comes out as a liquidy gel but once you start applying it to the face and let it sit for a while, it starts to bubble up into a foam.

4. Wonder Eye
This is an eye cream in a click pen format. This was a pretty nice eye cream and it kept my eye area hydrated throughout the day. I used it both in the morning and at night.

That's all for my product empties for April. I'm very happy to have finished two cleansers this month since that is one product I have a ton of. What have you finished in April?

Office practicum update: the past few days have gotten better but one day next week, my supervisor will be out attending meetings. She wants me to be in charge of her position for a day so she's teaching me how to do some of her duties. I'm so nervous about it since I feel like I'm not as knowledge as her to answer questions that will be asked and I'm not super fast on the computer like her too. Plus, she's the only person in charge of this particular area so its not like there's anyone else who can help me out if I don't know the answer to something. I'm feeling so scared for next week now.

Twinsie Tuesday: Jelly Sandwich

Today's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a jelly sandwich. I'm excited for this theme since I've only done one jelly sandwich manicure so far on the blog I believe. Instead of coming up with a layering combination, I used a polish that was already a jelly sandwich in the bottle.

I used Maybelline Color Show Pretty In Polka on all the nails. Since I wanted some sparkle, I applied China Glaze Fairy Dust on top. Finished with Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat.

I really like how these look. The addition of the glitter was such a nice touch. What do you think? On a more personal note, my first day at my office practicum was exciting but a bit overwhelming. Hopefully, as the days goes by, I'll get the hang of my duties but at the moment, I'm feeling stressed.

Tiffany at Polished To Precision

Savannah at Addicted to Polish
Róisín at Cuti-CLUE-les

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Lisa at The Polish Playground

Lakeisha at Refined and Polished
 Kristine at Pink and Polished Nails

Jessica at Blue Velvet Lacquer

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Bridget at A Painted Nail

Amber at Nails Like Lace

Amanda at Fashion Footing

Amanda at Amandalandish

Alaina at The Little Canvas

All Blue Skittle

Happy Monday Blues! Today is my first day at my office practicum. I'm both excited and nervous but hopefully everything goes okay. I've been really into skittle manicures recently so I decided to create an all blue one. Nothing too extreme but I used a variety of blue colored polishes here.

First, I used Orly Sweet Peacock on the pinky nail, Sea Lore Aquata on the ring and middle nail, and Pretty & Polished King of C-C-Cool on the pointer and thumb nail. To finish it off, I applied a coat of Glisten & Glow HK Girl Top Coat on top.

I just love how these turned out. There so simple but eye catching at the same time with all the different variety of blues in this skittle. What do you think?

Influenster: L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy Box Unboxing

Here's my unboxing of the L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy Box I received from Influenster. I just started using them and so far I'm liking them a lot. These new hair products claim to give you thicker hair after each wash. Your suppose to notice results after five applications of continued use.

After using them a few times, they do leave a pretty strong scent to your hair. Its a good scent but sometimes it can get pretty overwhelming for me. I do notice that my hair seems to be thicker in that it looks like it has more volume to it when I finish blow drying. So far, it really works.

What's in the Box
1. L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise Fibralogy Shampoo
2. L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise Fibralogy Thickening Booster
3. L'Oreal Paris Hair Expertise Fibralogy Conditioner

Did you receive this L'Oreal Paris Fibralogy Box from Influenster and if so, what are your thoughts on them? If not, would these be products you would be interested in trying out yourself?

If you want to sign up for Influenster, use my referral link HERE.

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. My opinion is 100% honest. Post does contain referral links.*