Social Media and Whatnot...

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to make a post to let you all know that I have a new Facebook page!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cats-Claws/480337498693545

Also, I may as well give you my other social media information:

Twitter: @Cats_Claws

Instagram: @Cats_Claws_Polish

Tumblr: http://aggieswthrt2011.tumblr.com/

E-mail: catsclawspolish@gmail.com

So follow me, add me, tweet me, email me, whatever!

And also, don't forget to follow my blog of course!

Hope you all are well, and Happy New Year!!

~ Cat

NOTD...and I guess technically New Years Nails!

Hello again!

I'm back with another manicure for you all to see!

I'm trying to burn through my untried stash...which is disgracefully large, but everything is so pretty and I must have them all!!

Ahem....sorry, went into a an addict place.

Where was I?

Oh right!  Today's manicure!

I wanted to try all three polishes I used in this manicure for some time, and realized they all went really well together, so I'd be able to kill three birds with one stone so to speak.

In the process, I realized it would actually be a really fun New Years manicure...if I was doing anything for New Years haha.

Let me show you!

For this one I used OPI Live and Let Die as the main color.  It's a gorgeous color, kind of a smokey dark grey-teal with some gold-green glass fleck shimmer.  Sadly, with it being overcast and gross outside I had to take the picture under artificial light so the sparkle in this color didn't come through much, but you can see it on my pointer and pinkie.

Live and Let Die is a very pigmented color, completely opaque in two coats, but if you have an even hand you may even be able to pull off one.  Based on my Ulta's stock, this seems the least desired color in the 007 Collection, but it's one of my favorites!

Then for the accent nail, I wanted to play off the gold in my other nails, so I used a base of two coats of Milani 3D, a gold holographic, and then over that two coats of Orly Sashay My Way, a holographic gold glitter made up of hexes and bars.  Both polishes, I love.  The Milani is one of the 3D Hologrphics line, I managed to find them at CVS for about $1.50 on clearance, and that sale continues until they're out of stock, if you want to check out your local CVS.  The Orly is part of the recent Flash Glam FX Glitters, some of the most gorgeous glitters I've seen.  They can get a bit gloppy and take a while to dry, but the payoff is incredible!

What do you guys think of this look?

Leave comments, questions, requests (if you see something on my stash list tab above you'd like to see), and suggestions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

NOTD: Purple Holo with Gold Flake

Hi everyone!

I'm back with a manicure for you! 

It's simpler than what I've been doing recently (obviously since its not a nail art manicure haha) but I do think it came out great!

I just received a big swap and after swatching all the polishes, I just had to wear one....and had to add a bit of sparkle afterward...

Here is the result!

For this one, I used my new bottle of OPI DS Extravagance, a gorgeous red-toned purple holographic (not linear but still gorgeous!).  If you haven't tried OPI Designer Series polishes, I'd say if you can find some/are willing to spend a little extra, its worth it!  The three I have go on smoothly, and are opaque in two coats (though my polish OCD means I always do three hahaha). 

Anyway, back to the manicure at hand...

As is typical for me, I am never satisfied with original finishes, or at least rarely satisfied.  So I decided a quick coat of OPI Man With the Golden Gun 18K top coat to add a bit of dimension and sparkle, and I LOVE IT!!

What do you guys think?

Leave your comments, questions, suggestions, and requests below!

~ Cat

Julep New Year's Mystery Box!

Hi everyone!

While I was out of town for the holiday I got some lovely deliveries, including my most recent Julep order, the New Year's Mystery Box!

This box was promised to contain a minimum of $100 worth of polish and products from Julep, including a possible not before released mystery color, and all for only $19.99!!

Great deal right?!

Let me go ahead and show the images of the box...or more specifically what was inside.

Inside my box I found a Julep tote, stuffed with goodies!

For products, I received a full-size (and a couple samples of) Julep Age Defying hand Brightener. Julep's description says, "Julep™ Glow On Age Defying Hand Brightener visibly minimizes the appearance of fine lines and age spots on your hands, adding radiant glow and evening skin tone. Contains rare African plant extracts that are clinically proven to block melanin production and reduce hyper-pigmentation and micro light diffusing technology gives hands an instant glowing and luminescent appearance. Advanced emulsion system imparts water-resistant, non-greasy softness."

Along with that I received a few of Julep's Nail Polish Remover Wipes, described as "Each no-mess, lint-free pad is infused with aloe vera to moisturize and condition your nails. A great on-the-go solution for polish removal."

And the last product I got was a silver Glitter Pot.

Then there's the nail colors of course!

From left to right in image I received:

  - Courteney:  a " Key-lime green crème."
  -  Eloise:  a " Smokey indigo blue crème."
  -  Mystery Glitter:  a black base with copper and silver micro-glitter, and gold small hex glitter
  -  Sandra:  a "Pink magenta frost."
  -  Matte Top Coat

All in all I'd say the box has a value of about  $110, for a cost of $20...probably one of the best deals you'll ever find, and Mavens get the $19.99 mystery box offers almost monthly if they're subscribed.

If you'd like to be a Maven (I have a few of my monthly boxes posted if you want an example of what you'll get)  go HERE and take your style quiz!  For $19.99 a month you can get up to three nail polishes, or you can get exclusively products if that's what you prefer too, and there's always fun surprises for subscribers too!  If you use the code COLOR2012, you can get your very first box for only a PENNY!!

You can cancel any time and skip months, or change style profiles each month if you'd like.  It's a lot of fun!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

(Belated) 12 Days of Nail Art: Day #12 - Santa

Hi everyone!

Sorry for being so late in posting my final manicure for Plump & Polished's 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge, but it was the holidays, and it's time with family and traveling and blah blah blah...you get it. 

But that doesn't mean I'm gonna hold out on you guys!

I was determined to finish this challenge and I did it and I want to be sure and document it for posterity haha.

So I'm here now to do just that!

The very last prompt for this challenge was of course...SANTA!!  Always cause for adorable nail art.

Now, my obsession with accent nails gave me that added inspiration I needed to complete this look...(not to mention unlike certain people I know accent nails are the only way to get shinies on my ring finger...so far haha).

I decided to portray not just Santa, but his elves too!  For the jolly old elf himself, I used Wet N Wild I Red A Good Book for the base and completed the details with a combination of white acrylic paint using a dotting tool, and black and silver stripers.  Then for the elf nails I have a base of Sally Hansen Gilty Pleasures and completed the details with green and red acrylic and Orly Prelude To A Kiss for the ears.

Here's a close up:

What do you guys think?

I had so much fun doing this challenge and I thank Plump & Polished for hosting it, as well as all the other participants for support!!

Can't wait to do more nail looks in the New Year!

If you have any ideas, requests, suggestions, questions, or comments you can always leave them, I read every single one!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Coming Soon! 12 Days of Nail Art Day #12

Hey guys!

I wanted to leave this post to let you all know that I have in fact completed day #12 of the 12 Days of Nail Art.  However (yep, that's a fancy but) I'm visiting family for the holidays and have time and internet restrictions I don't have when I'm home.  That being said, I will have the post and pics up once I get home on Wednesday!

So, until then have a very wonderful holiday!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art: Day #11 - Christmas Tree

Hello!

Time for another 12 Days of Nail Art mani! 

Today was a wonderfully cute traditional Christmas prompt...the Christmas tree!!

Now for Christmas trees you can go literal or abstract and just have fun with it, right?

Well, that's what I did!

I can't take all the credit, I did get the idea for my Christmas tree from the lovely MissJenFabulous, who showed her YouTube viewers three adorable Christmas tree nail ideas!

If you haven't watched her other tutorials, they're all really fun!

Anyways, I fell in love with her dot trees and wanted to do my own version!

 For the base I used four coats of Milani HD, a holographic silver (though taking pics in sunlight the holo doesn't show very well at all).  Then for the tree I used various size dotting tools and China Glaze Exotic Encounters, China Glaze Def Defying, Wet n Wild I Red A Good Book, and Pure Ice Free Spirit to make the tree.  And as a finishing touch I fished a pair of gold stars out of my bottle of Wet N Wild Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Here's the close up!

So what do you guys think?!

Leave me a comment or questions, requests, or suggestions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art: Day #10 - Inspired By A Holiday Song

I'm back!

That means its time to show you another manicure for Plump & Polished's 12 Days of Nail Art!

Today's prompt was "Inspired by a Holiday Song".

Now, there are a multitude of songs to choose from of course, and with them a ton of amazing ways to represent them in nail art form.

I've seen quite a few lovely manicures in the past.  However, you know me, I always try and break the norm, so I wanted to depict a song that maybe not everyone knows or thinks of.

A true Southern classic...guessed it yet?

That's right!!  Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer"!

If you haven't heard it, here's the video haha.

A comedy masterpiece for the holidays of course!

So, now, you're probably wondering how I could have possibly made this into a manicure...well here goes!

 I wanted to make a background that looked like a grandmother's house coat.  So i used China Glaze Sweet Hook for the blue and painted on the little flowers using a dotting tool and acrylic paint.  And of course, it's not enough to have a housecoat patterned nail...this grandma got run over after all!  So i had to add little hoof prints and sleigh tracks with black acrylic paint and a black striper.

Here's a close up!

So what do you guys think? 

Leave me comments, questions, suggestions, and requests below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art: Day #9 - Gradient

Hi all!

I'm back with my next entry for the 12 Days of Nail Art!

Today's prompt was Gradient which opens a whole huge list of possibilities!

Of course I wanted to keep things in the holiday theme so I decided an elegant metallic and glitter gradient.

I'm loving what I came up with!

For this one I used three coats of Essie Penny Talk for the base and then sponged on some China Glaze I'm Not Lion for the gradient effect.

Here's the close up

I think this manicure came out really well!  I always love gradients, especially those with glitter. 

What do you guys think?

Leave your comments, questions, requests, and suggestions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

The Liebster Award!

Hello all!

So I was nominated for The Liebster Award by The Life, Times and Lacquers of Lilmoon & I'm super humbled and honored by the recognition.

For those who don't know, The Liebster Award is for bloggers who have less than 200 followers!

I'm so excited to be able to complete the requirements to be considered.

Here's how it goes:

1. Each person must post 11 random things about themselves.
2. Answer the questions that the nominator set for you, plus create 11 questions for the people you nominate to answer.
3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post
4. Go to their page and tell them.
5. No tag backs!

Alright, so let's get the ball rolling!

11 Random Things

1. I'm a big football fan, mostly college, but I'm only loyal to specific teams, no compromising.
2.  I'm proudly adopted...and so is my dog!
3.  Other than nail polish I'm obsessed with lipstick/balms/glosses and perfume!
4.  I love reading, and have no shame reading trendy, badly written, fandom books in public and obsessing over them afterward.
5.  I wish I had been born a red head, but now I have to pay to be one.
6.  I've gotten to meet and talk to Jackson Rathbone (*fan girl squee*) twice and give him/his band members a gift.
7.  I often break into song and dance for no reason...in public....loudly.
8.  I'm a proud fandom geek (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Twilight, LOTR, etc.).
9.   I try to text my best friend every single day.
10.  I miss being in college, I loved my school, my town, and my friends and I'd be so happy to have more time there.
11.  I not so secretly wish I was British.

Lilimoon's 11 Questions

1.What inspired you to start blogging?

The biggest motivation to blog is just the fact that i've amassed so much nail polish!  I have good friends who like nail polish too, but nail bloggers have contributed so much to my love for polish, that I thought it was my turn to add to the community.

2. What hobbies and interests do you have?


My hobbies...hmmm.  Where do I start?  I love to read, watch tv, watch movies, sing, listen to music, pin things on Pinterest, browse nail blogs, go shopping, and the list goes on!

3. What is your favorite food and why?

Oooo, another tough one.  I'd say it's a tie between pancakes and anything made out of potatoes.  Haha, randomest options ever!

4. What is your most precious belonging? How did it become so special?

My most precious possession is my Aggie Ring.  It's a symbol of a big part of who I am, an Aggie.  It reminds me of the family I gained by going to Texas A&M, the memories I made there, and my commitment and loyalty to the school and everyone there.  It's about as equally important as my engagement ring will be when I get it.

5. What do you think has been your greatest achievement/made you the most proud?

My greatest achievement has been obtaining my Master's Degree.  I've achieved so much in such a short time and it's a humbling thing.

6. If you could relive one moment in your life, what would it be and why?

I think I'd relieve the moment I stood on the deck of the Eiffel Tower and got to see the city of Paris spread in front of me.

7. Do you have any pets? (Yeah, I like the pet question. ;o) )

I do have a pet!  My precious little man Kyler, my little dachsund with more personality than you can shake a stick at.

8. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and with who?

I think I'd go to the UK with my best friend...or a European cruise.  Or even a chance to visit New York City, at least once!

9. If you would only listen to one album ever again, what album would it be?

At the moment Taylor Swift's Red, but that'll probably change in a week or so.  Oh!  I could throw in The Civil Wars Barton Hollow.

10. What is your favorite piece of nail art (or any other art if you're not a lacquerhead) that you have done?

I think my favorite nail art that I've done were my Jason hockey masks or the manicure I did for The Avengers premiere!  Those were both a lot of fun to do!

11. What is the funniest/craziest thing that ever happened to you?

I have to admit not too many crazy things happen to me, but one thing that comes to mind makes me and my best friend laugh to this day.  She has a friend of hers that we constantly talked about...like to a creepy stalker level (don't judge).  So I knew practically everything about this guy, then one day he walks into one of my classes and I texted her and all we could think of was how funny/creepy it would be when I could tell her things he did in our class when he didn't even know who I was.  Yea, I'm not sure that made any sense, haha.

My 11 Questions

1.  What is one thing you'd tell new bloggers to always remember?
2.  For my nail polish blogger friends, if money was no object, what lemming would you buy first?  For non polish bloggers, if money was no object, what is the first thing you'd buy?
3.  If you could have/make up any animal you wanted for a pet, what would it look like/be?
4.  Who was your first celebrity crush?
5.  Who is your current celebrity crush?
6.  If you could live in any fictional place you knew of, where would it be?
7.  If the world does in fact end on December 21, what is the one thing you want to be sure you've done by then?
8.  Nail bloggers, name your five favorite nail polishes.  Non nail blogger, or anyone else, name your five favorite things.
9.  Who is your hero?
10.  Name one blogger you think everyone should check out.
11.  It's the zombie apocalypse...what is your weapon of choice?!

Tag You're It!

Kinzie's Nail Hut 
Nail Polish In My Eyes 
Apply Polish Here 
ehmkay nails 
Kat Stays Polished 
Dipped In Lacquer 
Polished 
Nails 4 Dummies
Lacqueerisa
Just Talk Nails
I Love Pretty Colours

There you have it!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art: Day #8 - Favorite Holiday Book

Hello everyone!

It's time for another manicure for the 12 Days of Nail Art!!

Once again, we had another fun prompt today, Favorite Holiday Book/Character!

Now, of course there's always some all time classics, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, A Christmas Carol, etc.  But for me, my favorite Christmas book/story has always been O Henry's Gift of the Magi.

The story of selfless love and sacrifice in The Gift of the Magi has always given a great image to what Christmas really means...or at least what it should mean.

So I wanted to pay tribute to this lovely story with my nails!

The being said, I have to say this was one manicure idea that looked better in my head than on my nails. but I got the basic effect I wanted...I think.

You'll have to forgive the bad lighting again, had to take the pic in my kitchen to get any real light.

The idea behid this manicure is a bit abstract.  I wanted to capture some interpretations of the gifts in the story, a golden watch chain, and a set of hair combs.  I used a bit of gold chain to make an almost french tip, and then I used OPI Goldeneye to stamp a pattern that reminded me of a hair comb from the Konad plate, m78.  All of this was done over a base of China Glaze Velvet Bow.

Here's the close up:

Now, I'm not saying they're terrible, I really like them actually.  There was just a different idea of finished product in my mind.  That happen to you?

Let me know what you all think!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art Challenge: Day #7 - Candy Canes

I'm back again!

I bring you today, my entry for Plump and Polished's 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge Day #7.  The prompt today was candy canes, which is always a fun!

Now, for candy canes, the options are endless, especially when its strictly an inspiration rather than a literal prompt.

I of course considered the traditional stripes, which are always gorgeous, or the classic image of the candy cane itself, also lots of fun.

But then as it does, inspiration struck again!

Now, my experience with candy canes involves a very odd way of eating them...crushing them!  Something about the little pieces tastes better to me (I know I'm weird, but I equate it to the people who let their Peeps go stale before eating them lol).

Anyway, this idea gave me my idea for my candy cane manicure...or should I say CRUSHED candy cane manicure!

To complete this manicure I had a base of Orly Decades of Dysfunction, a very pale greyish-white pink.  Once that was dry I used a coat of Finger Paints Red Crackle.  Then, because I love sparkle for holiday manicures, I put a coat of Warpaint Beauty White Noise, a holo glitter top coat. 

Here's the close up:

You'll have to forgive the lighting, it's an outcast day outside so I had to take pics under the lamp of my mom's AeroGarden (yay fake sunlight!!).

Anyway, what do you guys think?  Looking anything like crushed candy canes?

Feel free to leave your comments, questions, suggestions, and requests!!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art: Day #6 - Water Marble...?

Hello everyone!

So today is Day #6 of the 12 Days of Nail Art and the prompt is water marble!

However, I have bad news.

As much as I love water marbling, I have to stand before you all and admit that this particular form of nail art is the BANE OF MY EXISTENCE!!!

Yes, i did say the bane of my existence (and the fact that I have a bane makes me feel like I've truly accomplished things in my life haha).

All of that being said, this is all one big lead up to me telling you I'm a HUGE fail and have absolutely no manicure to show you for this prompt. :(

But I'm not empty handed...OH NO!

I have some pictures (though not the best quality) of some of my favorite old nail art!

Essie Ole Caliente Strawberry

Sally Hanson Complete Salon Navy Baby Star Glitter

My very first fish egg manicure!  Nina Ultra Pro Emerald City w/ clear micro beads

My Avengers premiere manicure! (Way too many polishes to name, feel free to ask!)

Summer Neon manicure with China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

I'm really sorry again you guys for not having a water marble to show you, but I hope you enjoyed my retro picture spam!

I'll be back for the next 12 Days of Nail Art prompt, I promise!!

Feel free to leave comments, questions, suggestions, and requests!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art: Day #4 - Snow

Hello everyone!

Back with another entry of Plump & Polished's 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge!! 

Today was another fun prompt...SNOW!

Now, I live in South Texas, the last time we saw snow here I was in middle school or high school.  We got snow a few times where I went to college, but nothing like some people get to see.  That being said, this prompt is probably the closest I'll get to actual snow this year, since its about 85*F here right now :(.

For this manicure I had to put my thinking cap on.  Originally I thought of snow flakes and lots of glitter, but I wanted to really challenge myself.  Then I remembered something I keep stashed in my nail art stuff.

And this is the result!

That's right...FLOCKING POWDER!! 

For this manicure I started with a base of China Glaze Want My Bawdy.  To add the flocking powder, I worked one nail at a time, putting down a coat of top coat and sprinkling on the powder while it was still wet.  Then I used a white striper to paint the white tips and coated that with flocking powder as well to look like snow banks!  If I may say so myself, it looks pretty realistic actually haha.

Here's the close up:

So what do you guys think?

Feel free to leave comments, requests, suggestions, & questions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Daysof Nail Art: Day #4 - Inspired by a Holiday Movie

Hey all!

It's Day #4 of the 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge and I have another manicure to share!

Today's prompt was Inspired by a Holiday Movie, and of course inspiration strikes like lightening.

I had a few early ideas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Merry Christmas Charlie Brown, Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, etc.  But then the perfect idea came, as it does, and I knew what I wanted to do!

I'll give you a hint....

Yup!  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!!

More specifically the Griswold's Christmas Light Spectacular.

It's an iconic moment in Christmas cinema, when Clark Griswold finally manages to light his 250 strands of Christmas lights, adorning the family home.

I'm sure many of you have a "Griswold House" in your neighborhood around this time and know just how fantastic and frightening it is to see that many lights on one house's power cell, haha.

But the idea made for a great manicure!

For this one I used two coats of China Glaze It's A Trap-eze! for a base (chock full of glitter) to give the effect of a TON of lights everywhere.  Then I used a Milani striper and some acrylic paint to paint a strand of Christmas lights across my nails.

Here's you close up:

What do you think?!

I think my nails may be giving the Griswold's a run for their money...

If you like this manicure, or have questions, suggestions, or requests, leave a comment!!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

P.S.  Speaking of Christmas lights, and in honor of this Saturday being the Heisman award, I wanted to share a little tribute someone made to my alma mater's favorite son, and Heisman nominee, Johnny "Football" Manziel!

Thanks and Gig 'em!

December Julep Maven Subscription (Pic Spam!)

Hey all!

I have another Julep Maven box to show you! 

It's my December box, and this month I decided to opt for the American Beauty box rather than my usual It Girl box.

The American Beauty box for December came with two polishes and a product.

The polishes included were Julia, what Julep describes as a "purple orchid with golden micro-glitter metallic", it's a nice kind of pink-purple base with lots and lots of gold shimmer to it, almost a duochrome effect.  And Patti, described as a "full-coverage black multi-dimensional glitter, a black jelly base with a pewter-charcoal silver glitter in it. 

Also in it was a bottle of Julep's Instant Warming Foot Scrub, a scrub with pumice particles in it to buff and smooth your feet.

Also, Julep is amazing and loves to add little surprises to the boxes that you don't know are coming when you pick your month.  This month, Julep sent a cabachon ring that you can paint with polish to make your very own nail polish ring (all the rage on Etsy about the polish addict set haha)!

It was a lovely box and I'm so happy with my subscription!

If you're interested in trying Julep Maven for yourself you can click this link and enter the code "COLOR2012" when you check out and you can get your intro box for A PENNY!!

The subscription is great at $19.99/mo, and you can change your style every month, get great discounts, and lots of fun special offers!  Plus, you can canel at any time!

What have you got to lose?!

See you all soon!

Hugs & Kissess & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art Challenge: Day #3 - Tape Manicure

Hello again!

Time for my Day #3 manicure for the Nail Art Challenge!

Today's prompt is a fun one for anyone who has an interest in nail art...the tape manicure!

There's a lot of ways to fulfill this challenge, all of them gorgeous of course.

Today however, I wanted to try a fun one I'd seen a few times and have been dying to try.  Thanks to Plump & Polished I had a great reason to!

To get this look I started with a base of two coats of Orly Rage, a gorgeous rose-gold foil!  Then once it was dry I cut some thin strips of masking tape and placed them in random patterns on my nails.  Over the top I painted two coats of China Glaze Cowgirl Up, a shimmer wine/berry color, very holiday feeling.  Let the top color dry for a few seconds before pulling the tape up.  MAKE SURE THE BASE IS DRY OR THE TAPE WILL PULL YOUR POLISH UP!!  Then I did two layers of top coat and was done!

Sadly I don't have a close up, because my OCD side doesn't like how tape manicures look close up hahaha.

But I do love looking at this one, it reminds me of presents with ribbons!

Can't wait to see you all for Day #4!

Remember you can leave comments, questions, suggestions, and requests!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art Challenge: Day #2 - Penguins

Hello again everyone!

I'm back with day #2 of Plump & Polished's 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge!

Today's assignment was particularly adorable, and I'm really happy with how my nails turned out! 

Our inspiration today was to be penguins, and I can say right now if you don't find penguins even the slightest bit adorable...you have no soul!  Haha just kidding, but they are SUPER cute!!

I knew for these nails, I had to honor the cuteness of the subject matter and I think (or rather hope) I succeeded...

For these nails I used a base of three coats of Finger Paints Art You Blue? (I wanted to be a bit more colorful than the typical black and white...plus wet penguin feathers always look more shiny and blue/silver in pictures).  Then for the bellies I used Orly Au Champagne and just used the brush to paint from the middle of the nail and painted the shape I wanted.  For the beaks and the feet I used a fine nail brush and orange acrylic paint.  And then, to add a bit more adorable, I added some little googly eyes I had in my nail art stash!

Here's a close up!

I'm loving these little guys and how they keep watching me when I move! 

I'm hoping you're all having fun with your December nails, whatever they may be.

Remember if you have any questions, comments, requests, or suggestions, leave them below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

12 Days of Nail Art Challenge: Day #1 - Red and Green Only

Hi everyone!

Today begins Plump & Polished's 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge and Day #1 is the Red and Green Only challenge! 

For this one I wanted to do something kind of fun and cute since sometimes red and green combos can get a bit passe, if you know what I mean.

So I decided to embrace the "Nail Art" part of this monthly challenge and break out my dotting tools!

This is my result:

For these nails I used Icing Love Letters, a nice candy apple red with a bit of gold, silver, and red sparkle to it, and China Glaze Glittering Garland, a holly green with some green/gold glass fleck.  I think the two colors contrast nicely.  To make the dots I used both ends of the large and medium dotting tool I got in a three tool set.  For the big dots and french tip I used the large dotter and filled in a bit with the smaller end.

Here's the close up:

I'm really enjoying this manicure and I just know I'm going to have a TON of fun with this challenge!

If you have any comments, questions, requests, or suggestions feel free to leave a comment!

Also, be sure to check out Plump & Polished's blog too!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Plump & Polished 12 Days of Nail Art Challenge!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share this with you guys since we're getting to the end of the month this week!

I had been looking for a December nail art challenge for my first December blogging!  I wasn't sure where to even begin looking but clearly the nail polish gods were smiling down on me when I went to catch up on my blog updates that I follow and I found Plump and Polished had posted one!

Looking into it I saw that it was the very first nail art challenge she's hosting which made me even more keen to jump in and do this challenge to support a fellow polish blogger!

What's more, I wanted to share it with all of you so you could try it and  go to her blog and give her your support too!!

So join me in the challenge for Plump & Polished!!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Om Nom Nom on this Jelly Sandwich I Made!

Hi everyone!!

I promised you all an on trend jelly sandwich yesterday and now its time to deliver! 

Since the first time I ever saw someone do a jelly sandwich....well since the first time I ever say a jelly polish I've been IN LOVE!!

I'd say some of my faves in my stash are my jellies (and it helps that one of the ones from Zoya and I share a name).

So, I'm constantly on the look out for making my jellies even more spectacular with combos and glitter!

A few weeks ago, I visited my local nail supply and came across a GORGEOUS jelly from Orly that I'm sure has been around for a while, simply because I couldn't even find a swatch image online. 

I wanted to use it, but it's a really dark color which makes it hard to see just how pretty it is.  But then I figured it out...JELLY SANDWICH!!

I came up with a combination with an Orly Flash Glam FX glitter I have and voila!

Pretty right?!  I used Orly Naughty, a gorgeous burgundy/oxblood jelly for this and for the glitter I used Orly Watch It Glitter, a copper/rose gold multi-size hex glitter.  I think this combo has a great depth, and jewel-like look to it and is completely on trend for fall with the oxblood and rose gold tones (though that rose gold doesn't come through as much under the jelly).  But I like how this looks because you can see the red tones in Naughty much better than if I had just done a simple manicure of just that color which would look nearly black. 

In the sun, there's something about this manicure that reminds me of rubies, the red glow that reflects from the glitter.

Here's a close up that shows the detail a bit better.

What do you guys think of this manicure? 

Feel free to leave comments, questions, requests, & suggestions as usual!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Yay for blog spamminess, cause I'm back again (after my post like two minutes ago) to share my Thanksgiving manicure with you all!

Now, some of you who go to my Instagram may have seen it already, but whatever, it's my blog I do what I want!! LOL

So yea, Thanksgiving....

I hope all of you had a great one (and for those who don't recognize thanksgiving on that day, I hope you had a great day in general!)

Now, I live in Texas, the extent of fall here is a few trees (depending on the type) changing colors, or just losing their leaves altogether which is more common, and the occasional cold front dropping the temperature from about 90 to 80.

So for Thanksgiving I wanted to bring a little fall into my life!

Have a look!

For this one I have a base of three coats of Essie A Crewed Interest.  Over that I sponged on (using a makeup sponge) OPI Take The Stage, Warm & Fozzie, and Goldeneye for the "leaves" (which I love how it looks since they're glitter so the look a lot like falling leaves like this).  And then I used a black striper for the trunks and branches!

Here's the close up!

Hope you guys liked this one!

Don't forget to leave your comments, questions, suggestions, and requests!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Breaking Dawn Part 2...better late than never!

Hi all!

So sorry I've been MIA for a few days, I've been out of town and without access to a personal computer since Thursday and the week leading to that was really busy!

But anyways, I'm here now and I can report to you my Breaking Dawn extravaganza!! 

For the premiere I made it a point to make the trip back to my college town (or as I prefer to call it...home) to go with my best friend, since I've been to all the other premieres with her...it's kind of a tradition now I suppose.

Normally, as part of our movie premiere traditions, we make our own t-shirts and this time was no different!  We decided to try a different technique for this premiere (normally we paint them) but we didn't have that much time, so I managed to find the t-shirt bleaching method online (you can find it through Google if you'd like to try it, it's a lot of fun!)

Anyways, I thought first I'd show you our shirts!

Here's what she decided to make:

Cool right?!

Now for mine:

(That's the front on the left, back on the right.)

So yea, that's what we made for the premiere, and somehow I managed to have good luck and stumbled across tickets for a 10 PM showing while like everyone else in town waited til midnight.  (Don't ask me how that works, but I can say I'll be looking for that option again haha we got out at like 1 AM rather than like 3!)

Anyway, I know why you're all here, you want to see my nails for said premiere, right?!

Well here we go!

For the look I used three coats of OPI Skull & Glossbones for the base on all my fingers but the ring finger.  Then I used Finger Paints Black Expressionism and a nail brush to do the checkerboard detail.  For my accent nail I have two coats of Black Expressionism for the base and used acrylic paint for the chess pieces.

Here's the close up!

So what do you guys think?!  Leave a comment!

Also, did you see the movie?!  What did you think of that!  Without being spoiler-y I can say I almost had a heart attack! 

Thanks for putting up with my lateness everyone!  Don't forget to leave comments, questions, suggestions, and requests!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

P.S.  If you comment about the movie, make a note and leave room to skip if you have spoilers.  As a person who isn't fond of them I know others may not want to know what happens.  Thanks guys!

Sorry for the hiatus!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to post to apologize for how long I've been away.  Last week was really busy through Thursday, and then I went out of town!  Technically I'm still out of town for Thanksgiving, but I have a computer....

That being said, it's my grandmother's computer and it hates me and won't let me upload any pictures for you!  :(

Saddest thing ever!

But I promise I haven't disappeared and I am taking pictures, unfortunately I probably won't be able to post them until I get back home Friday!

But look on the bright side, once I have my own computer back, you'll have my Breaking Dawn Part 2 post to look forward too as well as the nails I'm going to wear for Thanksgiving!!

Sorry again for being MIA, but I'll be back soon!

Have a wodnerful holiday!  I know I'm thankful for all of you!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Birds of a Feather

Hello again everyone!

I'm here with another first for you all and I'm pretty excited.  This is my first attempt at a feather manicure!

I first saw this manicure online somewhere and knew right away I wanted to try it at some point, and I finally got the chance.

Though I can think of a few things to change for next time, I'm really proud of the results and I'm excited to share it with you all!

For this manicure I used three coats of Color Club Alias as my main color.  It's kind of hard to tell on the nails, but you can kind of see in the bottle that its a great duo-chrome from violet to an emerald green.  Then for my ring finger (though it's hard to tell I used anything different) I used three coats of Color Club Alter Ego.  For my feathers this time, I used some feather earrings I bought on clearance at Sally's simply because the patterns were pretty.

Here's a close up:

Now for my own future reference, when I try this again, I'll have to remember to make sure the polish under the feather is a contrasting color, just to make the color of the feather pop.  Also, I think I'll look for more colorful and smaller feathers to work with next time.

For tutorials on this manicure you can find things all over Google and YouTube that'll teach you how to complete a feather manicure, but as with anything it's trial and error to find what you like.

I hope you enjoyed my first try and will go out and try yourself!

As always, feel free to leave comments, questions, requests, and suggestions for me!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

NOTD: The Midas Touch

Hello again!

I'm back with a manicure for you all and I'm SO excited about this one!!  Not because its particularly special....its just really pretty. :-D

I wanted to have a little fun with some new purchases of mine and I got inspired for this particular NOTD.

Wandering around my local grocery/drugstore I came across a new display from Essence cosmetics for their Breaking Dawn Part 2 collection (and being a Twilight fan...ok addict...) I had to get the polishes.  Sadly two of the colors were already gone and my area is lame on getting things in a timely manner.  But I did get the other two colors and they're great!

And then, there's the OPI Skyfall Collection, which has been released for the Holiday season.  Now, for me personally a lot of the colors seemed a bit blah (especially the reds) and some that looked like dupes, but there were a few that stood out and I had to make sure and get.

With these new polishes in tow, I realized I had created the perfect storm of sorts and metaphorical lightening struck, resulting in what you're about to see...

Polish detail

Both of these polishes look amazing in the bottle and on the nail!  The Essence polish, A Piece of Forever (and no the Twilight names don't get less cheesy, at least it's made up for with good polish) in almost true metallic fashion, can look a bit streaky so it takes a steady hand and a really good top coat (mine being Revlon ColorStay Gel Shine Top Coat) to forgive its sins.  It's mostly opaque in two coats, and for being so frosty in finish, it's a lot more reflective than I expected and it dries really quickly.

The OPI Goldeneye (not to be confused with the 18K gold top coat Man With the Golden Gun also from OPI's Skyfall collection) is a gorgeous warm gold glittery foil.  It did really well for the sponge technique for the gradient since its made up of almost little scales of glitter, very easy to fade out.  With most like this, in swatching I found it took at least three coats for best opacity, but it is a gorgeous color that glows and has great shine!

Overall both of these colors came together to make a really pretty gradient effect that I just can't stop staring at!  Very fun for fall.

I hope you all enjoy it too!

I'll be back soon with more of course, but until then, send in your comments, questions, requests, and suggestions!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Julep Maven November It Girl Box! (Photo Spam!)

So I got my November Julep Maven box yesterday!

I always love getting these in the mail.  Why?  Because they're chock full of polish!

If you haven't heard about Julep Maven, let me tell you about it.

Julep is a high end salon polish brand, mostly available online or at Sephora, but they have a subscription service called Julep Maven.  To subscribe, you can go HERE or click one of the spiffy buttons to the left of the screen and take your Julep style quiz!

Once you do that, you can sign up for your subscrition.  You can get the box that matches your style quiz results or pick another one.  It's $19.99 a month (actually you can even get your first box for just a penny with the code COLOR2012) and you can skip and cancel anytime!

I'd say its definitely worth it if you're polish addicted like me.  And as a Maven you can get special deals on Julep polishes!

For this month, the special polishes were their new Matte Suede polishes!  I wanted to make sure and take some pictures of my box this month so I could show you guys!  Be ready for pic spam of the best kind!

Since I have an It Girl box, I typically get three polishes in my box, but the cool thing is that if you get the announcement for that month's box and see another you like better, you can change your box order for the month.

Anyways, if you want to try out the service try the link above or the buttons on the left and sign up for your new polish fun!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat