NOTD: Crackalackin with Cynthia

Hey guys! I'm just doing a quick little post today. I tried out Zoya Cynthia from this fall's Smoke and Mirrors collection... it's a nice dark peacock blue. Think like Lincoln Park After Dark's blue-green cousin, if you will. And true to my worst-polish-blogger-ever form, I totally neglected to take pictures of what it looks like before I applied a coat of China Glaze Crackle in Platinum Pieces. Oh well... there are ton of blogs out there with swatches. Our dear friend Google should be able to help you find them. :o)





On a side note, I've been sick these past few days... not horribly ill but just under the weather and very, very uncomfortable. I have some sort of annoying sinus/respiratory thing and I can't seem to shake it... it's driving me nuts and I'm tired of the air I'm breathing feeling like it's hot and thick and has a flavor. You know what I'm talking about? Yeah, it's one of those kind of bugs and for some reason it makes me extra snarky and sassy. I haven't a clue as to what that's about but thanks for sticking with me and my absentee blogger issues the past couple of weeks. Hopefully, I'll be back on my A-game soon so as always...

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Bold Color Crackle

Hey guys! Just a quick post today... Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Lightning with China Glaze Broken Hearted crackle on top. (Does this make anyone else think of lava or is that just me?)





Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Chartreuse Shatter

I feel like I have been such a bad blogger as of late... I haven't had the time to take pictures and post my manicures the past couple of weeks like I normally do. After we got back from New Jersey, my mister's grandfather passed away so we had to pack back up and go right back to Newark for the funeral. It was so sad but we're very thankful we got to see him the prior weekend. Sorry for the Debbie Downer moment... on to the nails!

So after keeping my nails just plain old pink for a week, I needed something a little more fun and wild. I had picked up a bottle of Sally Hansen Insta Dri in Chartreuse Chase on clearance from Target a couple weeks ago and this was the perfect time to try it out. After that, I just added some OPI Black Shatter in a random design to liven it up a bit.




This was my first time using the OPI Shatter... I've been solely a China Glaze Crackle girl up until now. I have to say, the application of the OPI is a lot smoother than the China Glaze but it doesn't shatter as nicely in my opinion. I don't think most people would really be able to notice a difference though... just us polish obsessed girls would be.

Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Tarnished Gold

Just a quick post today. I took the gel tips off so I'm back to my natural nails... yay! For this one, I was inspired by one of the necklaces my mom and dad gave me last week for my birthday. It is so pretty... I already wore it once and I got a ton of compliments on it. (It's also budget friendly! You can find it at Wal-Mart.)

But back to the nails. I used Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Brisk Blue and China Glaze Crackle in Tarnished Gold. Love it!~






Thanks for reading!
- Kim

NOTD: Cracking Up (+ Swatches!)

Hey guys! If any of of you guys are on Twitter, you should definitely follow @ChinaGlaze if you aren't already. The reason I say this, is because I am now in possession of their six new metallic crackles... I won them in a random sample giveaway through Twitter last week! (Woot!) Lots of companies are doing giveaways and discounts via Twitter and FB these days and that's one bandwagon I'm glad to be on, lol. I initially thought by winning a "sample" it would be one, singular bottle. Imagine my surprise when I opened my mailbox and found this:


Now, that's a pretty big box for one little polish and then it was heavy... I had got all SIX of them! I was stoked to say the least... so enough chit chat and on to the polishes!


There are six shades, from left to right: Cracked Medallion, Oxidized Aqua, Haute Metal, Platinum Pieces, Tarnished Gold, and Latticed Lilac. I really like all of them, especially on darker base colors. Here are some swatches of each color on black, white, and some random color choices I made. I picked the colors based on the color family of each crackle... orange and copper, gray and silver, teal and aqua, et cetra. I figured it something a little different than the standard quot.

I also tried out painting the strokes of the crackles in different directions to see how much difference it made. I filmed the process and I'm contemplating posting the video but I'm, uh, how to put it... a little bashful and self-conscious about my voice/accent. I'll just say that if I grow a pair, I'll share it. lol


I really had a lot of fun playing around with these so I decided to take my water decals off and switch to one of the crackles. I went with the Platinum Pieces over Essence Movie Star which is a nice, deep gray. I love the whole look of this! ♥



I also shortened my gel tips. I left them on to protect my natural nails while they grow out but the length had to go. I seriously thought I was used to the long nails but a load of laundry and a sink full of dishes later, I realized that was a negative, lol.


Another thing I like about this mani, is that it matches my outfit perfectly today... metallic belt, metallic cardigan, metallic nails... (I like to be matchy-matchy, I don't care what the fashion-experts say! ;o)

So much shiny!

So thanks for reading and until next time!
- Kim

NOTD: Black Mesh

Just a super quick manicure today... Orly Luxe with China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle. :o)







Thanks for reading!
- Kim