College Polished: July 2012

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Try It On Tuesday: Essie Lights + No Place Like Chrome

Good evening ladies! Here we are again, another Try It On Tuesday night! I announced on my Facebook page earlier this morning some really exciting news. I'll be moving, again, but for good reasons! In addition to starting my senior year for my pre-law degree in August, I'll also be starting nail tech school to get my license! It's always been my dream to work in a salon, so now is the perfect opportunity to get my license and work at a salon to save some money during law school. Anyways, on to tonight's mani! For this mani, I used Essie's Lights and No Place Like Chrome from their new Mirror Metallic's collection.

Lights is a bright pink neon which is super hot right now for the summer! The formula was a dream to apply, but it was a little bit thin so I needed three coats for full opacity. No Place Like Chrome is the second metallic chrome polish that's made me fall in love! I received this beauty from the lovely Sandra at Pretty and Polished Pointers from the pen pal program. She's a super sweet lady with long, gorgeous nails. Go show her some love for me and enter her giveaway she's hosting right now!

The finish on NPLC is STUNNING! Metallics can be tricky to work with due to streaking, but this was a flawless application. I decided to add a little bit of nail art, so I cut a piece of tape in half and taped diagonally across my nail. I used NPLC as the base and painted Lights over top of the tape. The trick with tape mani's is to take the tape off quickly to get a nice, clean line.

I followed this up with dots of opposing colors on each side with two coats of Dazzle Dry Top Coat.

I'm really loving this combination and it matches this adorable bathing suit I picked up from Target the other day!

What colors are you wearing for summer? Thoughts on the new Essie collection?

That's all for me for tonight. I've got a busy day of getting boxes and starting packing again tomorrow! Until next time

Tip Top Nail Chic Swatches + Review

Good morning ladies! Hope everyone's week is starting off easy and stress-free. Today I've got three gorgeous polishes from Tip Top Nail Chic line. Tip Top Nails is a vegan brand of polish based out of South Africa and unfortunately isn't available for purchase in the U.S. yet. Hopefully soon though because I'd love to get my hands on some more! Tip Top is also BIG 4 (formaldehyde, dibutylphtate, toulene, camphor) FREE.

L-R: Astronaut, Sitting Pretty, Red Rendezvous

First up we've got Sitting Pretty, a gorgeous pink with blue undertones. Unfortunately my camera would NOT pick up the true color of this polish. It's a bit more neon in person and just as gorgeous!

Next up we've got Astronaut and Red Rendezvous! Astronaut is a gorgeous, frosty blue and for me to actually like this is a miracle. Normally, I hate frosty polishes with a passion, but this one might have changed my mind! Tip Top's polish brushes are flat and absolutely amazing to work with so there wasn't any streakiness (my main hatred of frosty polish). Astronaut was opaque in one, thin coat but I used two for good measure. Red Rendezvous is a deep, vampy brick red that is going to be a big hit for fall! I can already see myself using this polish more than once this fall. It reminds me fresh picked cherries, yum!

Would you just LOOK at that shimmer in Astronaut?!

As I'm posting this I'm watching the Olympics and it immedaitely inspired a mani idea! It's super simple, and super quick for those who want to show their Olympic love but don't have the time to do a nail design. Quickly, I sponged on some of Sonnetarium's Snowfall and voila! I really can't express how much I love Snowfall, but that calls for another blog post!

GO USA!

That's all for now ladies! I'll have another edition of Try It On Tuesday's up a little bit later tonight. Do you own any Tip Top Nail Chic polishes? What's on YOUR nails for the Olympics?

Disclaimer: These products were sent by the company or their PR for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Try It On Tuesday: Butter London Bossy Boots + Cheetah Nail Art

Hello again my lovely readers! Sorry for the lack of posts this past week, but never fear I'm here again :) The Christmas in July giveaway was a HUUUUUUGE success, so hello to all my new readers and hello to the familiar faces! I've got a lot of great ideas for some nail art and tutorials thanks to you guys so let's start that off tonight!

This week's mani features Butter London's Bossy Boots as the base(which I won from Traci over at The Trace Face Philes), China Glaze Foie Grass and Wet n Wild French White Creme for the cheetah, and Julep Oscar for the glitter gradient.

Butter London describes Bossy Boots as "a light, opaque pistachio green" which cannot be more spot on. This is one of my top colors for summer so I had to try it out! Cheetah is my FAVORITE print of all time and it's one of my favorite types of nail art so I thought it would be perfect for this mani. I originally was going to do a stamped cheetah mani, but unfortunately my stamper is MIA so that'll be another day.

For the cheetah print, all I did was take my smallest dotting tool and make white dots on my nail. They don't have to be perfect dots, and I actually prefer them to be a little misshapen just like a normal cheetah's spots. Then once the dots are dry, you can take either a toothpick or a small dotting tool and draw semi-circles around the dots in a contrasting color and VOILA! Now, before you put the top coat on you MUST wait until it's 100% dry or the outer polish will smear and you'll have wasted your time. For the glitter, I just painted a little bit on a makeup sponge and dabbed it on and threw a few teardrop jewels on and I was done. Simple, classy and gorgeous -- just how I like it!

Here's a link of the lovely ladies doing Try It on Tuesday: here!

That's it for tonight girls. What are some of YOUR untried polishes? Feel free to post a pic on College Polished's Facebook

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Try It On Tuesday: Zoya Robyn + Pretty & Polished Jawbreaker

Hi lovelies! Hope you all enjoyed the guest post from Pish Posh and Polish earlier today :) I've got a quick Try It On Tuesday for you guys tonight. It's been a super hectic week here at College Polished, but good things are to come!

For this mani, I used Zoya Robyn and Pretty & Polished Jawbreaker! I've had Jawbreaker for a few weeks now, but I just got Robyn in a few days ago and I'm in LOVE. Such a gorgeous blue, perfect for the summer. It reminds me of the ocean in the Caribbean, the wind blowing in my hair. *le sigh* A girl can dream right?!

The picture hides a little bit of Robyn's more aqua tone, and unfortunately Florida in the summertime equals a ton of rain. Hopefully I can take some better pics in the next few days!

Instagram pic! Follow me -- kdouce0218 -- Do you have Instagram?!

Here's a list of the ladies participating in Try It on Tuesday!

Link

That's all for tonight! What do you think of Robyn and Jawbreaker? Do you own either of these?!

Guest Post: Kerrie from Pish Polish and Polish!

Hello lovely people, the lovely Kim asked if i would do a guest post and of course I jumped at the chance. I love College Polished and the posts here so I feel very privileged to be able to post here.

Anyway I live in England and although we are having torrential rain at the moment, between these we’ve had wonderful bright sun! Sun’s a bit of a novelty here so I decided to wack out the holographic polish while the going was good. Anyway the brands I used for this manicure are not native English brands but you should be able to find them easily if you live in the US. The thing that annoys me about holographic polishes is the price tag. I know you pay for what you get but I am pretty frugal and can’t justify spending extortionate amounts on one polish.

So here we have ULTA own polish brand in Material Girl, a dark plumy wine coloured polish with small holographic pieces. In the sun they give a scattered holo rainbow effect that is so pretty. This is defiantly a cheap alternative to quenching the thirst for some of OPI’S original holographic DS colours. I then used a dotting tool to create polka dots in Milani Hi-Tech a holographic lime green polish. On the dark base Hi-Tech looks almost like a green-tinged gold. Again in this sun you get a scattered rainbow from this polish.

I think this is a really cute combination and the added holographic element gives this manicure a fun wow factor in the sun! Also polka dots for me are the perfect summer pattern for your nails, reminding me of retro bathing suits!

I would like to say thanks to Kim for allowing me to post on her wonderful blog and that I hope College Polished goes from strength to strength! Don’t forget that you can always come check out my blog over at: https://pishposhandpolish.blogspot.co.uk/ where you will find lots more great summer ideas for your nails!

And now over to you dear readers. What do you think is the perfect thing to wear on your nails this sunny season? Do you like holographic polishes? Are you willing to pay extra for them?

Love Kerrie

Special thanks to Kerrie for the wonderful post!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

June Favorites! (WARNING: PIC HEAVY)

Hi ladies! So I decided to start doing a monthly favorites post at the beginning of each month about the month before. I got the idea from my lovely friend Jess over at Love For Lacquer which she started doing a few months back. I have a ton of products all the time that I wish I could share with everyone so I think this is the perfect way to start doing that!

Sneak peek pic I took with my Instagram! Feel free to follow me -- kdouce0218 :)

Let's get started!

Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser + Balm - First up, one of my FAVORITE go-to products. Seriously everyone, I'm not kidding you when I say that this is the ONLY product that has completely erased my cuticles and left them feeling moisturized and soft. It's got a light, cucumber-y scent that I love because it's not overpowering at all. All you have to do is massage a little bit into your cuticles each day to get super soft cuticles. Perfect to throw in your purse for when you're on the go!

Availability: Drugstores - I picked mine up at Target for about $7.

Crack Hair Fix - One of my all time favorite beauty products. In Florida, we've got super hot and humid summer days and nights which can totally ruin my hair. For years I've been looking for a good product to tame frizz and protect from heat without weighing my hair down without success. Crack has solved all of my problems! I'll be posting a better review about this later this week so stay tuned! You'll get to see the face of the blog ;)

Availibilty: Crack can be purchased at Folica for $19.95

Tom Ford's Neroli Portofino - Neroli Portofino captures everything there is to love about summer. Crisp citrus scents with a hint of floral tones just makes me want to lay on a hammock over the water! I received this sample at the Neiman Marcus Blogger Presentation I went to, used it up and went back to buy the full size of the body oil! It's a little pricey, but in my opinion I'd rather spend a few extra bucks on a great perfume that'll last me awhile.

Availability: You can pick up an 8.5 oz bottle of the body oil at Neiman Marcus for $70

SuperSmile Single Dose Powdered Mouthrinse - These are amazing to have in your purse or your beach bag for after a long day. All you have to do is add a little bit of water to the packet, swish it around, rinse & voila -- fresh breath! Sometimes during the day you might feel you wanna freshen up, but who really carries a toothbrush in their purse?

Availability: Box of 60 for $29.00 at Neiman Marcus

Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub - After wearing makeup during a long hot, Florida day all I can think about when I get home is washing my face. I got this in my Target Beauty Bag and was super excited. One of the reasons I love this scrub is that the exfoliating beads aren't super large or rough which is great because I have super sensitive skin. It's a really deep cleanse, but a light formula which I didn't think would be the case. It gives my skin a really fresh glow and it smells nice too!

Availability - Target $5.84 for 5 oz

OPI Divine Swine - Gorgeous blend of silver hex glitters in a purpel-y fuschia glitters in a clear base. Check out my post here!

Availability: Authorized OPI retailers $8.00

Pretty & Polished Cheer Camp - One of my favorite polishes of the year which is PERFECT for summer. Chelsea really out did herself with her Summer Camp collection. Pink and purple pastel hex glitters in a milky pink base. One word - GORGEOUS. Check out my post here

Availability: Chelsea's Etsy shop & she will soon be going to Llarowe $8.75 full size/$4.50 mini

Dollish Polish Sweet Dreams Are Made Of Glitter - I'm a huge sucker for minty green polishes, especially ones packed with glitters. I've been dying to get my hands on some Dollish for a long time and I'm happy to finally have with a few more on the way! Check out my post here

Availability: Dollish Polish Big Cartel

Favorite Book: Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy - Best.books.ever. I know there has been a ton of controversy over these books about all the sex and the content of it. But honestly, it's a great, well written books which an out of the box story line that I love. I LOVE a good love story and this take on it is so different which only makes me love it even more.

Availability: $35 for the set of three at Target

Favorite Song(s):

Lemme See by Usher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEb7CPtpZvM

I grew up listening to Usher when he was in his prime! And can I just take a break from nails/beauty, that is one FINE piece of man. Moving on, I love the beat to this song & it's great for a night out dancing which I've been doing a lot of this summer.

Red Lipstick - Rihanna

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RMrJCbZQKo

If you know me in real life, you know how obsessed with Rihanna I am. I love EVERYTHING about her. This song's a little older, off her Talk that Talk album but again it's perfect for summer! It's also my ringtone :)

Well that's about it for me! What favorite products did you have during June? Comment below or post on my Facebook page!

And don't forget about the HUUUUUGE Christmas in July giveaway I've got going on!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Christmas in July GIVEAWAY

Hello dolls! Late night for me here, but I've been off work all week for vacation :) Tonight I've got a super amazing giveaway for you from myself and twelve other wonderful bloggers!

Christmas in July is a fan appreciation giveaway. I love blogging and it's amazing to interact with so many differently people on a daily basis around the world connecting about some we love - POLISH! So here's our thanks to you. There will be THIRTEEN winners. That's right, I said thirteen! In my family, we have a tradition where you get open a present or two on Christmas Eve but wait for the rest. With that said, here's a little sneak peek of what the prizes will be:

From your's truly

Here's a list of all the bloggers participating in this AMAZING giveaway!

Beyond Beauty Lounge

College Polished (moi)

DIY Polish

Tall Girl in Heels
You Had Me At Makeup
Peace Love Lacquer

Cosmetic Sanctuary

Miss Lizard

Set in Lacquer

Love for Lacquer

Nail Polish Anonymous

BeautyGnome

Munchy's Nails

Enter via the Rafflecopter below!

U.S. Only, sorry international loves

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ends July 20th. May the odds be ever in your favor! And a huge thanks to Mercedes at Beyond Beauty Lounge for organizing all of this <3

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Happy 4th of July! Watermelon Wednesday

Happy 4th of July to all of my wonderful American ladies! Such a beautiful country we live in despite all the problems. Today I've got sort of an unconventional 4th of July mani for you all.

I'm in a Birthday Swap group on Facebook with some amazing, crazy ladies and we were talking and decided to do watermelon manis for the holiday and I couldn't wait to try it. Watermelon definitely reminds me of hot Florida summers, late nights, fireworks and the holidays so what a perfect idea. I have great memories sitting around my backyard watching the fireworks with a picnic and my family. A lot of you told me during my last giveaway that you'd like to see more nail art, and we aim to please so here goes!

For this mani, I used Floam by Nail-Venturous (which was a HUGE lemming of mine until I got my hands on it), China Glaze Love's A Beach and Nina Ultra Pro Black.

I pained Love's a Beach as a base on my index and ring finger and two coats of Floam on my middle and pinky. As the "rind", two light coats of Floam and little black seeds :) I'm still practicing so don't be to critical!

Here are the other ladies doing Watermelon Wednesday with me!

365 Days Of Color

Peace Love Lacquer

Jilltastic Nail Design

Munchy's Nails

Manicurator

Tall Girl In Heels With Pretty Painted Nails

DIY Polish

That's all for tonight ladies! I hope you all have a fun and SAFE holiday! I'm heading downtown to the fireworks show with an old friend!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Try It On Tuesday: Pretty & Polished Hello Dolly

Happy Tuesday loves! We've got another edition of Try It On Tuesday today so let's jump right in!

For today's mani, I used Pure Ice Kiss Me here and Pretty & Polished Hello Dolly! Hello Dolly is SUPER DUPER thick, packed to the brim with glitters. Ain't nothin' wrong with a thick girl ;) There are small, large and extra large white hexes, small pink and silver hexes all floating in a clear base full of pink glitters.

Ohh! And there are also these gorgeous bright pink hexes that are SEE THROUGH! Unfortunately they kind of sink to the bottom, but I was able to get a few out for this mani.

See those amazing see through hexes?! Sigh I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!

That's all for this Try It On Tuesday, but stay tuned next week for another Indie polish! And as always you can check out the full list of bloggers participating here.

ALSO

If you love Hello Dolly, your chance to buy is coming up THIS Thursday. Chelsea will be restocking her Etsy shop twice on Thursday, once at 10am and another at 7pm. Both will be small openings so make sure you know what you want ahead of time!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettyandPolished#

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