College Polished: August 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

MYSTERY GIVEAWAY!

Hi dolls! I'm baaaaack! I've finally got the internet up and running and I'm all settled in so normal posting will resume on Monday but for this long weekend, I've got a great giveaway for you!

In honor of one of my good friends Jill, from Jilltastic Nail Design, reaching 3,500 fans she's holding a MYSTERY giveaway that I'm participating in as well as herself, and ten other bloggers!

This giveaway is a little bit different being that you won't know what you are winning until you win! I can ASSURE you that the prizes are amazing and are all beauty related. Some prizes might even include more than one item ;)

Here's a list of the other ladies involved in the giveaway so you can get a head start and follow their blogs via GFC and all that!

Beauty Gnome

365 Days of Color

DIY Polish

Munchy's Nails

Jilltastic Nail Design

Beyond Beauty Lounge

XO, Noelle

Peace Love Lacquer

Tall Girl in Heels

Princess Polish

Manicurator

A few rules:

Must be 18 or older to enter

Must LIKE and/or FOLLOW host Facebook pages and blogs

USA Only (sorry International)

Enter via Rafflecopter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, August 27, 2012

GUEST POST: The Crumpet has Halloween fever!

Hi dolls! Sorry for the lack of updates, moving can be such a hassle. Thankfully, everything is unpacked, but unfortunately the internet won't be hooked up until Tuesday so I haven't been able to post for you :( Also, down in Florida we're currently under a hurricane watch and where I live near Tampa is projected to be without power for 2-3 days during this week. I can only hope for the best, but it's nothing this Florida girl hasn't dealt with before! This week I'll have a few guest posts from some great bloggers and friends of mine! Enjoy!

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Hi Goddesses

I'm Debbie, from The Crumpet, and today I have the pleasure of being your guest blogger.

I don't know about you, but I seem to be catching Hallowe'en fever already! I blame those Indie polish-makers - they're already releasing their fall collections, and most of them have gone Hallowe'en c-razzzz-y.

So, I wanted to get into the spirit of Hallowe'en, but avoid the traditional Hallowe'en colours, so here we have a blue skittle mani, layered with one of my favourite glitters, Oz, Not Kansas by Red Carpet Lacquers, and then stamped using Barry M Silver Foil and the DRK-A stamping plate.

Overall, I'm really happy with how this turned out. It's always a win when you manage to squeeze a glitter layer into a stamping mani - often you lose as many times as you win.

Just a little shout out for Oz, Not Kansas too. I LOVE it. It's one of the few polishes I own a back-up of. It's delicate but WOW at the same time, and I LOVE how it fires up different colours on different bases.

Thank you, and enjoy ! xx :)

Thanks so much my dear! Be sure to check out Debbie's blog The Crumpet for AMAZING swatches and hilarious posts!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

INDIE WEEK! Dollish Polish Expecto Patronum

Morning ladies! I've just got a quick post for you today while on a break from packing. There's only so much bubble wrap and tape a girl can take! Thankfully tonight I'm going out for some drinks with my roommate and I felt this meme was MORE than appropriate for today's post!

Today's mani holds a place near and dear to my heart and brings back a ton of fond memories from my childhood.

I grew up reading the Harry Potter series. I had all the books, saw the movies, played the computer games, etc. I would run around pointing sticks at my dogs screaming Expecto Patronum. I have no shame in admitting I'm a total Harry Potter geek. I cried like a baby during the last movie because it was like a chapter of my life was coming to a close, don't judge me. I felt like I grew with Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. Now that you think I'm a total psycho LOL, let's get to why you're really here!

"This famous spell is from the movie "Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azakaban" which fends off Dementors with a glowing white shield of positive energy when used. This is a milky white with a hint of Green shimmer, has iridescent flakies and varying sized Green glitter."

Heart. Stopping. I'm sure you know by now just how much I love a white creme base with some glitter. Expecto Patronum however has a more jelly base which lets the glitter shine the way it should! Also, I would definitely say the glitter is more teal then it is green, however. This white is astounding too. So crisp and clean without any off coloring. It's by far the easiest white polish I have ever worked with.

Dollish is restocking TODAY sometime between 12pm-5pm EST and Expecto Patronum is included! Get your wallet's ready!

She will also be stocking Zombie Flesh, 3 Best Friends That Anyone Could Have, Master Chief, Team Salvatore, Heart of Glass, Expecto Patronum and a Mystery Shade

Availability: Dollish Polish $8.75 for a full size/$4.50 for a mini

Well that's all for this morning ladies! I have so so much to do that my head is spinning, enjoy your Wednesday!

Monday, August 13, 2012

INDIE WEEK! 365 Days of Color End of the Rainbow Collection (PIC HEAVY)

Hello again ladies! If you missed my post earlier featuring three gorgeous Nails Inc. looks be sure to scroll down and check it out! There are some gorgeous colors you guys don't wanna miss. And SPEAKING of gorgeous colors, boy oh boy do I have some beauties to show you!!

Introducing the 365 Days of Color -- End of the Rainbow Collection! Rainbow lovers, this one's for you. I'm sure you've noticed by now that 365 is easily my favorite Indie maker and not just because she's a good friend. Sunny has a knack for taking gorgeous colors and putting her own special twist on them for a breathtaking finish. These five gorgeous shades each packed with a ton of rainbow colored glitters for the perfect transition from summer to fall.

(L-R: Glittercide, Too Pink To Function, Soak Up the Sun, My Little Cuppycake and Head Peach in Charge)

WARNING: THIS POST IS PIC HEAVY, CLICK THE READ MORE LINK FOR MORE PICS AND MY FULL REVIEW!

Nails Inc. Topping Lane, Piccadilly Arcade and Soho Swatches & Review

Good morning ladies! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was filled with packing boxes, heavy lifting and a few rounds of margs with my best friend! This morning I've got THREE gorgeous Nails Inc. looks for you ladies viewing pleasure. This post is pretty picture heavy so I've added a read more link below the collage so I don't clutter up the blog too much!

Click the link below for close up's and my full review!

Quick Update!

Hi girls! Sorry I just kind of dropped of the face of the Earth for the past week :( This move is happening a lot faster than I had originally anticipated, now instead of a month I've got ONE WEEK to pack up my entire life and move across the state of Florida. Again. I'm being so optimistic about it because soooo many great things are coming from this and it's going to make my life, career & future so much more fullfilling. As much as I love you guys, real life does take precedence so that's what I've been dealing with all week! I'll be posting three more Nails Inc polishes for you ladies tomorrow that you don't want to miss. Also on Monday I will be starting Indie Week staring of with an AMAZING new collection that's about to be released from 365 Days of Color! Be sure to stay tuned for all the amazing that's coming this week!

Here's a quick pic of what's on my nails right now for the weekend! We've got Nails Inc. Topping Lane from the Sprinkles collection (more on that tomorrow) and Zoya Natty! I am LOVING this combo & can't stop staring at my nails. Mr. College Polished even mentioned he thought they looked nice, which is a huge step LOL.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Try It On Tuesday: Nails Inc Swiss Cottage Swatches + Review

Afternoon ladies! Here we are at another Try It On Tuesday where myself and a group of bloggers have challenged ourself to either use polishes we've had for a while or, in my case, a new polish that you just can't really wait to try. Today I've got another gorgeous polish from Nails Inc. in Swiss Cottage. Swiss Cottage is one of four polishes in the Mirror Metallic line, the newest addition to the Nails Inc. Special Effect line.

Swiss Cottage is described as a "turquoise mirror metallic with a two tone effect." The stunning duochrome shift goes from blue to green to gold and back again. As I mentioned earlier, the Mirror Metallic collection is the newest addition to the Special Effects line. Each Mirror Metallic polish has a highly reflective finish due to new mica pearls that give it color depth, mirror shine and a two tone effect.

Look at that STUNNING duochrome *drool*

LOL, the brush on this was crazy, but it actually applied really well. The formula was delightful, not too thick, not too thin. It also didn't leave any streak marks, which are normally one of my biggest pet peeves. Even with a wacky brush for there to still be flawless coverage is a big plus in my book.

Inside with my light box

Inside with my light box

Outside with slight cloud coverage

Overall, this is another great collection from Nails Inc. that's perfect for the late summer transition into fall. In certain lights, it has a great military green tone to it that I love with my skin tone so this will be a big hit for me this fall.

Swiss Cottage is available for purchase at Sephora or Nails Inc. for $9.50.

How do you feel about duochrome polishes? Which ones are you favorites? That's all for today, have a great night loves!

*Nails Inc. product sent for honest review. All opinions are my own.*

Monday, August 6, 2012

Nails Inc. King's Cross + OPI My Boyfriend Scales The Walls

Evening ladies! Two posts in one day, hows that for productive?! Tonight I've got a gorgeous crackle polish that's perfect for the summertime. Crackle polish is actually one of my first loves and is what made me really get back into nail polish again. I bought the whole OPI Katy Perry collection with the black shatter when it first came back out and ever since I just can't stop painting my nails! I've always gone to the salon to get them done, but the black shatter really changed my opinion on doing my own nails. On to tonight's mani!

For this mani, I used Nails Inc King's Cross and OPI My Boyfriend Scales The Walls. King's Cross is a bright neon orange crackle top coat, part of Nails Inc. new line for Summer 2012. Out of all the crackle polishes I've ever used, this is the best bar none. The formula was a dream, thin enough that you could actually control the coats to your likeness. There was no clumping and there was great crackle coverage. If you plan on picking up any crackle polishes this summer, be sure to check out the rest of their colors! MBSTW is an almost white-grey creme polish which is gorgeous and applied flawlessly as well.

First, I painted my nails two coats of MBSTW and let them dry completely. After about five minutes, I was surprised it was dry (which never happens with white polishes, in my experience) and I added the crackle. My love for crackle has furthered and I definitely will be picking up a few more colors to add to my collection!

Here's a picture of My Boyfriend Scales The Walls as my base color. Just look at the coverage! That's two, thin dreamy coats my friends.

That's all for tonight! Do you ladies own any Nails Inc. polishes? If so, what are your favorites?

Leave your answers in the comment section below!

King's Cross is available on the Nails Inc. website or at Sephora stores for $9.50.

*Nails Inc. products sent for review. All opinions are my own.

Skittles Mani + a Special Announcement!

Good morning ladies! I hope everyone's weekend was filled with fun, sun and a little bit of R&R. No rest for the wicked here, I spent the weekend wrangling boxes and packing things up. Deja vu? I think so. I've got something special planned for this week for you guys. In addition to showcasing, five gorgeous polishes I received from Nails Inc., I'll also be doing nail art week this week, and finally next week will be Indie week! I'm excited to start doing weekly features now and then for you guys because I know I love to see them on a blog, plus with things getting crazy around here I want to keep you occupied ;)

Enough small talk, lets get to the real reason you're here -- the skittles manicure!

Now I know you're thinking, "well there's no real nail art to a skittles manicure." This is true. What's also true, is that I have little to no skill at any type of nail art or art in general. Stick people and flowers are about the extent of my ability, which is why I'm challenging myself this week! Starting off slow and working my way up later on this week. For this mani, I used Pretty & Polished Party on my Yacht, China Glaze Champagne Bubbles, OPI Don't Mess With OPI and Zoya Charisma.

Can we please just take a moment and look at all of the gorgeous glitters in POMY? Sorry for the blurtastic shot, but I just wanted to get all the colors of the glitter to show you guys. POMY has gorgeous champagne, purple, and green glitters that totally remind me of Mardi Gras! So many fun, colors it's a true tribute to the Carnival and truly makes me want to party on a yacht!

My camera hates neons and wouldn't pick up the true color of Charisma on my nails to save my life. If you look at the bottle picture below that is a more accurate image of what she really looks like!

I hope you guys enjoyed this mani as much as I did! It would be perfect for February during the Mardi Gras season, especially as a nice little breather from Valentine's Day manis. That's all for now, I'm off to the Apple store to see why my phone won't hold a charge!

College Polished

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