Rowan Collab - #rememberrowan

***trigger story***

A while back, one of the amazing ladies that I'm proud to call my friend within the nail community, came up with the idea to do a collaboration for a sweet mama - another amazing lady I can call my friend - who lost her baby to full term stillbirth. 60 ladies decided to remember and honor Rowan with their purple manis, many of which with butterflies which represent sweet Rowan.

Watch the flipagram here: #rememberrowan flipagram

My #rememberrowan mani

Thanks for reading!

~Stacy

Nails Like Lace Instagram Rainbow Collab

Through all of these wonderful groups of ladies that I've "met" through my rekindled love of all things nail polish, I've gotten into some pretty awesome collaborations, features, and just overall great experiences.

Back on topic! Recently, I was able to participate in the #returnoftherainbowcollab that was put on by Amber at Nails Like Lace on Instagram! When I first signed up to be a part of it, I had no idea what I was going to do. Ok, let me rephrase that. I had so many ideas, but I couldn't narrow it down. Rainbow gradient? Man, a lot of people do those... Dotticure? I've seen a lot of those, too, but love how they look. I wonder how neons will look over nude...I'm going to try that! Ooh, what about a fan brush! YES! THAT'S what I'm going to do! Now you've experienced just a minuscule part of what goes on in my head when I'm trying to figure out just what I'm going to do with my nails.

I pulled all of the polish that I would need for both of these ideas, loaded them into my basket, grabbed a tv tray and parked my butt on the couch in the living room. One of these days, when my husband isn't around to side-eye me, I will take pictures of everything as I go. Anyways, you get the idea...lots of polish in my basket, lots of tools, too many ideas still swirling in my head. I went for the dotticure first. I used NYC Fashion Safari as the base color, and L.A. Colors Absolute, Spat!, Flicker, Scream, Aquatic and Electra for the dots. I do like it, but it didn't turn out quite how I pictured!

Off it came, and I moved on to my fan brush idea. For this one, I used a whole bunch of other colors that, unfortunately, I did not take note of. Sinful Colors Snow Me White is the base...I do remember that much. :-P

And here's the full collaboration! Talk about adding a little color to the world. How can you not smile seeing all these beautiful rainbows!?

Have you been a part of a large collaboration? Did you enjoy it?

See you soon, stay polished!
~Stacy

PAA - Mani Monday - Color Block

A little while back, I was added to a group of really talented nail ladies. Each Monday, they have a new theme for everyone to base their mani off of. The first week that I participated, the theme was "Color Block". I had been excited to try this method for quite a while, and even though I had done color block before, I had a lot more of a variety of polish to choose from this time. I knew I wanted a dark base, and to use some of my Zoya Pixie Dusts, but that was as far as I had gotten. So...I started going through my polish and grabbed Stevie, Nyx, and Godiva. But what do I use under them?! Dark blue! Yes! Grabbed Pure Ice Party Hard, my base coat, my top coat, and my striping tape and got busy! Silly me forgot that I had purchased Zoya Sailor, or I would have used that instead! Ah well.

So, here is the finished product. I really, really loved how this came out, so I'm anxious to try it with different color combinations!

Have you done any color block manis? What's your favorite color combination?

See you soon!
~Stacy

Pink and Purple - Tribute Mani

Hello, hello!

This pretty, feminine little ditty comes with some hidden meaning!

In case you haven't heard, there's a little boy named Paul that is currently dealing with CHD (Congenital Heart Disease), and has been in and out of ICU's and hospitals so many times in his short little life. If you would like more information, visit his Facebook page (Pink 4 Paul), the blog cataloging his journey, and the article that was run in "The Emerald". I've done a few #pink4paul manis now, but this one is one of my favorites!

The other half of this mani is done in purple - a specific purple, Sinful Colors Tempest - to show support and love for a special mom and her precious angel baby.

I topped this mani with Zoya Monet for just a little added oomph. I wish I would have brushed it on instead of sponging it on, but I still love it!

This mani was actually featured on the Zoya website, too! See?

Pretty neat! ;-)
Thanks for stopping by!
~Stacy

#wearyellowforseth

So, there's this little boy named Seth that is battling Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID). He was in need of a second bone marrow transplant, and everyone was challenged to wear yellow to support him yesterday March 27, 2015. To read more about Seth and his journey, visit their Facebook page and their blog!

I wish I would have gotten this posted yesterday!!! Here is my contribution to #wearyellowforseth.

All colors used are by Sinful Colors: Let's Meet (YELLOW!), Go Go Boots (purple), Savage, and Hazard. I really kind of love this mani, so as badly as I'm itching to repaint, I'm leaving it on a little longer to support one super adorable little hero! <3 nbsp="" p="">

Stay strong, little man!!!

~Stacy

Shinespark Polish - Reveiw

***DISCLAIMER: I received two mini bottles of Shinespark Polish to review. Here you will see one of those polishes, and I have not been compensated for this review.***

Hello, hello! LOOK at this beauty. It starts as this totally soft lavender shade, then you take her out in the sun, and BAM. Purple, baby! But...you'll have to wait a little while. This indie brand isn't launching their first line until February 28 at 11 am CST!

What you see here is three average coats with no top coat. Application was a little bit tricky a couple of times because I tried to over work it and it pulled ever so slightly near my cuticles. However, after the second coat, there weren't any visible divots or lines (aside from the peeled gash in my index finger nail...cries). It dries to a nice matte satin finish with a great shimmer. I love the shift that this polish offers between indoor/shade and sunlight. Now...you can't get it do do this inside. Believe me, I tried. Lamp light? Nope. Energy efficient "bright white" bulbs? Nope. Sun blazing through the window? (I totally thought that would work, but...) Nope, at least not to this degree! It's truly stunning to see it switch right before your eyes. The fact that it's my favorite color is...well, a definite bonus!

Here's a quick macro to show the color detail.

The main factor that I look for in a polish, is color. It's the first thing I see - obviously - and it's the first thing anyone else sees. Second to that would be the finish and/or effects. I've seen thermals, but I've never seen these solar reactive polishes, so this is a definite bonus. I personally try to steer clear of a polish that requires more than two coats, but I always make exceptions to that rule. If I adore the color and finish/effect of the polish, I can look past the number of coats, or the fact that it might be kind of tricky to work with.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this polish! In my next review, I will be playing with a little Mickey glitter mix up from Shinespark as well!

You can find Shinespark Polish online at http://www.shinesparkpolish.com/ or on Instagram @shinesparkpolish

What do you think? What do you look for in a polish? Don't be shy, I don't bite!

~Stacy