Hello, hello!

Hello again!

It's been pretty busy in the "mami" household lately. Since my last post, seen here, my kid' have gone back to school (and consequently, gotten sick way too often), I continued working, and I got to start going back to school myself! Yay! As you can see by my Instagram feed on the right side, I'm still painting, but they'e all part of the second half of the "year in color" challenge that was featured in my last post.

Except for one thing.

Polish Con.

Oh. Mygoodness. I had a BLAAAAAAASSST!!! I spent WAY too much money, but I canNOT wait to go again! I might even try to go to The Indie Shop...but don't tell my husband! Ha!

Anyways. Polish Con Chicago. Navy Pier!!! This was my first Con, and man did it leave an impression. The venue was huge which is great for those like me that tend to suffer from anxiety...and get claustrophobic. Unfortunately, I didn't take many pics while there because, well... I was too busy buying every bottle of polish that touched my finger tips... Ha! Go check out my friend Cici's blog for an awesome overview of the whole experience!

I do have a haul pic, and a pic of the goodies I won! It was like CHRISTMAS!!!

My haaauuullll... (the smaller grouping is what came in the VIP bag. :-)

And my winnings!!! I was FLOORED when I found out that I won! My friend and I hoofed it 20 minutes from our hotel back to the hall so I could pick it up!

*sigh*

So much fun. I can't wait to go again!

Did you go to Polish Con? What was your favorite part? Don't be shy...I won't steal your Polish!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stacy

...slipping away...again!

Oye. I really need to keep up on this a lot better! It's one of my goals this year to blog a little more, but so far...I'm failing, miserably!

Yes, I'm still painting my nails.

I'm still buying polish like a fiend (ok, not THAT much).

I'm still doing mani swaps, bestie twin nail manis, still participating in polish swaps (and getting some pretty sweet stuff in the process)...but blogging about it has kind of fallen by the wayside as of late. Check out my Instagram feed @mamineedsamani or on the right side of the screen!

However................I'll have a very exciting post in a couple of months. Want to know why?

...Imgoingtopolishcon...

*giggle*

Toodles!

Push Your Mani: August!

Hey there again lovelies! Have you seen PushYourMani on Instagram? If not, go check it out! Each month there is a new set of challenges, and they are usually spaced out about three days at a time. Totally doable! (Don't ask me why I can't seem to complete a full month...haha!)

Anyways, click on that there link, go check it out, and join in on the fun! Here is a copy of this month's challenges!

I've managed to do the first two on time this month, and I'm really hoping to keep up on them all this time around!

The first prompt was "Watermelon". I used Orly Sweet Tart (jelly!) and NYC Pink Champagne for just a little bit of shimmer in the jelly. NYC High Line Green, Sally Hansen Lickety Split Lime and Finger Paints Ball Gown Glamour for the rind, and Sally Hansen Black Out for the seeds. This one was fun! If you go back a while on my Instagram feed, you'll see my first watermelon mani which was part of a mani swap. Fun times!

Prompt 1: Watermelon

The second prompt was "Nimbus". I've done one nimubs mani before this one, so it was fun to revisit! For this one, I used Sinful Colors Starfish as the base. I wanted something a little different from the typical white base color that usually gets used, and I toyed around with trying black, but didn't feel quite that brave. ;-) Anyways, all of the colors are M Polish! I used Guilded, Get Lost, Pish Plashin' Around, Dancing In The Street, and Fresh Perspective. It didn't turn out how I pictured, but it's still pretty!

Prompt 2: Nimbus

Are there any monthly challenges that you follow? What are they?

Thanks for stopping by. Polish on!

~Stacy

Envy Lacquer Swatch and Review

***I was not compensated for this review. 

I received these polishes in exchange for swatching. 

This is my review, all opinions are my own.***

I'm a little late in posting this, but trust me, these are worth it!

I was honored to swatch for Envy Lacquer, and I love everything she sent to me! These polishes are unique, and fun. Her launch is set for April 25th, so head on over to her Instagram or Facebook pages to see what she's got up her sleeves!

Back: Envy
Front Left: Maymoon's Paradise
Front Right: Jenn's Haunted Mansion 

Up first, Envy! This polish is the company's namesake, and what's the age old saying? GREEN with Envy. This is a cool green micro-glitter in a lightly colored base with scattered holo glitters. I feel like I catch a slight linear holo with this one as well.

This swatch shows two easy coats with no undie, plus a gloss topcoat on my index and middle fingers, as well as a matte topcoat on my ring and pinkie finger. It has good coverage, just don't over work it!

Envy

Envy: Gloss topcoat macro

Envy: Matte topcoat macro

Next up is Jenn's Haunted Mansion. This polish is SO MUCH fun! This one is a deep cool purple jelly shimmer with black and light purple flakies, small blue glitters, micro holo, and iridescent bar glitters. A gorgeous Heinz 57!

This swatch shows three thin coats with no undie, plus a gloss topcoat on my index and middle fingers, as well as a matte topcoat on my ring and pinkie finger. It's a sheer coverage and can be patchy, but it's pretty easy to work with, just don't over work this one, either.

Jenn's Haunted Mansion

Jenn's Haunted Mansion: Gloss top coat macro

Jenn's Haunted Mansion: Matte topcoat macro

Last but definitely not least, is Maymoon's Paradise! This polish has a sheer aqua base and is loaded with aqua hex glitters, blue and yellow square glitters, and small yellow glitters. I love the look of this one over the black and white!

This swatch shows one medium-thick coat with a black/white undie, plus a gloss topcoat on my index and middle fingers, as well as a matte topcoat on my ring and pinky finger. Since it is a jelly, it does require multiple coats. The swatch below the black/white picture shows 3 coats, no undie, with a gloss topcoat.

Maymoon's Paradise

Maymoon's Paradise: Macro

Overall, I loved these polishes! Once I figured out that they can't be overworked, they went on super easily and had good coverage in just 2-3 coats. Envy could actually be done in one medium-thick coat I think. I will likely be adding more of these to my collection!

Thanks for choosing me to swatch for you!

~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

Push Your Mani - March 5, 2015

I know, I'm falling behind again! Darn life getting in the way of all the fun stuff I want to do. *grumblesneergrumble*

Anyways! On to the second Push Your Mani prompt! March 5th brings us Cherry Blossoms! I did have a lot of fun doing this mani, even if it didn't turn out quite like I imagined. :-)

For this one, I used Revlon Cayenne and Buttercup, NYC Brownstone, and Maybelline Bleached Neons in Pink Punch and Coral Heat mixed together. I do love this red...so I'll be using it again!

One of these days, I'll get through an entire PYM month again!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Stacy

Push Your Mani - March 2, 2015

Howdy! If you like challenging yourself with your nail art, you're probably aware of a few monthly challenges on Instagram already. Well, this one comes to you from @Push Your Mani! This particular challenge holds a special place in my heart because I've been chatting with the person in charge of it for quite some time now ;-) I love these challenges because they really make me try things that maybe I haven't tried, or just haven't thought to try. I do enjoy them but alas. I am a slacker, and I don't do them enough!

I've done stamping in the past, but just plain old stamping. I've not been brave enough to try advanced stamping until now. I used Sinful Colors Hazard and Solar Flux for my base colors, and stamped with Sinful Colors Nirvana using my Cici&Sisi plate 5. I filled the stamp in with Revlon Hypnotize, Sinful Colors Hazard and Mint Apple. I actually love how this turned out, even though it wasn't my original plan.

Check it out! What do you think?

See you next time!

~Stacy

M Polish!

Ok, so I slacked off for a while there. I posted about buying the M Polish mini set, and never updated! Well let me just say, M Polish is amazing! First of all, I got my order in a matter of a few days, and there was a little hand written thank you note on my invoice. I wanted to tear into them so fast and try them out. However, a very kind, fellow polish enthusiast from the message board I am on contacted me asking if I wanted to swap my minis for her full sizes for just the price difference. Um. YEAH!!! So, I had to ship off my minis, and wait for these beauties to land in my little paws!

Seriously, if you are into stamping, you need these polishes. 5 free. GORGEOUS over black - and any other color, really. They're amazing. If you'd like to see some great reviews and pics before I get around to posting my manis with them, check out some of these great bloggers!

Mama Hearts Polish

The Polished Perspective

Dancer's Polished Life

jeninthemorning

And of course, you can find M Polish on Facebook at M Polish, or on Instagram at @mpolishes.

So, do you have these beauties? What do you think!?
~Stacy

Playing with Julie G and nail guides

In an attempt to continue out of my funk (which is all but gone, now!), I wanted something fun. Something bright. Something...funky and geometric. I really had high hopes for this mani, but I was somewhat disappointed with the outcome. They're pretty, but I should have used a more dense glitter, or a solid color in place of the glitter with the guides.

I used Julie G Fierce & Fab, Wet & Wild Fergie Take the Stage, and Kiss nail guides.

And a close up of the accent nail so that you can actually see the detail! It's a little blurry, sorry!

I will get my hands on some chevron nail vinyls soon!

What is your favorite vinyl design?
~Stacy

"For Audrey"

Well, here's my first full mani since Valentine's day! Yeah...I went a whole week with naked nails...or just my Shinespark swatch on. Some polish addict I am!

Anyways. I wanted to get out of a funk that I've been struggling with, and even swatching wasn't really doing anything for me. Usually, if I'm in a funk, swatching will bring me right out of it, and will get the creative juices flowing again. Heh. Not this time. I had to force it!

So, without further ado, meet China Glaze For Audrey, Sinful Colors Snow Me White, and some really cute nail gems! I use my Shany #224 plate for the bows. I am loving stamping! A while back, I actually thought stamping was cheating. Psh. I was so wrong!!!

What's your favorite nail art technique?

~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

Now that my FRENZY is over...

Ok, here's the scoop!

If you haven't heard of M Polish yet, you are missing out. This polish is amazing. All of the manis I've seen done with them are absolutely stunning. The launch happened at 9 am EST this morning, and the mini sets were completely sold out in I think 15 minutes! I can't wait to get my grubby paws on these beauties!

I was able to score some of these little mini cuties...check out how adorable they are!

(Pic from the M Polish website)

Now, if you'd like to check them out for yourself, you can find her on Facebook at M Polish, or at her website! Go now! You might be able to get a full size set still!

~Stacy

February Mani Swap!

Ok, first actual picture post here! Each month, a lot of the awesome BHB ladies on BabyCenter participate in a mani swap. If you're not sure what that means, read on! Each person is partnered up with another nail enthusiast from the group. We scour each other's Instagram pages and choose a mani to recreate, without telling our partner what we're doing! It's loads of fun, and I think I've only missed a couple of them along the way.

This month I wanted to try to accomplish double duty with my swap mani. See, the weekend I completed it, I was also going to a wild game dinner. I found an absolutely gorgeous stamped mani - which I could use my Winstonia Hunter's Life plate for - and decided to run with it. Below is the finished product! Originals are on the left, recreations are on the right.

This is my final solo shot for the swap. I used Sinful Colors Man Hunt (from the Sinful Shine line) as the base color, and stamped with Essie No Place Like Chrome and my Winstonia Hunter's Life plate. It was so fun!

This was my original recreation. I used Bonita Eat, Drink & Be Scary as the base color, with Essie No Place Like Chrome and Winstonia Hunter's Life plate. It wound up being ruined due to a perfectly timed diaper change! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!
~Stacy

Welcome to the colorful abyss, from my eyes!

Hello! Yes, me again. I've decided to start documenting my nail adventures this way, too! Yep, that's right. If you follow me on Instagram, are friends with me on Facebook, and know me on Babycenter, you'll probably get sick of seeing my nails all.the.time. :-)

Anyways. This is still very much under construction, so please bear with me as I get everything situated and figured out. In the meantime...

What is your favorite polish brand? Your favorite technique? Are you new to the nail world, or an "old pro"?

I'm so glad you've joined me. I hope you stick around!

~Stacy