In support of Chalkboard Nails!

Today I decided to make a tribute to one of my favorite nail blogs: Chalkboard Nails.

The blog owner, Sarah, is incredibly talented in the realm of nail art, and has provided inspiration to so many nail polish fanatics, including me. I'm actually lucky enough to live in the same neighborhood with Sarah, and get to hang out with her every once in awhile. She's very sweet, social, and just plain fun to be around.

I decided to try one of Sarah's signature hand poses, though my hands don't look nearly as graceful as hers do...  *sigh*  :o)

Chalkboard Nails Houndstooth

(American Apparel L'Esprit and OPI Just Groovy)

I kinda of suck at stamping, but I'm determined to practice and get better at it. I was pretty happy with the results this time, even though they didn't come out perfectly.

Here is a picture of the inspiration (just in case she changes the background in the future. She's had quite a few really awesome ones so far!):

Sarah has actually had a bit of backlash of hateful comments and emails after having requested that a particular Instagram user credit her when using her pictures. Not an unreasonable request, but the IG user retaliated in a disgusting manner, and I feel so bad for Sarah having to deal with the aftermath. She works so hard not just on coming up with original creative designs, but also in the execution AND superb photography of them. She definitely deserves to be cited when her pictures are shared. 

So I wanted to show her my support, and tell her just how much I personally love her blog and nail art.

You're amazing, Sarah!

butter LONDON - Lillibet's Jubilee for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee

From what I understand, this past weekend celebrated Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee, which marked 60 years since her ascension to the throne in 1952. In honor, butter LONDON has created a nail polish shade named Lillibet's Jubilee.

butter LONDON - Lillibet's Jubilee

Lillibet's Jubilee is a beautiful, bright silvery lilac foil. At first I was disappointed because I thought it was going to contain holo particles, but now that I've tried it I think it's stunning just how it is. What it does, it does very well! The finish is incredibly reflective and eye-catching, and the lilac tint sets it apart from all the other silver foils out there. It also has excellent formula, gliding on perfectly in two easy coats. I don't have anything like this in my collection; all the purple foils I have are darker and not as shiny. Elegant, yet striking.

Lillibet's Jubilee and all the other butter LONDON polishes are available on the butter LONDON website, as well as in Ulta stores and at Ulta.com. They retail for $14 each. Lillibet's Jubilee is labeled as a limited edition on Ulta, but I'm not sure since Butter London's site makes no indication.


(Products were provided for review.)

OPI NY Ballet Collection: Swatches and Review

This was an unexpected love for me. I'm not usually the sheer/pink/nude type, but something drew me in: these are beautiful, elegant JELLIES! I've been crazy about the glitter/jelly sandwiches lately, and I have a feeling these would be perfect for them!

OPI - My Pointe Exactly

This is my favorite. My Pointe Exactly is a light grey jelly that is semi-opaque at three coats (shown). Even with a bit of VNL, I still loved the look of this. Elegant and edgy at the same time!

OPI - Don't Touch My Tutu!

Don't Touch My Tutu is a nice clean white jelly. Along the same lines as Essie Marshmallow but a little bit more sheer, I think it would work even better for the glitter sandwiches. I love the way white jellies make glitter look like sprinkles on a cupcake.

OPI - Care to Danse

Care to Danse is a light purple jelly. The bottle looks more purple than it appears on the nail.  I'm not sure, but this may be my second favorite.

OPI - Barre My Soul

Barre My Soul is a very nice peachy beige jelly.  This would be a lovely base for a French manicure!

OPI - You Callin' Me a Lyre?

You Callin' Me a Lyre is a a peachy pink jelly that's more saturated than the others in this collection. Again, it'd be a great base for a French manicure base.  I think of the collection this was the most opaque at three coats.

OPI - Pirouette my Whistle (over each of the colors above)

Pirouette My Whistle is a clear base with silver micro glitter and large white/silvery pearl hex glitters. Most pictures of this at one coat didn't have too many white hexes, but my bottle seemed to be packed with them. I had to actually TRY not to get too many because I wanted a sparse look. Either way, it's quite elegant for a glitter. I think I like this even better than Nubar White Polka Dot.

All of these applied very nicely and easily in three coats, although it seems easiest to avoid streaks by using medium-thick coats. I suggest waiting a few minutes between each coat to prevent bubbling as well. They do kind of self-level though, which is a plus.

OPI is available at Ulta stores as well as in JC Penney Salons. I prefer JC Penney because if you buy two or more, they're only $6 each instead of $8.50 at Ulta.