Mint Sprint, spring is here in the Emerald city!

 

To celebrate our extra hour of daylight (sorry early birds) I've pulled out an oldie but goodie, Mint Sprint by Sally Hanson.

There's a good reason the Insta-Dri polishes have been my all time favorites and this one is no exception. They go on thick and easy (two coats here) and dry fast. The color is a nice cool green that lives up to its name though not exactly fabulous to me since I prefer all things that sparkle, so this will get a solid 4 blings, only lacking something shiny.

It feels so good to have a manicure once again! I'm an on the go gal and now a busy mommy of a toddle tot and crawler which leaves little to no time for nails. Hopefully this blog will get some much needed updates :)

April

UPDATE: Big 150 Follower Bling Giveaway!

UPDATE: We hit 250 followers! We are adding the following:

SinfulColors: "Bottom of the Ocean" and "Agaci"
OPI: "Lunch at the Delhi"
And Udderly Smooth hand cream!

Remember, this ends tomorrow, April 15th!




Sorry it took so long! Here's what we had to go through to put together this giveaway:


First, we got chased by the flying Pug monkeys! Oh no!

Then we turned around and chased them!
Then we caught them both!

And shook some polish out of them! We've made it a good one!
Here's what we got:





This haul includes the following:

Milani- 3D
China Glaze- Strawberry Fields
OPI- Catherine the Grape
Sally Hansen:
- You Gurt Style
- Flame Opal
- Sunrise, Sunset
- Strawberry Icing
- Fly Away
- Growth Activator
WetNWild:
- Sparkled
- Kaleidoscope
Rimmel- Cherry Fashion
NYC- Canal Street
Naturistics- Jamin' Java Creme
LoveMyNails:
- Plum Shimmer
- Blue Angel
- Rosebud
- Silver Bullet
Nailtek II- Intensive Therapy

And non-nail products include:
Redken- Curl Defining Cream
Bath & Body Works:
- Coconut Lime Verbena body spray
- Black Amethyst Lotion
Loves:
- Berry Sweet
- Baby Soft

Mrs. Fields Chocolates and
Cute Puppy with candy hearts- yum!

We were going to throw in one of the flying Pug monkeys, but they were too cute so we've decided to keep them :)

Unfortunately we had some casualties. Monica and Lola got carried away by the other flying monkeys. Maybe we'll be able to spring them for some guest posts on occasion.

So, here are the RULES:
1. You must be a follower using Google Friend Connect.
2. You must post one comment with all your entries included.
3. You must include your email address.

Additional Entries: (please provide links)
* Add us to your blog list- 3 additional entries
* Follow us on twitter- 1 additional entry
* Post about giveaway- 1 additional entry (+1 more for using pics)

This giveaway will end on April 15, 2010.

Also, if we hit 250 followers during this giveaway we will add SinfulColors and more OPI!

Thank you all so very very much and have fun!

~Sylvia and April~

Woo Hoo Purple Ave.

I have been meaning to do this combo for some time. When I saw these bottles together I new they were meant for each other. This is two yummy, flakie coats of NYX - Purple Ave. over Sally Hansen - Grape Going. Love me some flakies! Dried super fast. Love!!! 5 Blings

~ Sylvia ~

The infamous "Scrangie Dupe"

Well, I really don't know how much of a dupe this is because I don't have RBL - Scrangie polish. By the time I got up the courage to pay that much it was sold out. This is Sally Hansen - Grape Going. This is three coats with a top coat of Poshe'. I Love this color! It reminds me of finely machined and oiled steel. This is a gorgeous purple and blue green duo-chrome, I just wish it covered in two coats. And dry time was very slow.
I think this may be back up worthy! Sadly no sun could be found for the pics in the Emerald City. LOVE! 5 Blings

~ Sylvia ~

Stunning Silvers!

Here are some stunning silvers to make you feel special! All of these are 3 coats, fairly sheer, and all except "Celeb City" were streaky.

Pointer - "Pedal to the Metal" by Sally Hansen Salon
I like this color, though I might franken it to have just a bit more lavender color. It had good but streaky application and average dry time. 3.5 Blings

Middle - "Risk Taker" by Pure Ice

This is awesome! It is very shiny with deep color that sucks you right in. Good, but again streaky application, moderate dry time, beautiful color! 4 Blings!

Ring - "Silver Mercedes" by Pure Ice
Similar application to "Risk Taker" but a light silver. I love the name- that's the whole reason I bought it :) Very nice and shiny. 3.5 Blings

Pinkie - "Celeb City" by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear
This one is the standout! It dried the fastest, and sparkles like crazy! It was sheer as expected, but not streaky. This solves my craving for shiny and sparkly at the same time :) 4.5 Blings

~April

Coral Comparison

Well it's officially spring! Here's some coral colors to brighten your day :) All of these are JUST ONE COAT!

Pointer - "Lunch at the Delhi" by OPI
I like this color, but am just not loving it. Maybe I've gone too glitter crazy and this is more creamy, but it boarders on mauve which I seriously dislike. It had good application and average dry time. 3.5 Blings

Middle - "Crushed" by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear

Pics do not do this justice. It is very shiny with deep color that sucks you right in. Good application, moderate dry time, stunning! 4.5 Blings!

Ring - "Caribbean Coral" by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear
Very similar to "Crushed" but a bit darker and creamy instead of shiny. Super opaque, easy application, great color, very nice. 4 Blings

Pinkie - "Peach Perfection" by LoveMyNails
This one was $1 at Walmart :) It dried the fastest, but was a bit streaky and is more of a pink than coral, but it is beautiful. I haven't liked this brand in the past so was hesitant on adding this one, but it is worth it's careful application and is very opaque- for such a light color this is saying something. Very shiny and a perfect spring pink. 4 Blings

~April

April's Green Mani- Part 1

This is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Emerald City" with 3 coats, and Seche Vite top coat. It was average for application with normal size brush (oh how I wish it was the larger brush) and a beautiful evergreen color. 3.5 blings so far.

Stay tuned for the continuation of my complex mani- I'll be showing it step by step :)

~April

New Rite Aid Displays

New Limited Edition Sally Hansen Insta-Dri's. Some of these look very similar to other Insta-Dri colors, however a couple are different- like the mango color for example.


We have never seen these before! Color Fever by petites- does anyone know about these? Are they any good?

WetNWild icon eye shadows. These are beautiful!

Prestige Cosmetics Limited Edition Eye Shadows. The colors aren't that original, but they would look great for Patty's Day.

All in all we are loving Rite Aid!

~Sylvia and April

Refunkatardated

If you like odd, you'll love this. I've got the Sally Hanson Insta-Dri "Mochachino" as a base, with NYX "Rainbow Sparkle" over the top. Aside from the fact that this is clearly a yellow glitter jelly and NYX has no idea how to name their glitters, I'm quite fond of this combo. It's one of those plain looking browns, until you inspect it to find a toxic yellow glow. Very interesting and I'd like to try this glitter over a black base- can we say Mr. Yuck sticker? 4 blings.

~April

Brilliant Browns

I've been wanting to do a brown comparison for some time, and here it is :) As you can see, two of the colors are identical- they are NYC "Canal Street" (Pointer finger) and Sally Hansen Insta-Dri "Mochachino". Complete dupes, but the SH has much better application, so I'd go with it if you have the choice.

All of these had a medium dry time. Here's the breakdown:

Pinkie- "Brisbane Bronze" by OPI

This was fairly thin, so it is the only one above that needed 3 coats, and I would probably go with 4 if I was planning on wearing it exclusively. A nice color. 3.5 blings

Ring- "Haute Chocolate" by Sally Hansen Salon

I've been wondering if these are worth the price. I love the application- nice wider brush (similar to the SH Insta-Dri brush), and it was quite opaque, though need 2 coats to bring out it's best (as pictured). I wouldn't say it's better than the Insta-Dri though, so unless you must have a certain color, I'd stick with cheaper polish. 4 blings

Middle- "Mochachino" by Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

Great opacity! I could have left this at 1 coat (shown at 2 coats)! It is exactly the same color as "Canal Street" (below). This went on smooth. Love! 4.5 blings

Pointer- "Canal Street" by NYC

Medium opacity, thin for application. Brush was just okay, but the color is great. 3.5 blings

~April

Commander in Chic

The first two pics are outside and the last two are inside.
This is two coats of Sally Hansen - Commander in Chic and one coat Poshe'. This went on thick and a little streaky but not to bad. Good coverage and great shine. This is a very hip and cool color. My pics are a little on the light and warm side. 4 Blings

Then I had this little nagging voice saying "this is so familiar". So I had to go dig deep in my pile. And look what I found! Why it's it's good old Orly - Midnight Mist from way back! It's a little on the purple side but not too much. Guess I was all cool and hip before I even knew it! :)

~ Sylvia ~

Going Green

Sally Hansen X-Wear "Mint Sprint"


One, then two coats of NYX "Lime Sparkle"

I love these colors. "Mint Sprint" by itself is cool (4 blings- went on easy and very opaque- only 2 coats), but it was lacking something for me since my last mani was so crazy (orange neon plus sparkle). So I added a couple coats of the highly acclaimed (by Scrangie) "Lime Sparkle" and it looks fabulous! Lime Sparkle gets 5 blings for it's ability to transform "blah" into "voila".

~April

The Great Bling Givaway

The Great Bling Givaway is to celebrate our 25 followers and will include THREE, yes 3 prizes! There are three of us, so that's the lucky number :)

Glinda the Good Witch will be awarding the following Nail Polish prizes:

1. Four (4) OPI "senoritas" Mini Nail Lacquers (Includes "Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees", "No Spain No Gain", "Pink Flamenco", and "RapiDri Top Coat").
2. Two (2) Sally Hansen Opal Nail Glaze Polishes (Rose Gold and Earthen Opal).
3. One (1) NailTek II Intensive Therapy (for soft, peeling nails).

Rules

The first winner will get to choose their prize, then second can choose of the remaining selections, and third will get the last available prize. The giveaway is open to all readers worldwide! Each person is allowed to enter three (3) times, as follows:

1. Commenting on this post and becoming a follower.
2. Telling someone else (who must also comment and become a follower).
3. Posting a link to this post on your blog (please also leave a comment with the link included).

Prizes will be awarded by random.org to the first, second, and third selections. Please make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry to ensure they get counted! The giveaway closes Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 at Midnight PST. Prize winners will be announced no later than Saturday, March 6th. So click your Ruby Pumps together 3 times and say "There's no give away like Bling".

~Sylvia, April, and Monica

Grape Going + MAAH

Two Coats
One Coat

The awesomeness of this combo can not be overstated! No matter how many pictures I took, I could not get this to show in it's full glory. It is one and two coats of Mad As A Hatter over my previous Grape Going mani. 5 blings for sure!

~April

Burple Polish and Perfume

Sally Hansen Xtreme wear - Purple Pizzazz. I have seen this polish getting a lot of love on other sites, and now I know why! OMG! I have GOT to get a back up bottle, but they are hard to find.This is a thick burple jelly with pink glitter. It took three coats but who cares! When I went to Costco my nails looked like they were lit from within and glowing! 5 Blings!

Midnight Fantasy by Britney Spears. This is sweet cherry on top, floral center and warm musky amber vanilla base. I know her frags get dissed a lot, but they are not bad. They are nicely done. I really like this! 4 Blings

~ Sylvia~

Purple Duochrome comparison

I wanted to do a purple duochrome comparison that looked similar in the bottle to me.

Pointer - "Lapis Amethyst" by Sally Hansen Nail Prisms

This is alot lighter and more blue.This is three coats and it could have used four. Like. Not bad for 50 cents. 3 Blings

Middle - "Grape Going" by Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

This is the Scrangie Dupe that I was dying to try. Love the color. I cant wait to wear this when it is sunny! This is three coats and it could have used four. Love. 4 Blings

Ring - "Violet metal" by Rimmel Lasting Finish Pro

Gorgeous color and finish, what's not to love. This is three coats and it's just right. Love. 4 Blings

Pinkie - "Eggplant Frost" Wet n Wild Wild Shine

I'm not seeing the duochrome on the nail. This is still a really nice vampy dark purple. This is three coats but could have got away with two. The kicker here is it's got fab color, finish and shine and it's only $1.00. Love. 3.5 Blings

~ Sylvia ~