Don't Shoot Your Eye Out!

I don't suppose you'll EVER guess what my favorite Christmas movie is, will you?  ;)  In the spirit of the holiday, I'd like to share my Christmas 2011 manicure.  My wonderful and generous friend, Crystal, learning of my disappointment in missing out on the Secret Santa exchange in a facebook nail polish group we both belong to, surprised me with a sweet package filled with all sorts of goodies, including two adorable snowman nail polishes.  I don't know the brand and they are unnamed (actually, they are both labeled "Snowman") but they are awesome!  One is a green foil, which looks like it's swirled with silver foil in the bottle but comes out a gorgeous medium green.  The second is a festive green and red glitter combo in a clear base.  Here are some pics for you:

These are the super cute polishes in the bottles.

Two coats of the green foil

One coat of red and green glitter on top

I added a coat of Gelous for good measure and I think that this manicure is a really fun and festive one.  I plan to enjoy it at least until December 26th.  

I wish you all, my lovely kittens, a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate and, of course, a happy and healthy new year!  Hold your loved ones close and let the spirit of the season bring you great joy!

xoxo,

K

P.S.  If you didn't get the title of this post, I highly suggest that you watch A Christmas Story as soon as possible.  It's a true classic!  

Kari Cares - Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Welcome to September which is, among other things, Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. I am proud to show my support for this worthy cause by joining many of my friends and fellow bloggers by wearing Diamond Cosmetics Don't Teal My Heart Away polish in support of the Teal Toes campaign (teal being the color for Ovarian Cancer Awareness). For more information on Teal Toes, you may click HERE to visit their facebook page. Here is a picture of the bottle, a gift from my generous friend, George, complete with teal ribbon on the neck.

I applied a base and top coat of Gelous and, in between, two coats of Don't Teal My Heart Away, as you can see here.

My intention is to keep my toes teal for the entire month of September. Aside from the cause being so important, this also happens to be a beautiful color, perfect for someone like me who adores blue and green. If this cause speaks to your heart, I'd love to hear stories of your teal toes, fingers, clothing or anything else you decide to "teal up" in support of this cause.

xoxo,
K

Accent Nail? Yes, Please

Hello, kittens! I must admit that, at times, I'm guilty of jumping on bandwagons and with polish, that is no exception. However, until last night I stayed away from the accent nail trend. For those who don't know, it has become quite popular to polish one nail on each hand differently than the rest of the fingers. Though, as you may know from past entries, I'm quite fond of the skittle mani, I didn't really get "the point" of just one finger being different. Last night, I decided to give this look a try and was pleasantly surprised with the results. I did a base coat of Duri Rejuvacote followed by two coats of Ulta Material Girl on all fingers. I'd heard great things about Material Girl from polish friends and fellow nail bloggers so I decided to pick it up during Ulta's buy two get two free promo. I have to say, I was STUNNED by how gritty it was. I guess I've been spoiled by nice smooth finishes on the other glitter polishes I own. I was really bummed but this color does look awfully pretty in direct sunlight, the holo glitter sparkling nicely. My friend and fellow blogger, Neeka, was kind enough to inform me that many glitter polishes lean towards the grit and suggested I try a product called Gelous, which smooths out the finish. I can't wait to find a bottle and try it. But I digress. I topped Material Girl with one coat of NYC New York Color Extra Shiny Top Coat. The mani looked okay but I wanted it to "pop" a little more so I took the plunge and added a coat of Ulta Little Black Dress to my ring fingers. This polish seemed to go on MUCH smoother and I was quite a bit happier. I will definitely dabble in this nail trend again, maybe mixing it up a bit by choosing a different finger to accent in the future. So, in summary, gritty polish = bad, smooth and shiny = good, at least until I decide to try out a matte polish and probably end up liking that too. *eye roll* ;)