Very Denniee Nails :): 2013

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Something a Little Festive

Again, apologizing for the sporadic posts.  =___=  This quarter was unexpectedly hard, and a class *cough*art*cough* took up way more time than I expected.  I didn't even really do nails all that much.

Hopefully *fingers crossed*, I can get back to doing my nails :)  Now that most of my classes are over, I'm finding myself with a little more time to pamper myself.  Here's something I put on a couple days ago:


I got this idea from The Nail Network.  I love it because it's festive and perfect for the holiday season without being too garish.

Colors Used:
OPI - Don't Burst My Bubble
China Glaze - Holly Day
Zoya - Ziv

That's it from me!  I'm hoping to have another little something else up for you guys soon!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

31DC2013: Day 6 - Purple

I know, I know...I said I would try to keep up with the challenge, and here I am at the end, and I haven't even done 1 week's worth of challenges.  Well, today I have one last design I managed to do on time.  I actually had forgotten that my boyfriend and I planned to go on a trip earlier this month, so I couldn't do my nails while I was away.

Here are my purple nails.  I managed to keep these nails perfect throughout the vacation, which as many of you know is near impossible to do!  By the time I took these off, you could see a good half a centimeter of growth at the base, but very minimal tipwear :)  Proud of my wear time on these.

The design was simple: I painted one coat of the base lilac color, then I freehanded a diagonal tip using the dark purple.  Finally, I used a striper brush to brush on the gold (it looks like silver, but it really is gold).


Colors Used:
Sally Hansen - Grape Race
China Glaze - Grape Pop
Sally Hansen - Golden-I

Thursday, September 5, 2013

31DC2013: Day 5 - Blue

Hey guys!  Glad that I managed to get this mani in before the night was over.  I'll keep this post short since I have to leave the house now!  I love these two colors together, they both have lovely shimmer :)

This pic best shows the shimmer



Colors Used:
Essence - I Love Bad Boys
Essence Date in the Moonlight

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Day 4 - Green

Alright, here is day 4's mani, based off the color green.  I'm quite happy with the result :)  This mani is based off of the Nailsaurus'  waterfall mani.  This was really quite easy to do; I basically painted the base color, and then semi-randomly placed the stripes of the different colors at the base of my nail with a striper brush. I love how it looks on the nail!  It reminds me of grass or hula skirts.


Colors used:
Zoya - Jacqueline
Essie - Navigate Her
Essie - Mojito Madness
American Apparel - Hunter

As a reminder, these are the challenges for the rest of the month.  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post!

First Nail Post in a Long Time! #31DC2013

I'm excited to say that I have many pictures ready to post and talk about!  And just to let you know, I haven't been slacking on the 31 Day Challenge, either.  I've just been a bit too occupied to actually post the pictures.

So I present days 1-3 of the 31 Day Challenge :)


Here's day 1's mani.  I didn't have a design in mind, and I didn't want to just go with straight red color (I want to challenge myself!), so I decided to practice my stamping!  Not too shabby, since I don't often stamp.

Colors used:
Zoya - Rehka
Color Club - Cosmic Fate


This is day 2's mani.  I decided to keep practicing my stamping, since it's such a useful technique in nail art.  You can see that this stamping didn't turn out as nice looking...I guess this color combination wasn't as forgiving as the last one.

Colors used:
Zoya - Arizona
American Apparel - Hassid


Lastly, I present day 3's mani.  One more day of practicing my stamping.  You can see that this one is much better than the last one.  The lines are much clearer and the pattern transferred entirely.  I'm so proud of these; I couldn't stop looking at them!  I was very excited about this one, since giraffes are awesome and I love them.  :)  I love the effect that the subtle print gives off.

Colors used:
Sally Hansen Insta-dry - Man-go Team!
Zoya - Pippa

That's it for this post.  Don't worry, I have the next mani done.  I haven't fallen behind yet!  I just didn't want to jam too much into my first post back.  Plus, these 3 kind of group nicely together since they're all stamping.  So keep alert for the next mani sometime tonight :)

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

31 Day Challenge: Attempt 2!

I saw this on Chalkboard Nails today and I really want to give this a try!  It'd be a good way to get back into doing my nails and challenging myself (and getting back into blogging :D)  So look forward to it!  I know I am.


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Random Ramblings of a Chemist.

Random thought:  As a chemist, I find myself dealing with large amounts of toluene on a daily basis.  I use it as a solvent for the HPLC (a way to purify chemicals) quite often.  It kind of amuses me to see "toluene free" on polish bottles now.  It's also amusing how I can distinguish the specific scent of toluene now. :P

Sorry, no actual nail porn today guys :(  Hopefully everyone who's reading this has had a good summer so far (and my condolences to those who've already started school).

I've been very busy trying to balance my job, lab internship, getting back into working out, and studying for GREs.  I'm also working through some possible health issues, so bear with me :(   I've been feeling pretty exhausted at the end of each day, and sadly, I'm not sure why.  I've been doing my nails (hardly a day goes by where they're unpainted), but I haven't had the time or motivation to take decent pictures of them.

Hopefully posting little blurbs on my blog from time to time will help me ease back into blogging.  I do miss it...

Until I do get back to blogging, see what's on my nails on my instagram! Yes, I have an instagram now...who would have thought?  I'm actually kind of embarrassed about it.  Follow me @dennieesnails :)

Thursday, June 13, 2013

Hiatus

Heyo!  Sorry for the long unexplained absence.  I'm glad to see that people still look at this blog though, it makes me smile :)

I think I'm going to be away for a little longer.  I've been feeling uninspired lately; I think I'm a little burnt out from finals (luckily that's over now).  And with the stress of school, my nails have suffered.  Right now they have a condition called onycholysis, in which the fingernails are separating from the nail beds.  Because of that, I'm keeping my nails at the minimum length, and it's not pretty.  So until I can get this sorted out, I will not be blogging, unfortunately.

I'll be back later :)

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

155. China Glaze - Fancy Pants

Fancy Pants is a blue-toned purple with magenta shimmer running throughout.  In the bottle, I thought I would love this immensely.  However, it kind of disappointed me on the nail.  The shimmer is not as apparent on the nails as in the bottle.  I was hoping for a bit more of a wow factor, but ah well, this is how it goes.

More accurate to color.


Formula was nice on this polish.  It was almost opaque in one coat, but I used 2 coats for this swatch.

Friday, April 19, 2013

154. OPI - I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw

Ugh, I feel like the name of this polish is so unneccessary.  Anyways.  Warsaw is a lovely navy blue cream.  Not much else to say about it.  It doesn't really seem like a spring color, but meh...OPI included it, so it must be a color to wear for spring~/sarcasm.  Anyways, it really is nice, and I can see myself breaking this color out a couple times a year, especially more during fall :)


Application was absolutely perfect.  Like with most OPIs, application was easy-peasy, thanks to the prowide brush.  I feel like if you're really careful, you could get a one-coat application.  I almost did on a couple nails.  Here, I am wearing 2 coats, no topcoat.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

153. China Glaze - Mimosa's Before Mani's

Mimosa's Before Mani's was one of the polishes I was looking forward to most from CG's spring collection!    Usually I don't like pinks too much, but if it leans peach or coral, I gotta have it!  Mimosa's is a peachy pink/coral with golden shimmer. And we all know how I am about that golden shimmer :)  The golden shimmer isn't really that apparent (especially in the picture below), but it does give the polish a slight glow, making the color a little warmer.

This color leans a little too peach.  Imagine a touch of orange in this swatch.
In most lights, it leans more orange.  My boyfriend even thought I was just wearing an orange polish on my toes :P  I can see myself wearing this a lot this year on my toes.  I love bright colors on my toes!  Even if I can only wear open-toed shoes 1-2 times a week, my polish will be cute :)

This swatch shows 2 thick coats, but 3 thin ones would probably be better.  The formula wouldn't self level, but topcoat takes care of all that.

Monday, April 8, 2013

152. Essie - Butler Please

Hey guys!  I have a bunch of pictures of what I've been wearing, but I'm going to try to show you guys my most recent stuff, and save the others for slow times.  I've also been experimenting with lighting set ups.  My lightbox just wasn't producing the kind of pictures I wanted, and taking pictures with just my daybulb wasn't working either.  For some reason the pictures were all coming out with the wrong color balance.  I guess I just have to experiment.

For now, here's some pictures that I took outside.  Davis has been really nice and sunny recently (except today, which was violently windy), and I hope to take advantage of it more!  Springtime/Autumn in Davis is the nicest weather <3

Butler Please is the most beautiful cobalt blue cream.  It's very dark in that it is saturated, but it's bright like crazy!  They stand out from a mile away.  Wow!  Here's some nail art I did using Butler Please, and a picture of Butler Please by itself.



I actually think Butler Please may have some neon pigment in it.  It dried to a satin/matte finish, and only became glossy with topcoat.


This picture is just about color accurate.  This kind of cobalt blue is very hard to photograph, but I think this color comes very close.  Butler Please is extremely flattering on my skintone, and it is just the kind of color I love!  I believe this is 2 thick coats of Butler Please, with Poshe on top.  You may need 3 thinner coats, since it does drag, just the tiniest bit.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

151. Sinful Colors - Lush Life

Lush Life is a lovely glitter topcoat.  It has large and small teal hex glitter in a clear base.  I love this color, and I can see myself using this over a lot of colors!


This is 1 coat of Lush Life over Mint Candy Apple.  Application was very easy; no dabbing or placing of glitters necessary!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

150. Sinful Colors - Mint Candy Apple

Lately I've really been loving mint polishes.  I know, I know, I'm a little late to this party.  Anyways, Mint Candy Apple is a lovely mint green with shimmer.  In most lights, the shimmer is silver, but direct lighting makes it light up golden!  Love it!

More color accurate :)

More to show off the shimmer.

Like most mints, the formula was a bit patchy.  Nothing unmanageable though.  This is 2 thick coats of MCA.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

149. China Glaze - Custom Kicks

Custom Kicks is one of my favorite polishes.  It's an aqua cream with sparse gold shimmer.  I saw aqua because the base color is a little too green to be teal.  Of course, I love the gold shimmer.  It gives the polish a little hidden sparkle to it.  In most lights, it's not really that apparent, but the polish gains just a little more life.  I think the shimmer makes it look as if sunlight is reflecting off the surface of a still lake.


Formula-wise, this polish was good.  It covers perfectly in 2 coats, with no balding or patchiness.  However, Custom Kicks stains like no one else's business.  I still have the stains from wearing it.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

148. China Glaze - Midtown Magic

Midtown Magic is a polish I wore late last quarter.  Midtown Magic looks like a chocolate brown shimmer in the bottle, but it is so much more than that!  Well, I guess in these pictures, it does look just like a warm brown with gold shimmer.  And it's absolutely beautiful that way.  But during application, the first coat shows that this polish has a plummy purple undertone.  I kind of wish I took a picture of it at one coat.  Oh well, it's beautiful after it reaches opacity.  It kind of reminds me of fizzy coke :)



However, the formula leaves a little to be desired.  It's thin and watery, making it a little difficult to control.  Coverage on the first coat is very patchy, and drags on the second.  If you're really careful and have a light hand during application, 2 coats will work for opacity.  However, I had to use 3 due to some bald patches.

145-147 Finishing Up the Halo Hues!

Hello, I'm back!  Hopefully someone out there missed me ^^;;  I had a good spring break.  I didn't go anywhere special; I just went home.  And once I was home, I was just really lazy and didn't get anything done really...but that's always good once in a while!  

Anyways, today I'm going to wrap up the last of the Halo Hues.  Not to say that I don't like holos (I really do love the rainbow-riffic awesome shinies), but I do want to finish them up so I can show you guys something different, like what I've actually been wearing lately.

First up is Cloud Nine, a pastel pink holo.  The holo on this was pretty strong I believe.  Shown in the pictures is 3 coats.  Can't really say this one was the most interesting for me, as I'm not really a pink girl, but it sure is pretty.



Next is Harp On It, your quintessential silver holo.  I actually didn't have a very good silver holo in my collection up until this point, so it is a nice addition :)  I believe this is 3 coats, but you could probably get away with less with more careful application


Finally, to wrap things up, we have Halographic, a saturated magenta holo.  I feel like this one is similar to Miss Bliss, so perhaps I will do a comparison later.  This is two coats of Halographic.




Overall, I am really impressed with Color Club's holos.  They've definitely taken a look at what's popular in the nail-blogosphere and ran with it.  They've given us a good variety of color with a healthy amount of rainbows.  The formulas of each of the Halo Hues individually were good, but noticeably better with the 2013 polishes in terms of opacity and color variety.

That's it with the Halo Hues, guys!  Hold tight for some new, different things coming up soon!  Until then :)

Friday, March 22, 2013

142-144 - Triple Threat Halo Hues

Today's a triple threat post!  Since I missed the last 2 days of posting due to post-finals exhaustion, I figured I'd just give everyone a little more eye candy :)  For a full description and more pictures, read after the jump!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

141. Color Club - Over the Moon

Over the Moon is a wonderful ocean blue holo!  This was an unexpected favorite of mine!  It just looks so beautiful :)  This is two coats.  Not much more to say; I've got to get back to studying!




140. Color Club - Eternal Beauty

Hello hello!  I'm a little bit late in posting this today, but I guess I'll just put another one up later as well :)  This is the polish I was most eager to get my hands on in the 2013 Halo Hues.  This is Eternal Beauty, a great purple holo!  I think the holo's a little weak on this polish, but it's still lovely nonetheless.  The base is a beautiful blue based purple.  The color is actually quite silvery in indirect lighting, but it comes to life in the light!  Enjoy the pics!


More accurate for the base color.

Shown above is 1 thick coat, no topcoat.  The polish applied beautifully and required no cleanup; always a plus!

Sunday, March 17, 2013

139. Color Club - Beyond

Beyond is an awesome black holo!  A lot of black holos tend to look more silver due to the holographic particles in the polish.  However, I think Beyond strikes the right balance between holo goodness and darkness of the base color.  The holo isn't the strongest, but it's still a stunner and I love it!

Showing the darkness of the base

Look how holo it is!

Like the other holos I've shown so far, this was 2 lovely, smooth coats.  Stay tuned for more! :)

Saturday, March 16, 2013

138. Color Club - Kismet

Hey guys!  Since St. Patties' Day is tomorrow, I figured I'd at least show you a green holo :)  I've had green polishes on all week, but I haven't had a chance to look over the photos yet.  *sigh* Finals week we meet again...

Kismet is a lovely sage green holo.  Kismet is one of the new Halo Hues, and I'm so glad the second set has more variety in colors.  The first set just had too much pink, IMO.  I absolutely love the base color of this polish; it's perfect for spring!  I think the holo in this polish is a little bit weaker than the other ones from the 2013 set, but you can see in the following pictures that it's still pretty strong, especially in daylight :D

This is under indirect lighting.  The actual polish looks less silvery and more warm-toned.



This was 2 nice coats of Kismet.  No topcoat.  No clean up too!  I love holos and I'm glad the sun's out to play :)

Friday, March 15, 2013

137. Color Club - Angel Kiss

Hello my pretties!  Today I'll be showing you Angel Kiss, a soft seafoam green/blue polish.  I don't think I got a good picture of the base color, but that's mostly because of the very strong holo effect of this polish!  I'm really digging these halo hues :)

Angel Kiss is more green than these pics would suggest.

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This is 2 coats of this beauty, an absolute dream to apply!

And since I've just started a bloglovin' account: 

Thursday, March 14, 2013

136. Color Club - Blue Heaven

Hey lovelies!  Starting today, I'll be on a holo marathon!  I've gotten my hands on all 12 of the Color Club Halo Hues and finally finished swatching them!  I have a couple of pictures for each polish, and I didn't really want to have a very pic-heavy post, so I'm just going to post them one at a time :)

First I have Blue Heaven, from the 2012 Halo Hues collection.  This was the very first Halo Hue I tried, and I've got to admit that it blew me out of the water!  Blue Heaven is a sky blue holo polish.  The base color is actually a little bit brighter in real life, but the holo effect is really strong so it washed out the color a little bit.  Even in indoor lights, this polish  has a special bit of sparkle :)




Best shot showing the base color

The entire Halo Hues line is a dream to apply.  This is 3 coats, no topcoat.  With some holos, putting on top coat significantly dulls the holo effect, but I've used topcoat with very minimal dulling.  This is great!  We can have long wear AND pretty special nails.  There was no dragging or bald spots either, which can happen with some other holos.  Luckily you don't need a special base coat for these babies <3

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Social Networking

Hey everyone!  I've been working on a few projects for the blog lately, and I've finally reached a point where it is (somewhat) presentable.  I've started a facebook page and a tumblr for this blog, in order to give you guys a more accessible way to follow me/my posts.  Since I've been unable to get GFC on my blog, I looked for a long time for a good solution, and this is the best I can come up with for now.  So I hope you guys follow me!

Facebook
Pinterest if you guys haven't already seen it
Tumblr

Monday, March 11, 2013

135. Zoya - Nidhi

Nidhi is quite the firecracker of a polish!  Nidhi is a bright red, almost scarlet, polish with gold shimmer running thoughout it.  If you know me in real life or have been reading this blog for a while, you know that I absolutely LOVE gold shimmer in polishes.   So when I first saw this polish, I KNEW I had to get my hands on it.  


I have to admit though, after wearing it, I am slightly disappointed by the fact that many of the gold shimmers turned to an almost red color.  Oh well, can't have it all; it's still beautiful, regardless.


The formula of Nidhi was quite good, if I remember correctly.  It was just fluid enough to control easily, but not so watery as to flood my cuticles.  This is good, since usually Zoyas (especially their creams), are usually on the thick side.  But this is probably why the opacity of their polishes are second to none!  I believe this is two coats, no top coat.