it's monday again!

and you know what that means!!! Time for some manicures!! I actually have three that I've done in the past week...had a bit of polish schizophrenia. I could not decide what I wanted!! When we last chatted, I had OPI's I Eat Maine-ly Lobster on. Halfway through the week, I got bored. Then it was St. Patrick's day. Then it was time to start the week. You'll get three posts in a row (I know, I know...amazing!) this week to show off all three.

To start, we'll look at what happened when I got bored and found the reinforcement stickers in my mom's "office."

Here's what the end result was:

with flash

To start, I used 2 coats of Sally Hansen Smooth + Perfect in Air, which is a shimmery light blue. It's a thin, watery formula and as you can see from my middle finger, there was some cuticle pooling. 

I put down my reinforcements and used one coat of Ulta Wild Night. Clearly, I needed two coats...I'll know better for next time. :)

This shot was taken 2/3 through my work day when I stopped to enjoy the sunshine. To celebrate the warm weather, I wore my springiest frock :)

The next day, I was bored again sooooo, I broke out the shatter. 

This particular shatter is by wet n wild and I will definitely be using it more often.

That will put a cap on mani Monday for this week, but don't forget about your bonuses--Mani Tuesday and Mani Wednesday!!

And don't forget to check out Chalkboard Nails' Spring Giveaway and enter to win polishes from Lacquistry, Pretty and Polished, and All That Glitters!

I'm gearing up for the Spring finale of Pretty Little Liars and I'm DYING to find out who A is.

Do you guys watch Pretty Little Liars? Who do you think it is?

See you tomorrow!!

xo, ali

Mani Monday, hey!

hello, hello lovelies!! I certainly hope that life is treating you well. Things have been up and down on my end, but I'm making out okay, all things considered.

I know I have been lax in this blogging situation. I hope that I can maintain some kind of routine now that I've gotten a new computer that actually works. I became a Mac this past weekend and I love it already!

I've also found a ton of new nail polish blogs to whet my appetite until I can shop again. One of my new favorites, hotpinkaurora just hit 250 followers and is holding a giveaway of Sinful Colors Castaway Collection. The colors are amazing and I've definitely entered. Jump on over and see for yourself!

Let's get down to business, shall we?

This week's mani is one off my lust list by OPI called I Eat Maine-ly Lobster from the Touring America collection. I simply adore it. You know why?

Because it looks like that! It is such a juicy coral color full of shimmer.

In full sunlight because spring is springing here in Buffalo.

This is under overhead lighting, right after I painted them. I went out with my bestie, Jen, on Saturday night so I had to make sure I was on point ;) Met up with some old friends that Jen and I hadn't seen in years and caught up. Then we danced the night away til last call. Between that and losing an hour and seeing Van Halen in concert with my dad on Friday night, I'm exhausted!

I did say that spring is springing here in Western New York and I've got the proof!

Purple crocuses (croci?) coming up on one side of the house

and

Snowdrops on the other side of the house.

Contrary to popular belief, spring does arrive in Buffalo in a timely fashion haha.

And, my Sabres are marching on towards a playoff spot, so...

(ps--they just won in overtime against the canadiens...woo hoo!)

Until next time!!

xo, ali

Mani Monday, etc

hello lovelies! hope you had a great weekend--mine was nice and relaxing.

Saturday, I hung out with some good friends and some sweet kitties.

Sunday I slept. Ha.

But, I *do* have a mani for tonight featuring the prize I won from The Polish Diary's giveaway (Essie Shine of the Times and Wet n Wild Back Alley Deals).

This is two coats of Borghese Stellare Notte, which I found by chance for 75% off at Rite Aid. $2 baby!! Then I taped off my half moons and used Shine of the Times.

I LOVE Stellare Notte. Love Love Love. It's a black duochrome that flashes purple and green

Flashes of green

black

purple

Plus my Birchbox came this weekend and there was something a little different in it.

(photo courtesy of Birchbox)

When you buy a package you get two sheets of four designs each. Because I was off work today, I decided to try the double-winged design. I mean, I was just running errands with my mom (Wal-Mart, Target, the mall), so why not spice it up a lil bit?

They were pretty easy to put on and stayed put all day. All you have to do is fit them to your eye, trim off the excess, and if there are any gaps between the decal and your lashline, just fill it in with some pencil or liquid liner.

Usually, when I stick stuff to my face (lol), the oils in my skin usually have an effect on the adhesive and it comes off in a couple of hours.

I put it on around 1 pm

I loved how dramatic it looked. I didn't even need any eye shadow.

I couldn't stop looking in the mirror; I loved how it looked on me.

this is at around 645 pm. No smudging, no fading. And removal is SO EASY. All you do is peel them off! You can't ask for more than that.

What do your nails look like? Any beauty breakthroughs you'd like to share?

Mani...Wednesday.

hello, lovelies!!

happy mani...wednesday?

Uh, yeah. I'm a little late this week, which is an improvement over last week when I didnt post at all.

Plus, you'll be getting a double post today because there is SO much I want to share with you for spring fashion. I just got my March issue of Elle and there's nearly 500 pages of fashion inspiration. I'm expecting February's Birchbox this week, too, so there is LOTS going on.

OH!! And I won The Polish Diary's first giveaway!! I can't wait to get my prize in the mail because it will include Essie's Shine of the Times. I've picked it up and almost bought it so many times lol.

On to the mani, eh?

I found a new base coat that is a ridge filler and also has Biotin and Spirulina, which is supposed to help strengthen your nails. I'll try anything!

So, this week's mani, or for the first half of the week, is one coat of Sally Hansen Salon Perfect Base Coat, two coats of Wet n' Wild  Megalast in Disturbia (which I was able to cross off my list!), and one coat of Essie No Chips ahead.

I just love this color. However, I was disappointed in the way the shimmer translated from bottle to nail. You really had to look for it on the nail but in the bottle, it was amazing! Wear-wise, it has fared pretty well. I have a few chips because I type all day and just a little tipwear. I found this on a display at my local Rite Aid and it was only $1.99. I would definitely try it out.

with flashy flash

flashy flash...sorry about my messy cuticles :(

under a lamp and on top of Buffalo Memorial  Auditorium, affectionately known in its heyday to Buffalonians as the Aud. This is where I saw my first Buffalo Sabres game, my first Disney on Ice, and my first circus. It was a legend. The Aud was torn down last year and for past 10 years or so, our Sabres have played at the First Niagara Center (formerly HSBC Arena). And there's your Buffalo, NY history lesson :)

Have a great afternoon and we'll chat later about the candy colors popping up everywhere this spring :)



Mani Monday-January 30

Hello hello! Hope you all survived Monday without a scratch. I barely did...I had a case of the Mondays :/

But there's one thing that can make Monday better and that's a manicure!

This week's mani is brought to you by Nicole by OPI Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam from the Kardashian Kolor collection.

This is with a flash.

Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam is a blackened teal creme. The formula is great...nearly opaque in one coat, but I did two for good measure.

I received the Nail Perfect for Christmas, which is a device that protects the sides of your nails while you paint them, so there is minimal clean-up and it came with some nail decals. I placed two flowers on each of my ring fingers.

Under a lamp

my two loves-nail polish and Harry ^__^

Have a great week!!

xo, ali