Elevation Polish Yushan and Daisen

I have sooooo many manis to post here including my first nail art attempts but that all takes time and I'm lazy so here's a quicky from today that shows how I'm completely and utterly abusive to my hands. Elevation Polish Yushan was from the first round of releases and I love it to pieces and have worn it multiple times (a rarity considering how many polishes I own). Sadly it's discontinued now BUT a similar polish, Mount Yu, should be released soon! Yushan has a gorgeous blue shimmer that I couldn't capture because, well, I didn't try very hard and the sun wasn't listening to my schedule.

And my September Elevation order came in today and when I went to open the stupid small flat rate box it came in I managed to do this...

*sniff* I hate when I have to go down to nubs and I know it's my own fucking fault. Also ugh, my hands look way too old. Those are not 25 year old hands =( I've got to protect them better at work. But since I went through all that trouble to open the box I HAD to put on Daisen.

SUCH a pretty glitter. I don't even like pink that much but I HAD to have this. The formula is...ok. It seems like there might be too much base for the glitter since the glitter kept sliding off the brush but once it's on it's so gorgeous it doesn't even matter. I can't wait to play with it some more.

The Nail Junkie Matte Violet

Well Aleta over at The Nail Junkie announced her Summer 2012 line (gorgeous jellies! Check them out, they go on sale Friday and she's got a giveaway up!) so I figured now would be a good (bad, extremely late) time to post about the Spring 2012 collection. She's going to have the mattes for sale too! So far I've only done a full mani with Matte Violet but I loooooooooved it! Great application, great wear (2 coat, 4 days and no chips) and it's sooooo pretty! (colour in the first pic is more accurate)

And then right after I got them I skittled all 3. Please excuse the mess. And then I went to put the Green Grass glitter on top and managed to ruin the Matte Violet finger before doing so so it's only on Matte Daffodil and Matte Rose.

And Aleta is a genius with the packaging, look how pretty it came!

The polishes are amazing quality, I really love all of them and I think if you go for some you really won't regret it!

Essie Action + Essie Camera Gradient + Alta Costura Vernis Brightside

Eeek so it's my birthday tomorrow and it looks like this is going to be my birthday mani since I'm far too lazy to change it out and I actually really like it. Ok the right hand is still Essie Camera (with a little something extra) but the left has totally changed. It's a shame I don't have any real birthday plans but eh, it's not like 25 is an important one or anything. Pretty sure those stop after 21 until you hit like 50 or something. Going into the city today for dinner with sister and cousin which should be fun. I'm hoping we hit up Revolution since their beer is fabulous but I haven't been to the brewpub yet. Went to the Two Brothers Hop Juice Fest yesterday with some friends which was also fabulous so I guess it's not a total waste of a birthday weekend... ANYWAY, mani! Right hand; still Essie Camera on the base, added Alta Costura Vernis Brightside accents (is it still an accent when it's 3/5 fingers? Oh well)

Then on the left hand I took off that fail gradient and put on Essie Action which I'm in love with. It's weird, I think VNL is growing on me, maybe it's 'cause my nails are longer?

This is probably the most colour accurate pic I have, some of the next ones will show it as all glowy and awesome and it can look like that in the bright sun but this is definitely how it looks most of the time. Anyway, decided to try out the sponge gradient again and it turned out much better this time! It's really subtle since Camera is a jelly but I love the effect, it looks like a sunset on my nails!

And then of course I had to add Brightside because it's sooooo pretty!

And now I'm just going to bombard you with some pics of both hands together because, well, I really like how they look with each other. I really need to get a tripod so I can take these pics easier. This was a nightmare trying to get the camera to focus on both hands.

Essie Camera + a-England Dragon Fail Gradient

So...I think I'm going to have to give in and buy myself another melmer. Or maybe a helmer. My attempts at purging are just failing miserable and my buying just keeps going up and up...I so need a ban again. I'm allowed 3 purchases in June; Elevation Polish on June 7th, Cult Nails Fairy Tale Collection sometime before June 15th (and I know I could just get it now but somehow waiting makes me feel like I have more restraint?) and a-England Jubilove Set sometime before June 10th. And yes, same deal, could get it now but the thing is if I try and go totally no buy in June I will fail miserably. At least these are planned buys! Unlike today's Pretty and Polished haul or yesterday's Sephora order or the Harlow & Co order over the weekend...you can see why I need a ban right? But it's my birthday on Monday! I needed those treats right? ...Riiiiiiiiiight. ANYWAY, let's talk about what's on the nails now. Ohmigosh I'm in love. Picked up Essie Camera from the Poppy-Razzi collection the other day at Meijer (umm and maybe Action and Bazooka too...I'm trying not to cave and get Lights too to have a complete collection. Hard to say if I'll win there.) on a whim since pinks are so not my thing but it was sitting there looking so bright and pretty and I'd already decided on the other two so Camera just kinda...hopped into the basket. Oops! Still, I was in the mood for something super bright and pink yesterday so on it went and now I'm so glad I grabbed it because the formula on this is amazing and it's so pretty!

See see! (and sorry for the messy pics. Took them this morning before work and applied late last night right before bed so didn't really clean up. It's much worse in the upcoming pics tragically.) Two coats and totally self leveling and I just want to wear it forever! Except then I managed to hit my not quite dry thumb on the night stand and tried to patch it up instead of taking off and reapplying but it looked all bumpy and weird so I decided it was the perfect time to try out that sponge gradient mani everyone has been doing. It turned out...not great. Well actually the first two nails I did were fine but then it was late and I got impatient so I just rushed the last 3 and it very much shows.

Plus the contrast is a bit much so I don't think the colour combo worked as well as it did in my head. Still, glad I tried it since I think I can do it better next time and I really adore the look.

Illamasqua Nomad and Stance + Nail-Venturous Floam and Pinkerbell

Wow am I total failboat pseudoblogger! Well there will be spam and some more indie manis as that's my obsession but ho, on to the nails. Last week (maybe? I think it was only last week, time really blurs sometimes) I got out of work on time (a major rarity) and had time to kill before heading to the gym. Ended up at the shopping center between work and the gym and somehow managed to make my way over to Sephora (I know, it's a puzzle). I'd heard they had these fancy schmancy new nail bars at some and low and behold, they did at mine. I was weak and had to pick up Stance and Nomad.

I really wish Sephora sold more Illamasqua than just nail polish. I really like the entire Human Fundamentalism collection and even though I don't wear much makeup, I'd so get it. I just can never stomach the cost of shipping from the UK, not when I can be spending that money on more pretty polishes! Anyway, they looked so pretty together that I just had to do a colour block mani with them.

The formula was lovely on both of these! I'm really in love with Illamasquas now even though I only have 4. I see that number inflating quite a bit in the near future. You can see I broke some nails up there =( Pinky left I got caught in a drawer at home. Middle left I was at a bar and drunk and waving my hand wildly and smashed it right into the table. The nail kinda just caved inward. The boy found it incredibly amusing when I whipped the file out of my wallet and started trying to fix it. I also ruined my thumb right a few days later putting a new regulator on a gas cylinder at work. I'm death to long nails. And yet I can't convince myself to nub so I'm just suffering through the uneveness. Anyway, you know me, can never leave a creme alone so on went the matte glitters! I'm soooooo pleased with how Floam looks with Nomad. I really think it's the perfect base. Pinkerbell on Stance on the other hand? Not so much. I'm really convinced Pinkbell just doesn't work with anything remotely pink. The glitter just gets lost in the base and it ends up looking like a sparse Floam.