P&P's Top Polish Picks for 2011

So much polish, so little time. I wanted to choose 11 top polish picks for 2011 but I couldn't narrow it past 14.  Please keep in mind that all of these were purchased by me in 2011- this does not mean that 2011 was their debut year.

Here are my top polish picks for 2011 (not in any particular order):

Essie in Coat Azure

A perfect blue. Heavenly.

L'Oreal in Manderine

Perfect coral color. Girly and sassy. (Can you believe I got this for $1 at Dollar Tree?)

Revlon in Grape Icy

The perfect purple. And its scented.

I have to give an honorable mention to L'Oreal in Viva Violet for also having a fab purple. 

Ginger + Liz in Swagger

I mean, come on. The name speaks for itself.

Essie In Power Clutch

What can I say? This is just a freakin dope-ass gray!

It's Back: Summer's (Summer) Nails

I started doing my daughter's nails again. Yesterday, Summer and I went to a beauty supply store to look for polish because I'm pretty bored of the selection in drug stores. We decided to purchase a few from a brand called "Ruby Kisses" because they had some really cute colors and they were only 99 cents. Summer chose two colors: a pinky purple and a blue called "Blues Clue" (no lawsuit here- LOL). 

She decided to start off with "Blues Clue." It turned out to be really fly. Check out the pics:

She's working on her hand modeling technique LOL.

Can Clorox Bleach Away My Pain?

Spending time with friends and family can lead to fun and memorable moments, but also some very messy ones. Tell us about the messiest moments that you’ll always remember!
 

I am still trying to figure out a way to get the polish out of my new WHITE bedspread (back story here). Somebody recommended Clorox. Duh! I think I was so pissed at the time (an understatement) that I didn't even think through how to get the stains out (and there are many). 

I mean obviously bleach would be the first try. Unfortunately, I immediately threw the bed spread in the washing machine with just my regular detergent... Yeah, it basically did NOTHING. See!

Polish Change: China Glaze in Aqua Baby

Yeah, so its more blue. I'm obsessed I tell you.

This weekend, I actually had my nails professionally done. I got some much needed cuticle love. My QT's birthday was on Saturday so I had to be extra fly. 

I don't have much China Glaze in my collection but I know many people swear by it.  I like this blue- it's cute...but I don't LOVE it.

First Major Polish Casualty and Turquoise Gradient Manicure

I apologize because even though you don't know it, this post has taken me probably almost two months to write. Why? Well, because I was traumatized by the memories that are associated with these pictures. So imagine this, you just purchase a beautiful white quilt for your bed. Your bed now looks and feels as lush as a cloud.  You are so happy not only to lay on it but also to gaze at it lovingly. Now imagine that, you come upstairs to find that your darling three year old son has taken at least SIX bottles of your favorite (and new, might I add) BLUE nail polishes and poured them all over your BED!!!!!!!! (pause for the blank stare) -_-  yeah....so now can you understand why I haven't posted these pics yet???

Let me take a deep breath... And no, I did not kill him (although in my head I did use a multitude of F-words and other unsavory terms)....But I got over it rather quickly because he is just sooooo adorable. See!

That's him in his phenomenal zebra costume that his teacher made for him for a performance on International Day. Too cute!

Spotlight on Blues- Gradient Manicure

I don't know if you have seen this new manicure where each finger is a variation of the color next to it. It looks really cool and I've wanted to try it for awhile. The "Spotlight on Blue" actually turned out to be the perfect opportunity for me to try this myself. Since I have multiple shades of blue, I picked five colors that are somewhat similar. Here are the colors that I chose:

Spotlight on Blue: Wet N Wild in Blue Wants to be a Millionaire

Ok, first of all, this weekend I went to CVS and bought four new bottles of blue polish. I actually had $15 in CVS ExtraCare and Beauty Bucks. Of course, I put all of that towards new polish- that's what its for, isn't it??? LOL. 

One of the colors that I picked up while perusing through the CVS by Greenbriar Mall (thumbs down for the Essie and Orly selection at that location BTW) was a pretty sparkly light blue shade by Wet n Wild called "Blue Wants to be a Millionaire." It was so pretty and happy in the bottle that I had to have it.

Spotlight on Blue: Milani in Dude Blue

Let me start off by saying that this is my first time using a Milani nail lacquer. I passed by their display several times in CVS, picked up a few of their colors on several occasions but never actually purchased...not quite sure why. It wasn't until I saw their tutorials on nail art technicques on their website that I really considered their brand to purchase. I like when companies provide tips- really useful tips- to their customers (Kudos to Milani). I actually purchased two colors- a blue and a yellow- which I've had for weeks. Since my focus is on blue this month, I figured this would be the perfect time to try the blue shade.

Dude Blue is actually part of Milani's "Neon" Collection. Honestly, that threw me off a little because I don't really consider myself the neon type but my obsession for blue influenced the purchase. Well guess what, perlas??? I LOVE this color! It's really not as bright (neon) as I imagined that it would be. The application was great and the polish is so vibrant, full and shiny after two coats. I couldn't find my fav top coat but this polish really didn't need it from a shine perspective. Check out my pics!

Outside (no flash)

Inside my kitchen (no flash)

I really love, love, love this color! Definite P&P Please DO!

Your thoughts?...Any recos for blue colors that you love that I could highlight during the month of September?...Besos, P&P.

Polish Change: Barielle in Slate of Affairs

Hi perlas! So this is my first review since my brief hiatus (sorry about that). I've still been doing my nails so I have some catch up to do! I figure that while I'm recovering from oral surgery, this is a great time for me to post since I am confined to my house (I look like a chipmunk from the swelling- NOT cute...actually its a mix of chipmunk and the guy from the movie "Mask" with Cher LOL). 

So a month or two ago, I ordered several nail polishes from ULTA.com, one of which was Barielle in Slate of Affairs. Some of you may not have heard of Barielle but it is another great brand with polish around $8. I just wish I could find it in more retail outlets in Atlanta.

I really like Slate of Affairs. It's a great color a mix of gray and blue. The dominant color really depends on the light. The polish is high shine and lasts. The application was easy and smooth.

Here is the color as shown from the Barielle website:

Click for my pics.

Polish Change: NYC #241

After a long 4th of July weekend of hosting my husband's family reunion, I am exhausted. It went well (thank God). His family seemed to have a good time in Atlanta...so much of a good time that they voted my husband the new President of the Family Reunion Club (which really means more work for me, right? lol).

An-tee-way, back to the POLISH, I have so many polish changes to post but thought I would start with this one: NYC in #241. I promise I looked all over this bottle (under, on top, on the side, everywhere) but I could not find an actual name for this polish. So I did an Internet search and turns out its called "Turquoise Seas" which is a really accurate name for this color. This polish looks turquoise blue in the bottle but on your nails turns into more of a sea green- really pretty. 

Polish Adjustment: Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat

Hi, perlas! I know I went silent for a couple of weeks but I have not disappeared! There has just been a lot going on with me with work (been traveling an awful lot), my family and planning for my husband's family reunion which is this weekend (pray for me!).

Anyway, of course I have been keeping my nails tight. A few days ago, Saturday actually, I was going out for a friend's birthday party and wanted a statement color to go along with my black dress. I chose my go-to color fav, Essie in Coat Azure (see the review of it here). It looked phenomenal as usual and really stood out against the black of my dress.

You can probably tell that I have a short attention span when it comes to polish (yes, even my favs). So today I decided to try the Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in "Ink Splatter" (ahem, black) on top of the Coat Azure to switch it up a bit.

Polish Change: OPI in Mermaid's Tears

So I picked up Mermaid's Tears (Remember? From OPI's Pirates of the Caribbean collection?) last weekend at Beauty Express at Tanger Outlets. And it was all that I hoped it would be!! I LOVE this color. Its like a seafoam greenish blue. The color makes me smile every time I look at my nails. My husband said it reminds him of an "Easter egg... but in a good way."....ok (I think?)...LOL. Check out my pics!

Inside shot

Outside shot

Definite P&P Please Do...Besos,P&P.

Too Young For Red

I planned to do a post related to polish and kids- just not this soon. But one of my fab sorors commented on "Perfectly Polished" saying that she recently had a conversation with her friends about that very subject. So here goes...Let me start by saying that I definitely wasn't the biggest nail polish fan growing up. I was way too rough on my hands playing basketball and volleyball. So it was not often that you saw any form of polish on my nails. However, it was made crystal clear to me by my mother that the color red was off limits and only for adults. It was like red said something about a person that was way too mature for a child. Like red was an invitation to something of which a child could take no part. Obviously red nails make a grown (and sexy) statement. What that exact statement is though, honestly I'm still not sure even though I won't let my daughter wear red either... Maybe I should ask my mom, she should know, after all she was the queen of reds...

So yesterday, my daughter and  I went to Sally's to pick up some polish (P&P PSA: Sally's has buy 2 get 1 free on all nailpolish including China Glaze and Orly!). So I told her that she could pick any color that she wanted for her "Spring Break Nails." She started looking at a variety of pinks- didn't even glance at the reds LOL. But she then moved on to brighter,  non-traditional colors like yellow, green and blue. Honestly, I knew that she was going to head that way- she's definitely a trendsetter. So was I surprised when she decided to put back the pink-hued nail polish to choose a royal blue shade called "Frostbite" by China Glaze? Not really... Would I have liked her to choose a different shade? Ummm, yeah!.. Did I try to talk her out of it? Absolutely!...But then I took a step back and reminded myself of three things: 1) It's Spring Break. Let the kid have some FUN!; 2) Let her express her individuality and trendsetter spirit; and 3) It's not RED. LOL...Besos, P&P.