Let's Go Buf-falo!

Happy 2015, Phalange fans! I took an extended, unintentional hiatus to recharge my blogging batteries and enjoy the holiday season with my sister and my boyfriend. I received tons of new polishes that I can't wait to share with you guys, starting with tonight!

My sister and I went to a Buffalo Sabres game, last week and my lovely boyfriend gave me Gridlock Lacquer The Aud in my stocking. The Aud, short for Memorial Auditorium, was the original arena where the Sabres played. It also hosted concerts and I went to many showings of Disney on Ice with my family, when I was a kid. It was closed in 1997 and the First Niagara Center opened, not too far from the Aud. Demolition was completed on the Aud a couple years ago and a brand new open-air ice rink opened in it's place, with center ice of the rink over the location of center ice at the Aud. I decided that this game was the perfect place to use Gridlock Lacquer the Aud to add some extra sparkle. I also got to test out a new toy that the boyfriend gave me for Christmas.


Check it out!

To get this party started, I used NYX Ridge Filling basecoat. I used two coats of Sinful Colors Endless Blue and three coats of Sinful Colors Let's Meet! on my ring finger and topped my ring finger with two coats of Gridlock Lacquer The Aud. I topcoated and I was ready to roll.

And the new toy I got from Jeff was a clip-on macro lens for my iPhone 5c!! I was so excited!

 Gridlock Lacquer-The Aud (shade)

Gridlock Lacquer-The Aud (sunlight)

Just look at that!! This glitter has everything-different sizes of royal blue holographic glitters, and round, square AND hex holo glitters in different sizes. And it went on so easy! Just a little bit of dabbing and I got this great coverage. It just sparkled and shone. I'm in love. I can't wait to try more of Gridlock Lacquer's glitters under the macro lens. 

I've got some other things lined up for this space, so stay tuned. Now that I have this lens, I really feel like blogging and taking pictures and putting time into my  nails again.

xo, ali

The Great Gatsby

Hello! November! It's flying by and I just spent the last week, digging out of 5 feet of snow! I live in Buffalo, as I've mentioned before, and we got SLAMMED, starting Monday night. Luckily, it's moved out of the area because my parents are getting ready to come up and visit, this week, for Thanksgiving!

This afternoon I have my first installment of November's Nail Challenge Collaborative theme: Inspired by Books! I'm kicking off this series of four with my favorite book-the Great Gatsby.

For this manicure, I took my inspiration from a symbolic object in the book and movie-the run-down, distressed billboard of Dr. TJ Eckleburg.

For this manicure, I started with a base of China Glaze Sea Spray, a shimmery, dusty blue. Then I sponged on Zoya Kelly and gilded the tips with Elf Pot of Gold from the Disney Villains polish cube. The rim of the glasses was done with Nailtini Champagne with Kelly and Sea Spray for the eyes.

I was really proud of this manicure. I think I translated Eckleburg's eyes onto my nails well, even if no one knew what it was. That was also one of my favorite parts of the manicure. From far away, it was a mash of subdued neutrals and gilded metals but you could see the detail up close!

Be sure to check out the first volume that the other ladies chose!

xo, ali

'Merica!!

Happy Friday! And Happy Fourth of July! The calendar gods smiled down on us, this year, and gave us a three-day weekend. Woo-hoo!

I'm heading out to spend the day with family but before I go, I want to share what I'm sporting on my tips to celebrate 'Merica!!

Oh, there's Pacific Blue. This was my first time using this and everything said about it was true--amazing formula, amazing color saturation, funky smell. I am so glad that one of my local polish friends had a bottle put aside for me at Walgreens so I could have a piece of unofficial nail polish history. The community has been up in arms since we found out that Sally Hansen changed the formula. See what G at Nouveau Cheap had to say about it, here.

I digress. I used two easy coats of Pacific Blue on all nails but the ring finger. For the accent nail, I used three coats of NYC French White Tip. Once it was topcoated and dry, I laid down striping tape and painted over them with Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Cherry Red. I lifted the tape and just absolutely goggled at how straight my lines were. That is a first for me!

I put star studs from a Forever 21 wheel on my blue fingers and topcoated the whole shebang.

It's a manicure that Captain America would be proud of.

[source]

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

xo, ali

The Never-Ending Pile Challenge: As Many As You Can

Hi! Just a quick post for you guys tonight, from my parents' couch in Charlotte. I'm having a great time here; the weather has been perfect!

The theme for May 2nd was As Many As You Can and I figured there is no better way to get in a ton of untrieds than by doing a Waterfall mani, as made famous by Sammy from the Nailasaurus. You can find her easy-to-follow tutorial here.

I used Revlon Gray Suede for my base. It is nude polish with subtle silver shimmer running through it. It's great alone, as a palate cleanser, and quite work appropriate.

To create the waterfall mani, I used China Glaze Immortal as the gray, Revlon Brilliant Strength Beguile for the dark blue, and Color Club Catwalk Queen for the vampy purple. All three of these colors are shimmery beauties that are better suited for late November, rather than early May, but I still love how this turned out. I felt sophisticated, rocking this nail art at work. 

I don't think it turned out too bad for my first try at a waterfall. They are pretty straight-forward to do but take a little practice to get used to the brushstroke. 

What do you think?

Be sure to check out what the other Pirates used for this theme. I know some got as many as 15 or 20 untrieds in!

xo, ali

The Never-Ending Pile Challenge: Least Expensive

Hey! It's Wednesday...we're halfway through the week. Except, today is my Friday. Tomorrow, I head out with my sister and her boyfriend to Charlotte for my older sister's wedding! It's going to be a great weekend; I can't wait to see my parents. But, don't worry. I have manis for the next few prompts while I'm out of town.

Today's theme is Least Expensive and I'm showing you a polish that I only shelled out 99 pennies for.

This is Sally Girl IQ in three coats. It's a steely, silvery blue. And it's got a great blue shimmer to it that really shows up in the middle picture. You do have to be kind of careful with application because it can get kind of brushstrokey.

Sally Girl polishes are a great deal. You can try out trendy shades and finishes for only a few bones (depending on how much you buy). I picked up two other ones with this beauty that I have yet to bust out. And I got them last summer. Shame on me!

That's all for me...I have to finish packing -_-

Be sure to check out what the other ladies dug out of their untrieds tonight!

xo, ali

The Never-Ending Pile Challenge:A Random Untried

Friday! Friday night is one of my favorite nights, but not because I go out and get crazy. Don't get me wrong-I do that, from time to time, but I love Friday nights because I get to chill out, maybe stay up a little bit past my bedtime, and go to sleep knowing that both my alarms are silenced....ahhhhh!

Tonight, I have another contribution to the Never-Ending Pile Challenge. It was created by Missy and the rest of the girls over at The Glittah Pirates, which is an awesome group on Facebook that I recently joined. If you want to join in the fun, just click the link and request to join :)

The theme today is "A Random Untried" and I chose Nicole by OPI Roughles in On What Grounds? I received this in my March Ipsy bag and I was really excited to try it. Let's see what I thought.

I top coated my index finger to see what it would look like.

Macro-index with top coat, middle with no top coat.

On What Grounds? is a matte aqua sprinkled with blue and brown. These sprinkles give it the finish of a robin's egg. There is no glitter to this polish so it does dry flat but the different colors mixed in give it some depth. However, I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. I applied this last night and this morning, when I was blow-drying my hair, my index finger got caught and a piece chipped off :( 

I'm disappointed because I loved the Gumdrops collection that NOPI came out with a while ago. My Cherry Amour is one of my favorite textured polishes. Sigh. Oh well, can't win 'em all! Maybe I'll give this another shot down the line.

Make sure you check out what the other rad girlies are showing off for their random untrieds today!

Have a great weekend!!

xo, ali

Once Upon a Dream

Hey! Happy Tuesday! I hope it finds you all well and warm. I wish Spring would hurry up and get here!

I have a manicure that I really loved to share with you tonight, so let's look!

ooh there's a little sneak peek of one of my tattoos...my heart on my sleeve ;)

Sorry about the janky cuticles! I had to be quick to get the natural day light!

This is three coats of a polish I picked up from Forever 21's revamped polish line. They have a lot of unique colors this time around, but the names are still terrible. This was called "Blue/Pink" but, being a Disney fan, I've dubbed this:

Once Upon a Dream.

Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney movie, with the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast second and third.

This polish is a baby blue creme flecked with magenta and iridescent hexes and iridescent bar glitters. Props to Forever 21 for picking up on the indie polish trend. I absolutely love this and definitely look forward to wearing it again.

Once it was dry (thanks to Color Club 0-60), I used Cult Nails Time Traveler (inspired by a certain Doctor) and one of my best friend's Mash plates to stamp the swirly design. 

I really loved this. Once Upon A Dream applied well but it didn't last long, which might not be a bad thing when you have polish ADD like me!

What do you think? What's your favorite Disney movie, or polish inspired by it?

xo, ali

GOT(F?): BLUE!

Good evening, polished pretties!

I'm sharing another challenge mani with you from The Crumpet's Golden Oldie Thursday challenge. It's on Friday for me this week because I was on a really bad date last night. Oh, the woes of being single. I should really start a separate blog for my online dating horror stories.

Let's get on with it!

I was digging through my stash, looking for an old blue that I could use and I landed on something that I haven't used since I first got it, about two years ago.

Sadly, I only have one shot of it for you guys tonight because Picasa isn't syncing right :(

This is from Forever 21's Love and Beauty cosmetics line. Usually they're terrible at naming their polishes but this one was called Imperial Blue. And I think imperial is the right way to describe this. A gorgeous, deep royal blue jelly filled with a duochrome glass fleck that flashes purple and blue. Can you believe this polish cost a little under $3?!

However, it chipped the very next day :\

What do you think? What's your favorite cheap polish?

Be sure to check out what my fellow lacquer lovers did for their blue nails!!

xo, ali

Tuesday Blues

Hi lovelies!

Here I am again--hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was a bit quiet with just a walk through a nature preserve, volunteering, and a lazy, Supernatural-filled Sunday. It's one of my favorite shows :)

I just have a quick post for you tonight, as we in Buffalo brave our first "Winter Storm Warning."

Tonight, I'm going to show you a quick mani I did a few weeks ago, using a polish borrowed from my best friend.

OPI Swimsuit...Nailed It!

A gorgeous metallic foil blue. Nearly a one-coater. It absolutely glows from within and removal was great with barely any staining! Swimsuit...Nailed It! Is from the Miss Universe that came out in 2011. It included Miss Congeniality, It's My Year, and Crown Me Already!

As if this needed anymore shine, I decided to add some bling to it.

I used rhinestones from a Bundle Monster wheel, stuck them on with OPI topcoat and coated the whole thing in Beauty Plus Salon top coat. The rhinestones lasted longer than the polish. It was chipping within a few days. I'm trying to get my nails in fighting condition and it's going pretty well but I'm still having wear time issues.

What do you think? What were your picks from the 2011 Miss Universe collection? 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!! Thankful for anyone that reads my little corner of the internet :)

xo, ali

Well I mathin' suck.

Sorry, guys. 

Listen, I really want to get this blog off the ground but a few aspects of life got in the way.

Namely, family and health. I have an autoimmune thyroid disease and it mucks about with my energy levels. Some days I can go, go, go but most of the time, it's all I can do to go to work, go to the gym, come home, and paint my nails. 

With family-my older sister is getting married in May and my younger sister and I are co-maids of honor. And we are organizing a bridal shower with the two other bridesmaids. The shower is four days before Christmas. We are insane, basically. Also, my older brother was up for his last visit to Buffalo. Why his last visit? Because my parents, who have lived in Buffalo a very long time, are moving to Charlotte after my dad retires in January.

Yup. It's no wonder I want to spend the majority of my time in bed or hanging with a cat or two.

I'm trying. 

Today, though, I have four polishes for you. Four awesome polishes. They're not indies or laced with diamonds. But they are 

ADVENTURE TIME.

[source]

Yassssss....ADVENTURE TIME (caps lock necessary)

I was so excited to find these on clearance at Hot Topic. I was even more excited when I found out that all clearance was BOGO and I was able to get all four polishes offered for about $6.

Ready? Let's go!

[source]

Bubblegum Princess is up first.

BP is everything a princess should be--kind, smart, and pretty.

Bubblegum Princess is a blue-toned pink crelly (creme-jelly hybrid). This is three coats and no top coat, plus a huge ding in my ring finger. Oops.

I love pretty pink this is...that's the best word I can think to describe it. Just...pretty. Much like the princess, herself.

Oh, my glob, you guys. Next is:

[source]

Lumpy Space Princess. I can sum her up in one word-sassy. She's a princess and she knows it.

This shows how pink-toned the polish is.

I love this. Again-three coats, no top coat. Crelly finish. Shiny. Almost a neon lavender. Smooth application, no streaks or bald spots. And I didn't ding my fingers on this one, either!

Then, we have the boys. 

First

[source]

Jake, the dog. He has the tendency to creep my sister out because his limbs are so...flexible. 

He's a smooth talker, but faithful to his viola-playing lady, Lady Rainicorn.

Again, three coats, no top coat. Crelly finish.

Jake is a mustard yellow. Putting this one on, I was definitely making some sort of face. I'm not a yellow girl at all and I thought my nails looked like I dipped them in mustard. I'll definitely keep this in mind for some nail artz in the future.

And, last, but certainly not least, we have Jake's partner in crime...

[source]

Finn is the one responsible for all of this nonsense. The land is in his imagination. And damn, is it awesome. He harbors a crush on Bubblegum Princess. Along with that, he's adventurous (duh, name of the show) and daring.

Three coats, no top coat

This one was suuuuuuuper hard to capture true to color. It's a bright blue crelly. It's not as saturated as Nails Inc. Baker Street or Sinful Colors Endless Blue but it's bright. Clearly, my iPhone 4S camera could not handle this jelly (hah!)

On the whole, this little collection was a nice little find. I'd love to see more Adventure Time polishes released for other characters like Bmo, Marceline, Ice King, and Tree Trunks. They could have a lot of fun with different finishes for those four.

I'm trying to get on a semi-regular schedule for posting to turn this into something that people can say, "oh, Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday/what-have-you. Dancing Phalanges post!"

I have some other swatches and NOTDs that just need some minor editing and they'll be ready to go--little posts, but at least it's something, right?

So, what would your dream Adventure Time collex look like? What characters would it include?

okay, guys. That will do it for me.

Thanks for reading!

xo, ali.