Konad Nail Art: m85 Plate with Wet n Wild Spoiled Nail Polish in Checkin' Into Rehab

My Nail Polish Collection as of October 2011

Hey everyone! I posted my nail polish collection last February, and just a few months later, I had to add a third Helmer to my collection.  I have three of these off-white Helmers that can store hundreds of polishes. I got them at Ikea for around $43 each. Hubby assembled them for me.



I removed the Helmers from our bedroom and moved them to the new office/studio in the house. This is the room where I'll be making my videos and taking pictures of products and swatches. This is also the place where I will be storing all my makeup, and as you can see, my polishes. My husband made provisions for additional Helmers in the future by stacking them on top of the existing Helmers, not necessarily for additional polishes, but as storage solutions for other stuff I own.

I have hundreds of polishes, but I haven't counted exactly how many. I am thinking I may have already reached the 1,000 mark. I am planning to give some away because I know I won't be able to use them all. I am into nail art as well, so I am glad I have a stash that can support this interest of mine. I bought around 80% of the nail polishes in my collection. The rest were sent as press samples.

Also, unlike makeup, nail polishes last forever. They don't harbor bacteria because of the toxicity of the chemicals- bacteria will die in there instantly. If the polish gets goopy, just add a little bit of nail polish THINNER to your polishes, roll the bottle between your palms and they're good to go. (Note: Do NOT add nail polish remover to your polishes! You will ruin them.)




Labeled each drawer individually using our label maker machine.

Konad Nail Art and Pearls: Finger Paints Nail Lacquer in Vintage Velvet

Konad Nail Art: Essie Nail Polish in Sew Psyched

I love Essie polish in Sew Psyched. It's an unusual green in my nail polish collection, like a moss green with grey undertones. It has subtle silver shimmer that is also very attractive. I am glad Essie is more accessible now that it is available at drugstores and other retailers like Target and Walmart. It makes salon-grade polishes more available to people. I am also glad Essie is becoming popular because of this move.

I love the very dainty image I used from the Konad m71 image plate. I used Konad special polish in White for the image, and I added some miniature pearls to complete the look.  Hope you're having a great Sunday evening/Monday morning!

Konad Nail Art: Flowers and China Glaze in Make An Entrance

Okay, let me say that I found this bottle of China Glaze polish under the bathroom sink. I have two helmers so I keep my stash in their place meticulously, so I realized that this particular polish must be the oldest one I own, just because it was under the sink and was given to me by a friend when I wasn't into nail polish yet. That was on my birthday in 2004. This China Glaze polish in Make an Entrance is seven years old. Turning eight. And yet it is probably one of the best China Glaze I own because the formula is a dream to work with. Even after seven years, it never thickened up and is as smooth and creamy as the first time I used it a long time ago. I guess this amazing formula is gone now that China Glaze is now Big 3 Free? Yes, this is probably the old formula, but I am mourning the loss of the thin, opaque-in-one-coat China Glaze formula of yesteryears.

Make an Entrance is a bright medium blue pink cream that is such a dream to apply. It also dried pretty quickly too. I used Konad special polish in White for the flowers. I forget the image plate number I used, but it was also from Konad. I like the delicate white pink flowers against the bright pink base - very summery.

MAC Surf Baby: Konad Nail Art Using Ocean Dip Nail Lacquer With Swatches and Review

"Ocean Diiiiip, I'm so afraid to show my feelings, I have sailed a million ceilings in my solitary room, Ocean Diiiiiip...."

I know it's tacky, but I'm pretty sure somebody from MAC heard the song Ocean Deep from the 80s and had this inspiration to use "Ocean Dip" as a name for this nail lacquer. lol

Anyways, here's a look using one of my Konad images, I believe from the m26 image plate. Since the Surf, Baby collection is all about the hibiscus flower, I copied the hibiscus logo. I found an image of a hibiscus and used Konad special polish in Red for the image. I added some 2mm green rhinestones. It's been three days and I have yet to see a chip in my manicure. I am liking Ocean Dip. Very nice mid-tone aqua cream. It is similar to American Apparel nail lacquer in Malibu Green, except that the latter is brighter, more opaque and applies a smidge better than Ocean Dip. Ocean Dip is a bit dustier and takes three coats to achieve the opacity of a two-coater Malibu Green. Other than that, Ocean Dip applies well, didn't give me any streaks, and is basically a well-behaved formula.

The Shades Of U Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

Note: A media sample was provided by a representative of the company for consideration. All opinions are completely mine.

Konad Nail Stamp Art: American Apparel Nail Polish in Army Jacket

Here are some of my beloved American Apparel nail polishes! I think AA has some of the best creme polishes out there. I love how most of them glide like a dream and are opaque in one coat. Here is a nail look using one of my faves- Army Jacket!









It's a nice dusty green creme that is perfect for spring. I added funky french tips of leaf images using Konad image plate m56.  I added green rhinestones for a 3D look.

I promised I would post swatches of my AA polishes, but their number ballooned to 27 so I need to make them in batches. They will be up in due time. Thanks for looking!

Nail Stamp Art Using China Glaze OMG Nail Polish in 2Nite

Here's another one of my purple holos that I snagged a few weeks ago- 2nite. It is from the much-coveted OMG collection of China Glaze. I snagged a number of OMGs from 2009, but I found this particular one at my neighborhood nail supply store a few weeks ago, and it's amazing that it was still available as the price for this is quite steep on eBay. Say no to those ebay scalpers! Just scour your neighborhood dusties and you will get your hard-to-find polishes.

Look at my awesome find at one of my neighborhood nail supply stores:


The OMG 2BHOT collection!!
L-R: QT, TMI, TTYL, FYI, GR8, L8R G8R

I am amazed with my lucky find because it was tucked along with some really dusty collections on a top shelf, languishing all alone as it was the last one available. It was waiting for me all this time!! And I paid dirt-cheap for this set. I really love the thrill of the hunt.

Anyways, I adorned the beautiful 2nite with a delicate flower image from the m4 image plate using the Konad special polish in White. I also added a cobalt rhinestone for some oomph. One of my favorite manicures; spring-y, light and airy.

Nail Stamp Art Using China Glaze Nail Polish in L8R G8R

Holo polishes are all the rage nowadays. L8R G8R is from the OMG collection of late 2008, but this kind of holo is one of the very few ones that are linear holos - those that form lines vertically and give a rainbow effect along those lines. You can see the lines and the rainbow quite clearly in my photos. It is a beautiful lime green holo, and this kind of holo is the last of a dying breed - unless brands wake up and see how profitable it would be to come up with a collection of these vertical rainbow holos.

I used m69 image plate and Konad princess polish in Green. I added a small pearl in the middle of each nail as an accent. I really like this mani, one of my favorites. The holo is very distracting, it gets my attention every time. :D

Nail Stamp Art Using American Apparel Nail Lacquer in Cocoa

One of my favorite Konad color combinations are brown and gold.  Here's another variant using American Apparel nail lacquer in Cocoa.  I wrote in a previous entry that American Apparel polishes are HG status for me because I love creme polishes, and these are mostly opaque in one coat, glides like a dream, and the colors are wonderful.  Cocoa is a nice cool brown creme, very unassuming but I just love the formula and the ease in application.  I used m02 image plate, and China Glaze in Passion for the image.  I added copper rhinestones in the center of some of the flowers.

I will be posting swatches of my American Apparel nail lacquers soon! They are really my kind of polishes.

Nail Look: Funky French Tips with OPI Sonora Sunset

Happy Sunday everyone! Here's a funky french using OPI Sonora Sunset (gorgeous, gorgeous color!), and stamped with Konad special polish in Black and m44 image plate. I also added coral rhinestones on the tips to add some dimension to the look.

I really love Sonora Sunset. I was able to stumble on a bottle in my neighborhood beauty supply store. It is a beautiful coral polish with lots of gold particles. The shimmer is amazing. The formula was also fantastic. I wore this particular mani for days and days with nary a chip. It might also be a combination of my basecoat (Gelous, an amazing product), as well as a top coat for nail art called Tough Coat. My rhinestones didn't budge with Tough Coat until the day I decided I wanted a new manicure and took them off. Both base and top coats were bought at Sally Beauty Supply.

Have a great weekend!

Nail Look: MAC Wonder Woman Nail Lacquer in Spirit of Truth

I'm wearing MAC Wonder Woman nail lacquer in Spirit of Truth konadified with Konad Special Polish in White. I used m04 image plate from Konad as well.

I am quite amazed with this particular polish. It's a navy blue cream, and I wasn't used to this new formula from MAC. I guess MAC changed their nail lacquer formula again? It was so easy to apply and the polish was opaque in one coat. It wasn't streaky at all, and just hugged the ridges and curves of my nailbed. I was pretty impressed. I hope MAC's nail polish formula stays this way!

More looks using MAC Wonder Woman will be up soon!

Note: Media sample was provided by a representative of the company for consideration.  All opinions are completely mine.

Target Haul: Rimmel Polish in Steel Grey, Revlon Age Defying Spa Foundation

I went to Target today to stock up on one of my favorite foundations, Revlon Age Defying Spa foundation, but in the process, I also got some items that piqued my interest. More on those in a sec, but let's start with the Revlon foundation. It comes in a squeeze tube that I like because it's sanitary that way, but I HATE the brush applicator. That's the reason why I always chop off the brush hairs whenever I get a new tube.