Azure Seas by Maybelline

An unbelievably beautiful blue!  It reminds me of wonderful vacations by the seaside and awakes a strong yearning to head to the beach.  I present "Azure Seas #990" by Maybelline to you today!

 

Seen here are 2 coats of this wonderful summery shade.  The photos I display on my blog are usually taken outside in natural light as I find it shows the polish shades closest to their appearance.  I also enjoy finding enhancing, natural backgrounds for my shots - like this one in front of one of my beautiful hosta plants.  The contrast of blue on green here really makes this polish shade come alive, don't you think?

 

 

Whether in the direct sunshine or in the shade this colour is so attractive.  The name is quite suitable and I couldn't stop comparing my nails to the colour of the water in a movie I recently watched.  Have you ever seen "Out of the Blue" starring Paul Walker, Jessica Alba and Josh Brolin?  Well, this was the very first time I saw a movie with Ms. Alba.  The jury is still out on her acting ability, but what I enjoyed most about this movie was the fantastic underwater footage and the breathtaking scenery on the waters surrounding the Bahamas.

 

This is definitely one blue that will be in my collection for a while.  The application was good as always with the Maybelline Color Show polishes.  The brush quality is normal and allows for easy application (please don't look too closely at the job I did here - two strong cups of coffee are not a good pre-requisite for an excellent mani!!)  The wear was standard as well - 5 - 6 days without any significant wear showing up.  I've tried others from the Maybelline collections before and I think they are great!  In this particular case, you get the quality you pay for.

 

Best Practice Advice:  For those of you who use TIPS Nail Conditioner or TIPS for Toes - don't forget to apply TIPS every day around your cuticles and under your natural nail.  Your newly developing nail begins to form between your first knuckle and your moons, so apply TIPS back that far as it penetrates and replenishes the nails and cuticles with essential lipids that we strip our fingers of each day.

 

For more information on these nail care/nail treatment products,

go to ASK Cosmetics website/online shop.

 

Is this a shade you would wear?  Does it make you want to pack your bags and head for the Caribbean?

 

Thanks for stopping by and take care,  Lisa M.

 

 

 

 

 

Sinful Colors - Rain Storm 1053

Upon adding this somewhat dreary shade to my collection I was very spectical about my feelings toward it.  I definitely love the "blues", but this one kept staring at me on my shelf of polishes saying "Try me, you'll like me!"

 

Finally the day came when I decided to give it a whirl, and boy, was I amazed at how much I loved this lacquer on my nails.

 

2 coats of Sinful Colours "Rain Storm 1053"

 

 

It's hard for me to describe this gorgeous shade.   When I was applying it thoughts of my favourite blue jeans came to mind.  It's not a blue that screams at you, but rather subtle, subdued yet very functional and versatile for anyone's wardrobe.

 

As you can see here against my outdoor bricks, it would pair famously with any shades of grey.

 

When doing a manicure, I always make sure I stay clear of my cuticles since nail polish is extremely drying for your cuticles.  Following each mani I do a quick application of TIPS Nail Conditioner in order to treat the cuticles and skin around my nails.

 

Lisa's Tip of the Day: 

If you are using TIPS Nail Conditioner (or TIPS for Toes for your finger nails),  there is no need to apply a hardener/strengthener-type nail care product to your nails.  TIPS will do that and much more for your nails:  it fortifies, nourishes, hydrates, strengthens, protects them against the damage of water, and replenishes the lost lipids giving them strength yet keeping them flexible.

 

Stay in touch with me

 

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What's your experience with Sinful Colors?  Do you have a fave shade?

 

Til next time,  Lisa M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gemstone 710 by Sally Hansen

This will be a very short post to show you Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails - Gemstone 710. 

 

 

This shade truly reminds one of gemstones.  It has a rich depth to it and a sheen that allows it to sparkle.

 

 

After applying 2 coats of Gemstone, I decided to try Essie's Pure Pearlfection, and what an amazing effect it gives most polishes.  It adds a subtle bit of bling to any shade.

 

 

Here are the products I used:  ASK Cosmetics' Base Coat as well as their Top Coat, 2 coats of Sally Hansen's Gemstone 710 and Pure Pearlfection from Essie's Luxeffects Collection.

 

Do you like to dazzle your manicures with some "special effects"?

 

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy the rest of your day, Lisa M.

 

Oh My GOSH!

There's a new polish brand in town, which is available at Shopper's Drug Mart here in Canada.  GOSH caught my eye recently when I was on the look-out for different shades of blue for the Juvenile Diabetes Fundraiser, where I did blue manicures for all the young girls.

 

Shown here - 2 coats of GOSH #605 Blue Balloon

 

 

 

 

 

I thought this shade would be a definite winner among the girls and it turned out to be a very close second behind Maybelline's "Styled Out." 

 

In the meantime I have tried a few of the GOSH shades, all of which were great to apply.  This one offered great coverage after two coats. Although the shade on my nails was very true to the colour in the bottle, it is not a shade I would necessarily wear on its own.  So, here is what I decided to do with it.

 

I added one coat of Sally Hansen's #440 In the Spotlight.

 

This additional bling provides a lot more dimension, even a galactic look to it.

 

What do you think of this combination? 

 

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your day.  Lisa M

 

 

 

 

Future Polish Fanatics get some blue manis

What an experience and joy to put smiles of children's faces!  Yesterday was the fund-raiser for Juvenile Diabetes.  My contribution was giving all the young girls a manicure of their choice - offering all the blues I had in my stash.

 

Here are some of the happy faces that made my afternoon yesterday...

 

Among the top favourites were:  Essie's "Beach Bum Blu", Sally Hansen's "Gem-Stone" and Maybelline's "Styled Out".

This particular fund-raiser in support of Juvenile Diabetes was centered around a Zumba-thon.  All adults were asked to pay an admission fee with all the proceeds going directly to support this charity, but they could Zumba all afternoon.  Now I didn't have any time to try the Zumba moves, but I got a bit of insight into what Zumba is all about:  the right outfit, cool dance moves combined with a cardio aspect, funky music well-suited to the moves and a feeling of belonging to the group of Zumba fanatics.

Males, females, young and old all got involved and moved their bodies to the music showing their Zumba moves.

 

My personal favourite (and new acquisition) among the blue nail polish shades is Maybelline's "Styled Out".  Surprisingly, it was not the ultimate winner among the young girls.

 

Here is a peek at Styled out on my nails.

A lovely denim-tone blue shade with a subtle glitter effect to it. 

 

As with all my manis and the ones I did yesterday, I always finish off by treating my cuticles with some TIPS Nail Conditioner to keep them hydrated, fortified and nourished.

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading this post.

 

Is there a cause and/or charity that you support?  If so, what is it and how do you get involved?

 

 

Have a great day!  Lisa M.

 

 

 

 

Mini Manis in honour of Juvenile Diabetes

 A first-time fund-raising event is taking place tomorrow, Saturday Nov. 24th, in my hometown.  There will be tons of fun activities for the entire family to raise both awareness and money for JUVENILE DIABETES. 

 

After seeing all the beautiful manicures which were posted on World Diabetes Day Nov. 14th, I decided to offer my "services" and give all the young girls and teenagers wearing something blue a manicure.  In addition to painting their nails I will be educating them on proper nail hygiene and good nailcare practices.  I am so excited to volunteer and maybe brighten someone's day tomorrow.

 

Here are the shades I have to offer:

 

L - R:  Essie's Beach Bum Blu,

NYC's East Village,

Rimmel's Marine Blue,

L'Oreal's Now You Sea Me.

 

L - R:  ASK Cosmetics' Rich Sapphire,

SC's Rain Storm,

Maybelline's Styled Out,

Sally Hansen's Gemstone.

 

So, here is your TGIF Contest.  If you can email me (lmueller@askcosmetics.com) or tweet me (Lisa Mueller @nailcareasklisa) the shade you think will be the overall favourite for tomorrow's manis, you will be the winner.  The lucky prize winner will receive a selection of ASK Cosmetics nailcare products.

 

All entries must be sent in by 4 pm EST on November 24th, 2012.  All entries must be sent either to the above-mentioned email address OR tweeted.  Contest open internationally.  Please note that any entries left on the blog site as comments or on the ASK Cosmetics Facebook page are not valid entries.

 

 Thanks for stopping by and joining in the "blue" Saturday fun this week.  Lisa M.



In Honour of WORLD DIABETES DAY

Today is World Diabetes Day....

World Diabetes Day is held on November 14 each year. The day aims to increase an awareness of the effects of diabetes and its complications amongst the general population and professionals in a range of sectors.

It is also hoped that the increased awareness will lead to more resources to fight the causes of diabetes and help fund research into improved treatment options.

There is a lot more to read about this topic and how we can help others afflicted with this disease right here.

 

A fellow blogger put a call out for blue manicures in support of this special day.  So, in honour of this day I have compiled a few "blues" to show you. 

Rich Sapphire by ASK Cosmetics Inc.

 

I have family members who have lived with diabetes now for a number of years, and just recently a good friend of mine found out her daughter has juvenile diabetes.  She was devastated, as was her entire family.  Things were turned upside down in an instant.  

This year Deb is dedicating her energy to fund raising a cause very near and dear to her heart, namely juvenile diabetes, and I am happy to say I will be doing mini manis for all the young girls attending this fund raising event.

 

Hard Metal 282 by Rimmel London - Lasting Finish Pro

 

Marine Blue 340 by Rimmel London - Lasting Finish Pro

 

 

To obtain more information on global organizations working towards better understanding for diabetes, check out this link:

 

International Diabetes Foundation

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today. 

As always make the most of your day and enjoy every minute of it. 

 

Bye for now, Lisa M