MAC Soiree from the Cham-Pale Collection

MAC Soiree, two coats, no flash

So you all know that I am a serious MAC addict, right? MAC always releases a collection or two the day after Christmas, and for the last few years, items from those collections have been my Christmas present from my BF. This year, MAC released Cham-Pale and Stylishly Yours. I picked up a bunch of things from Cham-Pale, a collection full of champagne themed make-up. The collection has two nail lacquers, Soiree and Very Important Platinum. I got Soiree, as Very Important Platinum looks like a brushstroke disaster in every picture I've seen.


MAC Soiree, two coats, with flash

I am wearing two coats of Soiree in all of these pictures, but it is so pigmented that I would probably wear only one coat normally! Yes, one coat! Application was great, it was like champagne flowing onto my nail LOL. MAC polishes sometimes don't have great wear time, but this one seems to be wearing well so far. I really like having some one coat polishes around for when I'm in a huge rush, so I think this polish is completely worth it.

MAC Soiree, two coats, with flash

MAC Soiree, two coats, no flash

MAC Soiree is limited edition and available at a MAC location near you, or online at MAC Cosmetics.

China Glaze Tronica: Yes, Please!

For all of you ladies who wrote that you'd like to see more holographic polishes- here's great news! China Glaze is releasing a collection of TWELVE holo polishes, called Tronica! Considering how great some of their past holos have been (I'm looking at you, DV8!), I'm super excited! The colors in Tronica are:

Techno Teal – Turquoise Holographic
Virtual Violet – Violet Holographic
Electra Magnenta – Magenta Holographic
Gamer Glam – Purple Holographic
High Def - Blue Holographic
Hologram - Silver Holographic
Hyper Haute – Rasberry Holographic
3D Fantasy – Peachy Pink Holographic
Digital Dawn – Dusty Rose Holographic
Cyberspace – Taupe Holographic
Mega Bite – Gold Holographic
Laser Lime – Lime Green Holographic

Tronica is set to be released in January/February, and available in Sally Beauty Supply in March. I can probably pin down a more accurate release time frame as it gets closer. I am SOOOOOOOO EXCITED for this one!! I think I want like 9 of these!Techno Teal, Virtual Violet, Gamer Glam, High Def, Hologram, Hyper Haute, 3D Fantasy, Mega Bite, and Laser Lime! Electra Magnenta may be too close to an OPI DS polish I have, and dusty rose/taupe holos sound boring. But we'll see, I could end up wanting them all!!!!

Merry Christmas + Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Janna, the winner of the Milani Glitters giveaway! Thanks for reading, and thanks also to everyone who entered. We'll be having a 400 follower giveaway (hopefully) soon, so stay tuned for that!

Secondly, Merry Christmas Eve and Happy Holidays to all my readers and your families! I hope everyone has a wonderful time visiting with family and friends. And, of course, may you receive lots of nail polish!!!!

Giveaway is Closed!

My Milani Glitter giveaway is closed and I will try to announce the winner tonight! It is Christmas Eve and I have a bunch of last minute things to do, so be patient.

I haven't done very much in the way of Christmas nail looks. I am definitely wearing Sephora by OPI Merry Me tomorrow, so I haven't really been trying to come up with any Christmas looks. But I did a quick moon mani on only one nail to show you. This would look great if the sticker had been placed dead center. I swear I'll get these moon manis right someday!



This is three coats OPI Glitzerland (love) plus one coat Zoya Kristi (which looks fab over OPI Glitzerland btw), no flash. Merry Christmas Eve!!!!

Are you still looking for a gift for someone? Maybe someone you won't see over the holidays? Or someone whose address you don't even know (AHEM... I will happily accept gifts on my Facebook page!)? Sephora to the rescue! Read on for more info-


"Sephora Allows Facebook Users to Send and Receive Select Sephora Gifts and Gift Cards Instantly on Facebook

Don’t have your friend’s current address? Waited until the last minute? Just got a gift from a friend who wasn’t on your list? Sephora has made it easier than ever to give the perfect gift this holiday season with the launch of the First Data eGift Social solution, a new Facebookä application that allows clients to send and receive real Sephora merchandise and gift cards in an instant.

“The launch of the eGift Social program allows our more than 1 million Sephora fans to give real gifts or gift cards even if they can’t get to one of our stores,” said Bridget Dolan, Sephora's Vice President of Interactive Media. “With eGift Social, Sephora is leveraging the real-time social media experience to bring its signature, sophisticated and fun shopping experience to the client wherever, whenever.”

To access eGift Social, log on to www.facebook.com/Sephora and select the Instant Gifts tab. There you will be able to choose from a variety of fun, fabulous products or select a Sephora Gift Card, all without ever leaving your Facebook page. Sephora has selected gifts that are fan favorites and are sure to get your friends talking, including Philosophy’s Hope in a Jar, Benefit’s A Little Bit of Bad Gal, or even NARS Blush in Super Orgasm.

Once you have selected and purchased your gift, it will show up instantly on your friend’s Facebook wall and can be redeemed for the actual item online at www.sephora.com or in store*. Transactions are completed safely and securely online through a partnership with Bank of America Merchant Services, for a seamless online shopping experience. And best of all, Sephora’s gifts are covered under the Sephora Return Policy, so products can easily be exchanged or returned, and the gift cards never expire or lose their value. Fun, instantaneous, and worry-free gifting this holiday season - courtesy of Sephora."

If you'd like a chance to win some glitter polishes for yourself, there's only a few more hours left to enter my giveaway!!!

Sally Hansen Black Platinum could save you up to $25!

Sally Hansen Black Platinum, three coats, with flash

So how exactly is Sally Hansen going to save you up to $25? Well, if you've got a hankering for Chanel's latest polish release, Black Pearl, Sally Hansen may have a dupe in the form of Black Platinum. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Black Platinum was an early Christmas gift from two of the awesome Irish dancers I teach (thanks girls!). I immediately thought of Chanel Black Pearl when I saw the Sally Hansen bottle.



Granted, I have yet to see any comparison pictures of these two polishes, and I don't own Chanel Black Pearl yet. But if you've seen pictures, like this one on All Lacquered Up, you know they look rather similar! Sally Hansen Black Platinum even has that really slight green duochrome like Black Pearl! All of these pictures show three coats of Black Platinum taken with flash. This was one of those rare colors that actually shows up more true to life with flash. The natural light pictures looked all washed out for some reason. Also, there is no pink in this polish. The pink you see in the pictures is actually the reflection of my freaking pink fleece robe. LOLOL. Great.



The formula on this was good, no complaints. Nice and easy to work with, as long as you're prepared for the Sally Hansen Salon ginormous brush. It takes some getting used to, but it's not really bad. It's kind of a good thing actually. Black Platinum was very smooth-looking too, the picture on ALU looks like Black Pearly may be a tad brushstroke-y. So, if you already own Black Platinum, I would hold off on buying Chanel Black Pearl until some comparison pics surface. It might save you about $25! If you don't own either polish and you're not one to notice subtle differences, I would get the Sally Hansen. You still save something like $17. I was really interested in Black Pearl, mainly because I'm a giant fan of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies LOL! But I'm definitely not buying it until I see comparisons.



Sally Hansen Salon Polishes are available at drugstores or an Ulta near you. Chanel Black Pearl is available on Chanel.com.

Only a few days left for my Milani Glitters Giveaway!

OPI Merry Midnight, three coats, no flash

I was so enamored of my Nubar 2010 flaky mani that I decided to replace it with more flakies! OPI Merry Midnight was released in last year's holiday collection. Last year's holiday collection had some awesome stuff in it. Smitten with Mittens, Holiday Glow, Shim-merry Chic and Merry Midnight are all fantastic polishes. Merry Midnight has to be my favorite though. It's a deep plum jelly with iridescent flakies and superfine shimmer scattered throughout. It's not In Your Face Holiday, but it's festive and you can wear it during other times of the year as well.

OPI Merry Midnight, three coats, no flash

The formula on this is excellent. I swear, every time I use a good OPI polish I almost vow to never use another brand again. The wide brush, the excellent formula. I wish other companies would widen their brushes a bit. Anyway, this polish was super popular last year and sold out on all of the usual websites.

OPI Merry Midnight, three coats, no flash

You still have time to enter my Milani One Coat Glitter Giveaway!!!

Polish Combo of the Week: OPI and Nubar 2010!

I finally got Nubar 2010 for my birthday, even though I've been wanting it all year. I love Nubar, but sometimes I don't order from them often because the shipping is pricey, the polishes themselves are kind of pricey, etc. It doesn't seem worth it if you're only ordering a few polishes. But let me tell you, Nubar 2010 is absolutely worth the expense!!!

with flash

I wore two coats of OPI William Tell Me About OPI to a fancy dinner party this week. The morning after the party, I decided it would be the perfect base for Nubar 2010. I was SO right. The flakies really pop against such a dark background. I LOVE the way these flakies are reddish/orange sometimes and green depending on how you look at them. I tried to capture the green in the photo below, sorry for the blurriness.



I am wearing two coats of William Tell Me About OPI and two coats of Nubar 2010 in all of these pictures. You can see William Tell Me About OPI alone here. I didn't want to take this combination off, but by the time I put 2010 on, I had been wearing William Tell for a few days, so there was some tip wear and a few chips going on. I'll definitely be wearing this combo again soon!





Don't forget to enter my Milani One Coat Glitter Giveaway!

Hello Kitty Beauty Preview at Sephora NOW!

If you are a Beauty Insider, you can purchase some preview items from the brand new Hello Kitty Beauty line this weekend only! The collection includes nail polish, nail art stickers, perfumes, make-up brushes, eyeliners, lip gloss and more! I ordered the nail polish in Blueberry and the nail art stickers! I will post pictures of these items as soon as I get them. I really want the nail polish in Pink Sprinkles, but it was already sold out!

The collection doesn't actually launch online or in stores until January, but Beauty Insiders can get a nice sneak preview today and tomorrow only! If you are already a Beauty Insider, go to Sephora.com, log in to your account, and search "Private Event". It will take you right to the Hello Kitty collection! So cute!

Don't forget to enter my Milani Glitter Giveaway!

One Year Anniversary/Happy Holidays GIVEAWAY!!!

Milani One Coat Glitters!

Last week was Never Enough Nails' one year anniversary! It's also that wonderful holiday time of the year, so you know I have to do a giveaway!

I knew I wanted to give away the Milani One Coat Glitters, because everyone is having such a hard time finding them. I figured it would make someone's day to receive something they really couldn't find, right? The only problem is that I couldn't find them!! I finally did find four of them:

Milani Gold Glitz

Milani Red Sparkle

Milani Silver Dazzle

Milani Blue Flash

These four glitters are the only ones I could find. Literally. I don't even own any of these myself! So sadly, I can't show you swatches, but the lovely Scrangie has swatches of these up. I am going to continue to hunt for some of these for myself, but in the mean time, one lucky winner will take home all four of these polishes!

Giveaway Rules:
To enter, you must be a follower on Google or on Twitter AND leave a comment on this post telling me what kind of polish you would most like to see released in 2011.
Please also leave a valid email address in the post and also tell me your Twitter name/Google Follower name.
The giveaway will end on December 23 at midnight EST.

Thanks for reading and sticking with me for the last year! Good luck and Happy Holidays!

Moon Manicure Mess-up

My first two fingers came out OK...

So after reading on Refinery29 about moon manicures still being trendy this spring, I decided to try one. I bought a Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in black, because I really wanted to try the black/nude combo I saw in pictures from some of the spring fashion shows.

Maybe I should have tried less contrasting colors first...

First problem: I had those French manicure sticker guides laying around (see picture), and I thought they would be helpful in the moon manicure. However, the black polish leaked underneath the sticker, ruining any semblance of a half moon that may have existed.

thumbnail with French manicure guide stickers

Second problem: After the sticker disaster, I did the half moons free-hand with the nail art pen. They came out OK, not great though, but I would have been fine with wearing them around the way they were. I put my top coat on the first two nails, fine. I went to put the top coat on the ring and pinkie finger and apparently the polish wasn't dry. The black streaked all over the nude! Boooooo!

Streaks!

So anyway, if I were to do this again, I would maybe try lighter colors first to practice. Also, I would definitely wait a LONG time before applying top coat. I had better practice this look if it's going to be so trendy this spring! Have you tried a version of the moon manicure? How'd it work out?

In case you're interested in trying the French manicure stickers, you can get them at Transdesign.

From Zoya: Today is

"FREE ZOYA COLOR SPOON FRIDAY

6 FREE ZOYA COLOR SPOONS*
TODAY ONLY
(12/10/2010 - Expires 11:59 EST).

Here's how it works...
First pick any 6 colors you would like to try on... Add the matching Zoya Color Spoon to your shopping cart on zoya.com. Add SP6 as your code. Process order. Zoya will ship them to you for FREE! Plus you will automatically earn a $3 Zoya Color Spoon credit code for use on a future zoya.com purchase. Feel free to order more at the regular price if you would like (shipping is always free on Zoya Color Spoons)."

If you're still confused about what color spoons are, I suggest you run over to Zoya's website and watch the video! While you're there, order your free color spoons! I'm going to order Tiffany and Valerie for sure, how about you?

Manicure V2.0

MAC Bad Fairy over OPI Girls Just Want to Play, no flash

So you knew I couldn't last very long with a creme on my nails. Totally not enough bling for me. I did make it 4 days though, that could be a record. But last night I got a little bored and added some sparkle to my salon manicure.

MAC Bad Fairy over OPI Girls Just Want to Play, with flash

When I purchased MAC Bad Fairy, from the Venomous Villains collection, my favorite MAC make-up artist told me to make sure I tried it over a red creme. When he suggested that, I thought "Oh, boring. Red over red? Boo." But he was SOOOO right! If you own Bad Fairy, go do this now! This is two coats of Bad Fairy over two coats of OPI Girls Just Want to Play.

MAC Bad Fairy over OPI Girls Just Want to Play, no flash

MAC Bad Fairy is available on Ebay, some bottles are listed for as little as $14 (retail was $13), so not too horribly overpriced.

A Change of Pace: OPI Girls Just Want to Play

OPI Girls Just Want to Play, two coats, no flash

Being a nail blogger, I rarely go to the salon to have my nails done. I change my polish so often that it seems like a waste to go pay money to have my nails done, only to remove it a day or two later. However, during my recent trip to the salon, I remembered why it's nice to get a professional manicure occasionally.

Since getting my nails done isn't something I normally do, I also picked a color I wouldn't normally pick- OPI Girls Just Want to Play. Girls Just Want to Play is a red creme. When do I wear red cremes? Neverrrrrrr, they bore me. However, I really like this one. It's a super bright red with a healthy dose of orange. I have received loads of compliments on this color since Friday.

OPI Girls Just Want to Play, two coats, with flash

As you can see in the pictures, my nail tech didn't do the kind of clean-up around the edges that I would normally do. I have since cleaned this up, of course. She did a great job shaping my nails, although I definitely winced when she started sawing away at the walls of my nails. I'm sure I'm in for some breaks soon. The main things that convinced me to go to the salon more often were the treatments she applied and the hand massage. I got the Mineral Salt Spa Manicure, and the nail tech just applied cream after cream, followed by an exfoliating scrub, followed by oil, followed by more creams! Could I do this at home? Yes. Do I? No. The Mineral Salt manicure was definitely a nice treat and I think I will try to do this maybe every other month. It really is a nice change of pace to have someone else do your nails.

OPI Girls Just Want to Play, two coats, no flash

Also, this visit got me thinking- I'm dying to try the OPI Axxium Gel polish. A friend of mine recently had this done, and her nails have looked gorgeous for more than 2 weeks! Have you tried this yet? How was it? My mom is dying to try them as well. I think that would be a good Christmas present- mother/daughter Axxium nails! Obviously, I'll post about my experience with them!

Zoya May Give Free Polish!

Wow go check out Zoya's Facebook page! They have promised that if they get 20,000 people to "like" them on Facebook before January 3, 2011, they'll give their followers THREE free bottles of polish!!!!

I love Zoya polish, but I really love Zoya the company. I think they really appreciate their customers. I am already a fan on Facebook, but if you're not, go like them now!

Polish of the Week: Nubar Oro

Nubar Oro, three coats, no flash

My wonderful mom bought me a few Nubars for my birthday recently and the first one I tried was Oro, from the Venetian Glass collection. As soon as I unwrapped the polishes, Oro caught my eye. It is a gorgeous gold glass-fleck polish. The glass-fleck is very densely packed though, so the finish really resembles a foil. Oro is not your traditional gold either. It's a very bright, orange-y gold that I'm sure is not everyone's cup of tea. I LOVE it though. It reminds me of ancient gold artifacts or something. I definitely think it has an old burnished gold feel to it.

Nubar Oro, three coats, no flash

The formula on this was lovely, no problems at all. The polish flowed easily onto the nail and dried quickly. I really need to order more Nubars, I love every one I own. EK actually just ordered 10 Nubar polishes, so expect to see those posted here! Oro is one of those polishes that I keep staring at, it's really such a different color. I don't own anything anywhere close to this color. I was getting a little tired of wearing the same colors all the time, so I feel like this polish is a refreshing change.

Nubar Oro, three coats, no flash

In other news, Deborah Lippman polishes are 20% off with the code Turkey20 on Lippmancollection.com! I've been wanting to order Bad Romance, maybe now is the time??

Nubar Oro and the rest of the Venetian Glass collection is available online at Bynubar.com.

Wet n Wild Tipsy- another 99 cent gem!

Wet n Wild Tipsy, one coat over Zoya Envy, no flash

Wet n Wild has done it again! I am so impressed with every one of their polishes I've tried, including the latest, Tipsy. Tipsy is a rose gold glitter polish from Glitz and Glam, the holiday/winter release of Wet n Wild Wild Shine polish. Tipsy has very fine bronze/rose gold glitter suspended in a clear base. This is definitely not a full-coverage glitter, but it makes an absolutely beautiful top coat over almost any color.

Wet n Wild Tipsy, one coat over Zoya Envy, no flash

I tried Tipsy over Zoya Envy, a super dark green creme. I think it looks incredible. Tipsy gives the dark base a lot of interest. You can definitely see that the bronze glitter also has a slight pink tinge to it, that's why I think it's best described as rose gold glitter. Tipsy would also look fantastic over white, silver, blue, purple, or for a great holiday look, red. Tipsy would probably look kind of neat over a French manicure as well. I normally hate when I can see my nail under a polish, but Tipsy just made my nail look healthy and pretty.

Wet n Wild Tipsy, three coats, no flash

Wet n Wild Tipsy is another fabulous glitter from a company that doesn't get too much attention in the polish world. I hope they keep cranking out the glitters- I will buy them all! At 99 cents, this is a Must Have that we can all afford!

Wet n Wild Tipsy, one coat over Zoya Envy, no flash

Wet n Wild polishes are available at many drugstores- for a list, see here. I haven't seen Tipsy for sale online yet, but I'll keep looking.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! What are your plans for the day?
I'll be spending the afternoon and evening with my family, eating everything in sight. Tonight, I'll probably play some Super Mario Brothers on the Wii my boyfriend got me yesterday. So, all together, a day to be thankful for!

Another thing to be thankful for? Zoya Carrie Ann! This is my Thanksgiving mani, what a gorgeous color!

Best Holiday Polish!!! Sephora by OPI Merry Me!

Sephora by OPI Merry Me!, three coats, no flash

I know it's more than a month away, but I already know what polish I'll be applying on Christmas Eve. Red, super sparkly, two different colors of glitter... it is really the perfect holiday polish.

Sephora by OPI, Merry Me!, three coats, with flash

I'm talking about the limited edition Sephora by OPI Merry Me!. This red jelly base is absolutely packed with both red and silver glitter. The red base does have a lot of pink in it, but it seems like the kind of red that will flatter a lot of people. After two coats, the pink becomes less noticeable. I did three coats for these pictures and the result was a gorgeous glitzy finish that I LOVE. The jelly base allows the glitter to really show through.

Sephora by OPI Merry Me!, three coats, no flash

My pictures don't even show how sparkly this is in person. A shiny top coat brings out all of the sparkle, but I also think it looks fantastic matte (see below). I am definitely going to wear it the full-on shiny version on Christmas though.

Sephora by OPI Merry Me! plus one coat Knockout Cosmetics Flatte Top, no flash

For such a glittery polish, the removal process was super easy. I didn't even use Zoya Remove+, just regular polish remover! I think it might be because the glitter is pretty fine. The larger pieces of glitter always seem harder to remove.

Sephora by OPI polishes are available at a Sephora near you, or online at Sephora.com.

Barielle Fall Sale!

In case you haven't heard, Barielle.com is having a 20% off sale site wide. Now is your chance to pick up some of their beautiful polishes. Are you hauling from the Barielle sale?

Also, I have a Sephora by OPI polish to review for you tomorrow! I would have done it today, but I got a spray tan for a recent dance competition and it left my cuticles a bit orange! See ya tomorrow!

Ulta For Bitten

Ulta For Bitten, two coats, with flash

* This post is dedicated to Jamie the Amazing Shmittens *

I have another Ulta polish for you today- For Bitten. For Bitten is a very pretty black jelly polish with tons of red shimmer crammed in. The shimmer particles are pretty large, almost like bits of glitter and even though the base of the polish is black, you can always see the red shimmer. I hate those black-based glitter polishes where the black base hides all of the glitter. Luckily, this is not For Bitten's problem.

Ulta For Bitten, two coats, no flash

For Bitten's problem is lack of wear time. Just like the other Ulta polish I reviewed, Total Eclipse, For Bitten started chipping on the second day of wear. I used China Glaze Fast Forward top coat, which dries quickly, but really does not prevent chipping at all. Maybe these Ulta polishes would be better with a different top coat. However, as it is right now, I find that they don't wear well.

Ulta For Bitten, two coats, with flash

Overall, I like Ulta's formula in terms of application and I also like their color choices. I just wish these polishes lasted longer on the nail.

Ulta polishes are available at an Ulta near you or online at Ulta.

Polish of the Week: Ulta Total Eclipse

I have a couple of Ulta polishes to review for you over the next few days. I'm starting with a really cool super dark grey called Total Eclipse. It looks almost black in some lights, but is way more flattering than harsh black polish. This picture does not do the polish justice, as it was raining and cloudy when I took it.

This is my first experience with Ulta's own brand of polish and it was a pretty good one! I love this color and the formula was easy to work with. This is three coats, but you could easily do two. I am not the biggest fan of Ulta's wear time. This polish seemed to chip quickly, about one day after application.

I'll definitely try to get a better picture of Total Eclipse when I post the next Ulta polish!

Ulta polish retails for $7.50, but they always have sales and deals on it. Right now, Ulta polish is buy one get one free on Ulta.com.