Color Club / Funky Fingers Neon Fractured Collection

Good morning!

Today I've got a crackle post! Love me some crackle.
My friend Lori is the Crackle Fairy and she sent me some of the new Funky Fingers Neon Crackles, which are the same as the new Color Club Neon Fractured polishes! (FF and CC are made by the same company and almost all FF are CC dupes.)
Lori and I share a huge love for Color Club, so of course I wanted these polishes.

I decided to use all four of the ones I got for a crackle skittle mani!

Pink = Funky Fingers - Neon Pink Crackle / Color Club - Burst Thing's First
Purple = Funky Fingers - Neon Purple Crackle / Color Club - Shock Rock
Blue = Funky Fingers - Neon Blue Crackle / Color Club - Take a Crack At It
Green = Funky Fingers - Neon Green Crackle / Color Club - Living On The Edge
(There is also an orange and a yellow but I didn't want those.)

These all worked so well and are so bright and fun! The only issue I had was that the green one left the white polish underneath with a light greeny-yellow tint.
I haven't tried it over other colors to see if it leaves the tint behind on everything, but I'd say it does. It probably would be difficult to notice over other colors, though!

Awkward 2-hand photo time. Posting it despite the awkwardness because I just love these nails!
I'm pumped to try these out over more colors. Endless combinations!

(delayed) june haul

Holy crap, where did June go?!
It went so fast, I forgot to do my haul post for the month.

Here it is, 5 days late!

Nail Polish Canada - Saving lives with a year's supply of Shellac!

Hey girls and boys!
I've got a press release to share with you today - and I don't normally post these things, but this made me crack up laughing so of course I had to share! Plus, you can win a darn good prize. You can bet I'm entering!
Check it out...

WIN SHELLAC FOR LIFE ($1266 value) - NAILPOLISHCANADA.COM TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE
“To be fair, it’s actually only a 25 year supply, so we can only hope the winner dies early to keep me an honest woman”- Nikki Smith, VP of Glitter, Nail Polish Canada.
CND Shellac is a cross between nail polish and gel which is cured under a UV lamp and lasts up to 14 days without chipping.
Chipped nails are an important issue that affect lives in many ways. “We’ve invented substantial research and the reason women slap or bite in a catfight is fear of chipping their nails. Hopefully, together, we can build a world where a woman can throw a punch at the bitch who kissed her boyfriend without worrying about chips” said Ms. Smith.

The prize will go to whomever can show that their life will be most impacted by winning Shellac for life. Be it better, or worse. Maybe it stops your polish addiction long enough that you can save money, go to school, become a doctor, go to Africa and start saving lives. Did we say that this contest saves lives? Now we did.
Or maybe you’re just looking for a little understanding, “My husband will finally understand that other people take polish as seriously as me...” - Sarah P.”
Or perhaps the result won’t be as positive, “I’ll probably spend all my time painting my nails, not go to work, get fired, now I’m homeless, damn you NPC.” - Beth C”
If you or a loved one is still stuck in a world of chips, smudges and wasting countless hours re-doing nails we urge you to take a stand. Enter at http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/cnd-shellac.html

Grand prize will go to the best description of how winning a lifetime supply of Shellac will change their life.
Winner selected August 7, 2012.
Open to Canadian and United States residents only.
Full rules and entry at: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/cnd-shellac.html
For further info please contact rachael@nailpolishcanada.com

LA Girl - Celebrate

Okay, this is funny.
I am Canadian and I did not find time to do a Canada-Day-Mani - but I happen to have a Fourth-of-July-Appropriate-Swatch to show you today.
(It's been in my swatch folder for a while so I didn't really do it on purpose, but hey, if it works, it works!)

LA Girl Glitter Addict - Celebrate
Red and blue glitter, this is a patriotic polish for sure! (But with some pink mixed in.)
I was really pleased with the consistency of this polish and I've shown just one coat over Sephora by OPI - Pushing Your Luck.

LA Girl polishes are usually only $2 or $3 and I'd definitely pick up more of the Glitter Addict line.
I'm not a huge fan of their other lines, though. 



Ah, glitter. Can we ever get enough? Probably not.

Konad Kit from Nail Polish Canada!

Hey everyone! And happy belated Canada Day to all my Canadians out there!
Today I've got a Canadian-appropriate post, with a product review from Nail Polish Canada!

Did you know that Nail Polish Canada carries Konad? They've got plates, polishes, and stamping sets galore.
I'm always wanting to order new Konad plates and supplies because they are simply the best. They just work best! And I'm not just saying this because I'm doing a product review - I truly believe that if you want to start stamping, you should start with Konad. Konad is the easiest to use and gives the best results.
If you're trying to learn a new skill, why not start with the best supplies?

I started my stamping with generic plates, a generic stamper, and regular polishes. It was hard to get good results.
When I started using Konad supplies I was like, "Crap! Why did I waste my time with crap?!"

I should have started with something like this:

The Basic Nail Art Stamping Set by Konad! This set is available on Nail Polish Canada for $17.

In this set you get a stamper, scraper, one plate (m36) and a small bottle of their white stamping polish.
This is all you need to get started!

The back of the package has the instructions on how to use it which are helpful if it is your first time!

I did two different manis to showcase the images on this cute plate.

First I did a mani with all of the images, over my Orly Here Comes Trouble mani.
(I searched far and wide for this polish... But look! It's now available here on Nail Polish Canada.)

I stamped all the images around my nails randomly using the white stamping polish included in the set. All of the images transferred without issue, because that's the way Konad works! Haha!
On my thumb I added blue butterflies as an accent! (Tip! You can tint your white stamping polish into any color you want by adding a little regular polish and the white to some paper and mixing them before painting the mixed polish onto the plate!)

This mani was pretty cool, but I needed something cuter for the second mani.
And I really succeeded, if I may say so myself!

Tada! Butterfly mani! This is probably the most girly/dainty mani I have ever worn but I quite like it.

The base color here is China Glaze Dance Baby, one of my all time favorite pinks, which happens to be available here on Nail Polish Canada!
The first layer of stamping was done with OPI Dim Sum Plum, another pink I love which is very opaque and good for stamping. Also available on NPC! (I swear I did not use these polishes so I could add more links to the post - Nail Polish Canada just happens to carry basically everything I like. And for this reason, I like them!!)

I used the pretty flower images 2 or 3 times on each nail to create a full flower pattern.
Then I added the butterflies randomly with Konad Special White (which too, can be bought alone on NPC.)

I love tone-on-tone stamping, and adding the white butterflies really set it off!
I took some pictures before adding the butterflies too, in case it didn't look nice.

I liked it like this, too! But the more stamps the merrier, I think. Layering stamps brings stamping to a whole new level.

I have one more picture for you guys, that will showcase one of the ways the Konad stamper really is your best bet.

On this nail I stamped the same image on the left and right (but in different directions.)
The left was done with the Konad stamper, the right with a generic one from eBay.
Can you see how the image from the Konad stamper is darker? It just works better. In like 10 ways.

Long story short, Konad plates are the best because they're always engraved right. The Konad stampers are the best because they just do the job. The Konad scraper I am not going to preach about because I like my generic scrapers just fine, too (but you're better off getting something plastic instead of metal.) While lots of polishes are usable for stamping, Konad polishes are the best because they are made for it.

This is not to say you shouldn't use any generic things or other stamping brands! I think you definitely should! But you should start your obsession with Konad because it will make your life easier and prepare you for the difficulties you may face using lesser quality products.
Even if you don't wanna pay up for their plates - please do yourself a favor and get one of their stampers.

Yay for Konad!

Check out all of the lovely Konad products available on Nail Polish Canada right here.
I'm drooling over the kit with all the polishes!

And while we are talking about NPC - did you see the amazing Nfu-Oh polishes they donated to my giveaway? So gorgeous!

Product provided for honest review.