Hello Kitty Nails!

Hello all!

Whew, my academic life is finally winding down and I can finally get back on a normal sleep schedule. I took my second to last midterm today, for the second hardest history class at the University. Let's just say I showed that exam who was boss! I have one last midterm on Wednesday for Statistics. Spring Break is right around the corner!

Also, before I get on to my manicure, there's a relatively new nail blogger on the block, Jackie at Pampered with Polish, who's very sweet, so stop by her blog and say hi! :)

Okay, on to the nails. This the girliest thing I've ever done to my nails. I've always liked Hello Kitty, but my nails are currently in pink overload. If any of you remember this, I said a while ago that pink has never been one of my favorite colors, but I'll make exceptions which it come to nail polish, but it takes a special pink for me to even want to consider purchasing it. For this manicure I used Essie Knockout Pout, and it is definitely one of those pinks! It's a neon, Pepto Bismol, Barbie pink, that screams, "girly!" It's a neon, but it's not overwhelming and it's rather flattering. The formula was horrid, but worth the streaking and flooding of the cuticles. I then freehanded Hello Kitty on my ring fingers and placed a rhinestone on the middle of the bow. I don't think I made Hello Kitty's eyes wide-set enough however.

This mani is so cute and happy. Just what I need during this last week of midterms!

Polishes used: 
- Base color: Essie Knockout Pout (3 coats)
- Hello Kitty: N.Y.C. 134A (plain white creme)
- Bow: Essie Flirt
- Eyes: N.Y.C Black Lace Creme
- Nose: China Glaze Lemon Fizz
- Top Coat: Sally Hansen Insta Dri Top Coat


That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading!
-Alana

Revlon - Whimsical

Yes! I got my hands on Revlon Whimsical. I was at Ulta some weeks ago and snagged the last bottle they had! I'm pretty sure I squealed and did a dance in the middle of the store and then talked the cashier's ear off about how I've been looking for this. I'm pretty sure that you all have seen dozens of swatches of this, but here is my mani with this anyway.

First, I used two coats of AVON Vintage blue, which is a soft, baby pastel blue. (Think Essie Borrowed and Blue but a bit more saturated. I couldn't get the color accuracy as perfect as I would have liked.) Then I layered two coats of Whimsical over Vintage Blue. Whimsical's formula is quite good, but because the hexagon glitter in it isn't densely packed I had to maneuver my brush a bit to try to get a decent dispersal of the glitter. I then topped this off with one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat.

Whimsical is the perfect name for this polish. It's so soft and dreamy looking. I actually prefer the name of the Revlon than the polish that it was duped after, Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air. (The price is more wallet friendly too!)

I can't wait to experiment more with layering this over different shades. I'd like to try it over a pastel pink, a turquoise (to bring out the tiny iridescent glitter that disappears against this blue), a nude, and a soft white like Essie Marshmellow.

And here is a little randomness before I go:

These are all the books I needed for my tests, papers, and regular homework/reading assignments. This is ridiculous! My two history classes, The Second World War and Greek and Roman Warfare, have taken over my life.

And it snowed on Sunday! I didn't get to play in it though because I was studying and writing papers. So sad.

That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading!
-Alana

11 Questions!

Hello! :)

Sara at Sara <3's Pretty Little Things tagged me in 11 Questions. Thanks Sara! :) If you haven't visited her blog before I suggest you get on it!

The rules for this tag are:
- Each person must post 11 facts about themselves on their blog.
- Answer the questions the tagger set to you in their post and create 11 new questions for the         people you tag!
- You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on your post.
- Go to their blog and tell them you have tagged them.
- You legitimately have to tag 11 people. No tag backs! 


My 11 facts:
1. I love pizza. I think I eat it almost everyday while I'm at school. I rarely eat it when I'm at home for breaks though. Nothing beats a fresh pepperoni pizza!
2. I have 4 piercings: 2 in each lobe. I got the second lobe piercing this past September. 
3. My roommate Annalise, her sister Madeline and I love to watch movies on the weekend. Every Friday and Saturday night we pick two movies and watch one of Friday and the other on Saturday and we paint our nails, drink tea, and eat snacks. It's one of the things I look forward to the most during the week. :)
4. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm in my 6th semester of my undergrad career. By this time next year I'll be preparing to graduate. It's thrilling but intimidating at the same time. College has gone by so quickly. 
5. I know I've mentioned this before, but I'm kinda obsessed with Rupert Grint.
6. I'm technically bilingual. I can read and write in Spanish fluently and I can speak it also, but I don't speak it as well as I can write and read it. 
7. I really, really, really, want to go to London!
8. I tend to name my most valuable possessions. Examples: My iPod's name is Gustav. My laptop's name is Maximus Decimus Meridius (after Russell Crowe's character in the Gladiator), my clarinet's name is Enrique, etc, etc. (I just realized how strange it is that I name my things O_o). 
9. I've never been to the West Coast or to the Deep South or to any of the states in the middle of the U.S. I've hit some major cities: D.C. New York, Chicago, Boston, so it's one of my goals to see the rest of the major cities. 
10. Speaking of Boston. I really like Boston. Like, really, really, really like Boston. It's beautiful and I love the weather: freezing cold in winter, mild in the summer. I could see myself living there. I was born in that state. :)
11. I honestly think that partying in college is overrated. I'd rather relax at home and watch a good movie than being around a massive amount of drunk people. Definitely not my cup of tea at all. It bothers me that some people think that the only way to have fun in college is to get wasted. So false. 


Here are Sara's 11 questions: 
1. What is you favorite polish that you currently own?
Woah! I think this is the hardest question you can ask a polish collector haha. I honestly don't even know. I have a few polishes that I really like, but I don't think I have one favorite. However, some of my favorites are: Zoya Veruschka, China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, China Glaze White Cap, and Essie Turquoise & Caicos. (Subject to change haha). 
2. What's your style, fashion wise?
My roommate said, "I could never see your clothes going out of style. They're simple and classic." I think she nailed it. I'm all about quality over quantity. I'd rather have a few, really nice, classic, stylish, articles of clothing that'll last for years over a closet full of clothes that'll go out of style by next year. Audrey Hepburn is also my fashion icon. :)
3. What is the most expensive nail polish/cosmetic you own?
Hmm, I don't know. I don't really spend a lot of money on polish or cosmetics because I'm a college kid with no job haha. I'll just say that the most expensive polish on my wishlist is Chanel Morning Rose. 
4. What's the craziest thing you've ever done?
This is a hard one too. I'll just name one crazy thing. At the end of last school year, when Annalise and I were the last two to move out of the apartment to go back home for the summer and we were cleaning, we took the shower rods, went outside at 12:00am into the parking lot and pretended they were javelins. Then we had a contest to see who could get the best aim and throw the javelin into the dumpster with the most accuracy. Some guy walked by and probably thought we were insane. 
5. Do you prefer brights or nudes or vampy for nails?
I definitely prefer vampy shades, but I also really enjoy all colors of the spectrum on my nails. :)
6. If you had to change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?
Another hard one. I need a better poker face. I tend to give people strange looks when I think they're doing something ridiculous haha. 
7. Do you mind if your nails get stained or not?
I actually don't. My nails have polish on them the majority of the time anyway, so very few people would even notice if my nails were stained. That being said, I actually do not have stained nails. 
8. Have you ever had a super embarrassing moment?
Haha yes! I'm sure we all have. When I fell and broke my rib in front of the entire skating rink when I was in ninth grade, and I fell so hard that everyone got quiet and stared and the DJ said over the music, "Oooooh someone go check that out!" Awkwaaaard. I didn't know my rib was broken at the time. I think I went into shock and didn't realize it until almost 2 days later when I literally couldn't get out of bed. 
9. Completely random... can you drive?
Yes. 
10. What is your favorite book or film?
I don't have one favorite book, but one of my favorites is The Kite Runner. My favorite movies: Lord of the Rings hands down!
11. Do you have any regrets. 
Honestly, no, I don't. 


Now here are my own 11 questions: 
1. If you could have any career in the world, what would it be?
2. What is one language that you've always wanted to learn how to speak?
3. Do you have any strange quirks?
4. What's one of your biggest pet peeves?
5. What's one of your favorite childhood memories?
6. If you could meet just one celebrity, who would you want to meet?
7. Other than painting your nails, what's one of your favorite things to do?
8. What's your favorite food?
9. Do you prefer warmer weather or cooler weather?
10. What is the country that you've always wanted to go to?
11. Do you have a favorite sport? If so, what is it?


My 11 tags (If you've already been tagged in this, my bad! haha): 
1. A Polished Touch
2. A Wig Wam is not a Teepee
3. greeneyespinknails
4. Holly and Polish
5. Laura's Lacquers 
6. Like a Candy Shop 
7. Nail Stories
8. NicNack'sNails
9. Polish Obsession
10. Procrastination Polish 
11. See Sarah Swatch  

Wheeeeew that took foreverrrrr! haha. I believe I started this a week ago. I've been extremely busy with all of my school work. I finished one paper that's due on Monday. I'm working on another paper that's due on Wednesday, while studying for three tests and keeping up with all of my normal assignments. My light at the end of the tunnel? That would be spring break!

That's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading! [And for those of you who actually read this in all its lengthy entirety, thanks for being awesome!]
-Alana

Valentine's Day Nails

Hello! :)

This is going to be another quick post. I'm currently making it through the toughest three weeks of my entire semester. I've got a paper due on the 20th, a test on the 21st, another paper due on the 22nd, another test on the 27th, then another exam on the 29th. If it takes me longer to update than normally, you know why: I'm writing papers and studying like a boss! All of this will be worth it because after that last test I get to go home for Spring Break and relax.

On to the nails! I'm never been  huge on Valentine's Day. I'm not the sappy, lovey-dovey type so it's always made me feel awkward. However, all holiday's make doing your nails more fun! I decided to go for a design that was blatant. I used 2 coats of Zoya Sarah and then used the stamp from BM206 in China Glaze Passion. I really like how it came out!

Check out how this polish looks in the bottle when the sun hits it!

Well that's all for now and thanks  for stopping by and reading!  I have a tag to post. It's still sitting in my drafts uncompleted, but I'll keep working on it and hopefully get that up before this week is over. I'm off to get ready for bed so that I can wake up bright and early in the morning and continue to chip away at the mound of work that I have to get done!
-Alana

I Found a Little Ray of Sunshine

Hello!

This is going to be an extremely quick post. I have to leave for my last class of the day in about 25 minutes. On Monday the sun finally came back out so I got the opportunity to snap a photo of my Pac Man Nails in the sun. As any holographic polish does, Revvvolution comes alive in direct sunlight. I need more holographic polishes in my life... (This is still on my nails by the way, and I've had zero chipping. Five days and it's still going strong. It's coming off tomorrow though.)

I love how Revvvolution is more of a subtle linear holo. I feel like that's more my style.

Well that's all for now and thanks for stopping by and reading! I'm back off to class and then back to my apartment to do more homework. Yaaay, homework.... (Cue sarcasm).
-Alana

Pac Man Nails!

Hello all!

Whew, I've had a hectic week, school work wise. I feel like I haven't posted in ages even though it's been exactly a week. I'm not going to spend much time talking because I have a lot of work to do today. I've got a pile of books sitting on my desk that I have to read  for my two history classes, Statistics homework that's only half completed and is due tomorrow, and I'm helping a friend of a friend edit a paper for grad school because she wanted a native English speaker to help her edit it. A busy day, but I don't mind. Sometimes it's good to be busy.

On to the nails. This week I decided to do Pac Man nails. My 2012 planner is the Limited Addition Pac Man Planner that Moleskine put out to celebrate 30 years of the hungry, yellow guy. (What exactly is Pac Man anyway?) I've always liked this simple arcade game, perhaps because Pac Man is always hungry and so am I?

The base color I used is two coats of Color Club Revvvolution. Unfortunately it's been cloudy here for the past couple of days so I wasn't able to photograph this awesome charcoal holographic polish in direct sunlight. I was able to tweak the photos a bit to bring out some of the holographic effect. If it's sunny tomorrow I promise that I'll snap a photo and then show you guys!

I'm very pleased with how this came out. It took me a while to complete however. I'm a slow free-hander. I used a  dotting tool for all of the detailing.

Polishes used: 
Base Color: Color Club Revvvolution
Pac Man: China Glaze Lemon Fizz
Dots: Sally Hansen Wet Cement
The Ghost: Sally Hansen Pacific Blue, N.Y.C 134A, N.Y.C Black Lace Creme
Cherry: China Glaze Hey Sailor!, China Glaze Starboard

That's all for today and thanks for stopping by and reading!
-Alana

Nail Polish Addicts Will Approve

I had to share this with you all because I know we can all relate. She nails it! (No pun intended!)






That's all for today!
-Alana