So many sales lately! Nail Mail/Sally's Haul/Julep Maven

Holy nail polish, Batman!! Today wound up being a crazy eventful nail polish acquiring day.  My Julep Maven box for May arrived, one of my Zoya orders arrived, and I went to Sally's on my lunch break because it was the last day to use the buy 2 get one free discount as well as the last day on the $10 coupon I had.  NOW, before I show the pictures look at this breakdown:

Julep Maven box: FREE because I had 2 referrals
3 bottles Zoya: $16 with free shipping because I had a 1 free bottle coupon
Entire Sally's Haul: $27 after $10 off, 3 free polishes & Sally Beauty Club discount (saved $19)

So basically, everything in this picture cost me $43 and without coupons/referrals would have been $96.94.  Yay sales!!

Now individual pictures.  Here is my Julep Maven box for May.  If you haven't heard of the Maven program  it is an AWESOME nail polish of the month subscription.  I have a more in depth description HERE .  But it's $19.99 a month and you can get your first box for only $0.01 (yeah, a PENNY) by using discount code COLOR2012.  HERE is Julep's page where you take the style quiz to sign up.

This month I kept my It Girl Box, which came with Kylie (purple magnetic polish), Nessa (shimmery yellow), and Ashley (shimmery orange).  They all look like they'll be great for summer, I can't wait to try them! :-)

New Zoyas!  My first ones actually.  Super excited.  Colbie, Jo, and Kat (couldn't resist that one).  Zoya has a cool "Share the Love" program.  I got a free polish coupon just for opening an account and you get points that result in coupons for referring others.  If you don't already have an account it's definitely worth checking into HERE.

ORLY! Sweet Peacock, Bubbly Bombshell, Royal Navy, Fowl Play

China Glaze First Mate, For Audrey; Finger Paints Are You Blue?, Putty in my Hands, and Art You Wondering?.  Two of the Finger Paints aren't actually for me, but there will be more on that tomorrow. ;-)

So, that's my haul!  I think I'm going on a buying hiatus *except in the case of excellent sales for a little while.  Sales are so satisfying.

31 Day Challenge Day 15: Delicate Print

Today's theme is delicate print.  I used Konad plate m73 for this.  OPI Russian Navy was the base color with Sally Hansen Celeb City for the stamping.  It showed up really well in person, but was really hard to capture on camera.

You can kind of see the print better at an angle...I think.

15 days down, 16 to go!  :-)

31 Day Challenge Day 14: Flower Nails

Hello!  Today's theme in the 31 Day Nail Challenge is flower nails.  I've seen several cherry blossom manicures floating around online and always think they're so pretty so I decided to try one of my own.  I used Sinful Colors Cinderella as the base color and then Julep Niecy for the flowers and black Stripe Rite as the branches. I used Konad Black for the centers, and then didn't let it dry enough (again) before adding top coat.  Since I waited 30 min this time I really just think Konad black never ever dries.  Rawr.  Streaking or no, I still like these and have gotten lots of comments on them today.

14 Days down, 17 to go!

31 Day Challenge Day 13: Animal Print

Hi!  Today is animal print day.  Animal prints on nails seem big lately, but I'm not a huge fan.  Especially of cheetah print...I don't know why, I just particularly dislike cheetah print.  But that's irrelevant.  I decided to do zebra print with Konad black polish and Red Angel plate RA113 on top of Butter London Slapper.  Slapper is such a pretty pretty teal.  It took 3 coats for both full opacity and to smooth out.  I used a dotting tool on my index finger to make a little heart with Julep Niecy.  My top coat dragged the black stamping a little, but I kind of think that makes it look more like a hairy, teal zebra hide.  Stamping with Konad polishes always seems to take FOREVER to dry with me and I almost always have bleeding with it.  Even using the floating method.  Oh well.  I like how this turned out anyway.  I still probably won't make animal prints a regular thing though.  :-)

13 days down 18 to go!  Go check out the other participants at Painting Outside the Lines!

31 Day Challenge Day 12: Stripes

Hello!  Today's theme is stripes.  I used Orly Rage again (I've been using this one a lot lately!), as well as green, light pink, and black Stripe Rite.  I like how these look over Rage, the gold only just peeks through and reminds me of distressed paint on furniture.  

12 Days Down 19 to go!  :-)

31 Day Challenge Day 11: Polka Dots!

Hey Hey, tomorrow is Friday!  Today is polka dot day in the 31 day challenge hosted by Painting Outside the Lines.  I used Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink and Konad special black with my dotting tool.  Initially all the nails were Rockstar Pink with black dots, but I messed up one of the dots on my ring finger so bad by not waiting for everything to dry that I just painted that nail black and used Rockstar Pink for the dots.  I think most of my accent fingers come from messing that finger up.  :-)

11 Days down 20 to go!  We're starting to get into the fun themes!

31 Day Challenge Day 10: Gradient Nails

I think today's manicure is my favorite I've done for this challenge so far!  I used Sally Hansen HD in Spectrum and Orly Lunar Eclipse.  My plan was to do the base in Spectrum then sponge Lunar Eclipse on, but it wound up being waaaaaay to sheer with the sponge.  So I free handed the tips like you would to do a french manicure, let it dry a minute, then added a lighter coat to the middle 3rd of the nail.  With most of the polish off the brush I tried to blend it where it met the light blue of Spectrum.  I think it turned out really well, and I love these colors together!  They have a very similar shimmer to them even though Lunar Eclipse is more of a duochrome.

10 days down 21 to go!  Have you stopped by Painting Outside the Line's Facebook to check out the other entries?

31 Day Nail Challenge Day 9: Rainbow Nails

Hello!  Today is day 9 of the 31 day challenge, rainbow nails!  For this I decided to try my hand at freehanding with some acrylic paint.  Orly Rage is the base color, acrylic paint on top, then Out the Door holographic top coat.  My hand wasn't super steady for the rainbow, but I like it.  I went to Michaels to get the acrylic paint and wound up with a whole bunch of fun stuff to try out on my nails!  I especially can't wait for what I have planned for day 24: Inspired by a Book.  For now here is Day 9!

Looking at it on the computer screen now, I think the holographic top coat looks like bubbles in the paint instead of making the rainbow look shimmery.  Whoops.

9 Days down 22 to go!!

31 Day Nail Challenge Day 8: Metallic Nails

Good Evening!  Today is metallic nails, and I used one of my favorite metallic polishes, Orly Rage.  Quick question: how do y'all pronounce Orly?  In my head I say it like this:

But then I heard someone say it differently on a YouTube video about fish egg nails so now I'm curious.  

Anyway.

I used Orly Rock-It as an accent finger, then stamped with a BM plate in Rage.  I looooove Rock-It!! I picked up a couple of the Mineral FX line last week and it's the only one I've tried so far.  But it is so pretty.   It goes on so smoothly, it's nearly opaque in one coat, and it is super shimmery.  I can't wait to try the others.  I do feel like top coat dulls it a little, which is strange.  

8 Days down 23 to go!

31 Day Challenge Day 7: Black and White

Hello!  Today is day 7 in the 31 day challenge and the theme is black and white nails.  I used a base coat of Sally Hansen White On and then stamped Konad Special Black over it with plate m73.  I smudged the stamp SO BAD. But you can still kind of see it was music notes?  Then I used black Stripe Rite to frame the nails because it seemed like it needed something else.  I'd wanted to try framing for so long, this was my first try at it.  My lines are kind of wobbly, but I like the effect!

I have GOT to find a better white polish, I really hate this one.  Any suggestions for one that doesn't apply like white out?

7 days down 24 to go!

31 Day Challenge Day 6: Violet Nails

Hello!  Today I have a tape manicure for day 6 of the 31 day challenge: violet nails.  I used Julep Charlotte as my base purple then taped diagonally and topped it with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Going Grape.  Then I used Miliani silver glitter striper as an accent.  I really like how these two purples look together!

Tomorrow is black and white day!  6 days down 25 to go!

Just in case you haven't already seen this...

Zoya is having an Earth Day sale!! 50% off your order (but you have to order at least 6).  This is good ONLY through this weekend.  Use code EARTHZOYA2012 at checkout.  If you are interested, this is also an exchange offer and if you send them your old, non 3-free polish they will dispose of it for you but you don’t have to in order to get the 50% discount.  If you don’t already have a Zoya account click HERE  and when you set up your account with the referral link you get a coupon added to your account for a FREE bottle of nail polish.  You can’t use the free nail polish with the 50% off, but it’ll be good for your next order :-)  

31 Day Challenge Day 5: Blue Nails

Today's theme is blue nails.  Blue is my favorite nail color lately, so it took me awhile to figure out which colors I wanted to use.  I ended up using Sinful Colors Why Not with China Glaze Dorothy Who? tips.  I really like how this turned out.  Why Not is my current favorite blue creme polish, it's a nice bright, springy blue.  I hadn't used Dorothy Who? before this but it's gorgeous!  

5 days down, 26 to go!  

31 Day Challenge Day 4: Green Nails

It's day 4 of the 31 Day Challenge and today's theme is green nails.  I used Nubar Reclaim because I bought it a few weeks ago and hadn't tried it yet.  It is my first holographic nail polish, so I am super excited about that.  I love holographic nail polishes, but they're so expensive!  Reclaim is very pretty but you don't get much of the holo unless it's under bright light or out in the sun.  It is very soft looking.  Like suede or a kitten.  I feel like when I touch my nails they should feel like cashmere.

It's very pretty, I quite like it.

4 days down 27 to go!

31 Day Challenge Day 3: Yellow Nails (with a nod to Pink Wednesday)

Today is day 3 of the 31 Day Challenge: Yellow Nails!  I used Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow, as it is the only yellow I own.  I'm not really a fan of yellow, but I actually think I like this.  I may need more yellows.  You would think that yellow nails would be really unattractive because you think of yellowing natural nails as a negative thing, but this is really bright and summery.  I added a lip stamp in Julep Niecy because it is also Wednesday and therefore pink needs to happen or I can't sit with the cool kids at lunch.

There you have it!  3 days down 28 to go!

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Colors Used: Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow & Julep Niecy
Technique: Stamping
Purchased: Target & Julep
Verdict on the colors: Pretty!

31 Day Challenge Day 2: Orange Nails

It's Day 2!  Orange nails.  I used Sally Hansen Crushed because it's my favorite orange and I topped it with Sally Hansen In the Spotlight because I feel like they belong together.

The camera makes Crushed look way more dull than it actually is.  It's a very shimmery, electric orange IRL.   The silver bar glitter sets it off really well and adds to the overall loudness of it.

2 days down 29 to go!

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Colors Used: Sally Hansen Crushed and In the Spotlight
Technique: Glitter on top
Purchased: CVS
Verdict on the colors: Love these together

Kat Hearts Nails is on Facebook

I finally set my Facebook up!

This is it.

31 Day Challenge Day 1: Red Nails

Today is the first day of the 31 Day Challenge hosted by Painting Outside the Lines!  If anyone else wants to join you have until 11:59 PM PST today to enter.  The first few days of the challenge are just basic colors, and I'm going to keep it pretty simple the first few days because the challenges get more involved as it goes on so I don't want to wear myself out.  Today's theme is red nails so I used my new Julep January polish that came in my Spring Mystery Box.  I love this red!  It's a classic cherry red and reminds me of what the original Barbie wore.

See?  Pretty sure she's wearing Julep January.

I think this color is going to be my summer toes color.  I don't know if it's my monitor or the picture but it looks a little orangey here...it's not.

One day down 30 to go!

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Colors Used: Julep January
Technique: Plain ol' painting
Purchased: Julep Spring Mystery Box
Verdict on the colors: Simple, classic red.

Wet n Wild Coloricon

I saw a new Wet n Wild display at CVS the other day with colors that looked like the China Glaze Prismatic collection.  I've been on the fence about the China Glaze collection, people keep raving about them but they look weird to me.  But for a $2.99 Wet n Wild I was much more willing to try it so I got the Speak When Spoken To color.  It has a purple/blue shimmer/micro glitter base with larger multi colored round glitter.  
It took 3 coats of top coat to smooth it out, it has a really rough finish.  I have to say, I'm really not a fan of it.  I like the purple shimmer part, but overall this polish makes me feel like I'm an extra in a low budget, futuristic, robot porn.  Maybe it would be good for a Slutty Tin Man Halloween costume.

Side note!  Tomorrow I'm starting the 31 Day Challenge hosted by Painting Outside the Lines.  I know there are a lot of other people doing it and everyone who participates and does all 31 days gets a goody bag.

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Colors Used: Wet n Wild Coloricon Speak When Spoken To
Technique: Just painting
Purchased: CVS
Verdict on the colors: Meh

Nail Tattoos!

Today I have a nail tattoo manicure!  I saw these Big Ruby nail tattoos on another blog (I forget which one, they've been on several), and then when I saw the sea creature ones were on sale I had to buy them.  I used Essie Go Overboard as the base color.  Go Overboard is awesome.  It's a dark teal, it's a one coater, it is so freaking pretty.  I can't wait to use it as a stamping color.  Anyway.  My favorite of the nail tattoos were the little whales so that's what I decided to use.  I wish I had taken pictures of the tattoo pack to show before I cut them all up, but I shared the pack with my step daughter so it's all in pieces now.  But you get 1 sheet of normal fingernail sized tattoos then a sheet of special pinky and thumb/big toe sizes.  Application is the same as any other temporary tattoo: cut around the tattoo as close as you can so you get accurate placement, lay face down on your nail, press with wet cloth for 15 seconds, remove cardboard backing and voila!  Cute little whale on your nail.

I like the teal with the cream tattoos.

And I love this 'lil whale.

Overall I really like the Big Ruby nail tattoos and think it's a fun, easy way to give your nails that little je ne sais quoi.  I want to get the bird ones next but I think they are sold out right now.  But there are owls in that pack.  OWLS!

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Colors Used: Essie Go Overboard
Technique: Used Big Ruby nail tattoos
Purchased: CVS, Bigruby.com
Verdict on the colors: Go Overboard = new favorite

Pink Wednesday: Pink 'n Green

Earlier this week I went to Sally to take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 free sale that's going on this month.  Both the stores in my area are pretty picked over on nail polish, so they are apparently doing well with this sale.  I picked up China Glaze Ahoy, Flying Dragon, and Dorothy Who; as well as a couple Stripe Rites.  Today for Pink Wednesday I wanted to do a pink and green manicure (love pink and green!) so I used Ahoy with the green Stripe Rite.

Ahoy is so pretty!! It's a deep berry with teeny tiny shimmer.  I'm still not a huge fan of the little stripe brushes...I feel like they are too long to have good control over them so my lines are kind of funky.  I can't draw a straight line without a ruler though, so it could just be me.

I like how this turned out though.

My Julep Spring Mystery Box should be here tomorrow!! So excited to see what's in it.

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Colors Used: China Glaze Ahoy, Stripe Rite Green
Technique: Striping
Purchased: Sally Buy 2 get 1!
Verdict on the colors: Ahoy is soooooo pretty!