Mani Monday #1

As much as I like doing my nails, sometimes I like to treat myself to professional manicures/pedicures. It not only gives me a chance to relax a little, but it also lets me browse the nail polish "collections" of the salons in my area! Ha, it's a sad addiction.

Anyway! So I went to a new salon (Nails for U in Lewis Center, OH) and had a great experience. They were relatively fast, cheap, and they did a really good job. Usually if I'm gonna pay for a mani, I'll do something that I wouldn't be able to do myself, like a french tip -- which I can never manage to get right -- or some crazy nail art, but since I went out for this one on my lunch break (oops! Don't tell my boss!), I opted for something simple and cute.

I am OBSESSED with these colors. The purple is Morgan Taylor Invitation Only and the glitter overlay is Color Club Sugarplum Fairy. I also really love this shape and how nice and clean my cuticles look! Please disregard the fact that my pinky is bleeding a little. Haha! 

For anyone in the Columbus/Polaris area, I'd really recommend Nails for U. A "basic" mani is only $15 and includes a massage, cuticle care, polish, and removal of any old polish/gel/acrylics if needed. I would definitely go there again! 

Welcome!

I've had many a beauty blog over the years but for whatever reason, I've always lost interest and have never managed to keep up with one consistently. Until now! I love all things beauty and I love writing, so this will be my new way to combine those things!

Stay tuned for the first beauty post! :)

For older posts check out http://beautybyc.blogspot.com

Essie Resort Fling - Spring 2014

Ah, Spring. Seems so far away being that it's 17 degrees outside and snowing right now. But regardless, this week seems to have been the launch for several Spring polish collections. I haven't been able to get my hands on all of them just yet (lots of sold out colors already!) but I did manage to snag all four of these gorgeous polishes!

From left to right: Find Me An Oasis, Cocktails & Coconuts, Resort Fling, and Under the Twilight

These may not seem very Spring-y -- where's the baby pink and the lavender!?! -- but when I look at these colors, I immediately picture a luxurious beach house in the Hamptons and sipping champagne served on a silver platter by the pool. Resort Fling, indeed. 

Swatched!

These colors are muted but still fabulous (in my humble opinion, anyway) and as always with Essie the formulas are pretty decent. With the exception of Under the Twilight, I needed three coats on these swatch sticks for full opacity.

Find Me An Oasis is a milky, icy pale blue. It's a creme finish and is the babiest of baby blues. I don't have anything that looks quite like it in my collection (which is pretty extensive, as you will soon see!) It's the eensiest bit of blue added to a white base, and I think it's gorgeous.

Find Me An Oasis

Cocktails & Coconuts is a warm, sandy brown with a hint of shimmer. The sparkle is a little hard to detect unless you're pressing your face right up against your nails, but that seems to be sort of an Essie signature move. I'm a huge fan of neutrals, and I don't have anything that even comes close to this color.

Cocktails & Coconuts

Resort Fling, the namesake of the collection, is a muted, sheer, jelly coral. It's not overly bright and it's nowhere near being a neon, it's more of a melon color. This is my least favorite of the collection. And boo for having a smudge on my swatch :(

Resort Fling

Under the Twilight is a deep, cool, dark royal purple verging on navy blue. It reminds me a bit of Afterschool Boy Blazer, but it's not quite as dark. It stays true to its purple roots by not going over the edge to the "practically black" side.

Under the Twilight

Overall, I really love this collection. It verges a bit more summery to me than spring, but the colors are gorgeous nonetheless. My Don't Miss Picks: Find Me An Oasis and Under the Twilight.