Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving have a wonderful holiday! And those of you who don't, just have an amazing Thursday! :)

I wanted to quickly say Thank you! from the bottom of my heart. I never imagined that I would have so many loyal followers ever! Especially since I've had so much happen recently where the posts have been few and far between. I feel the love! :)

I'm hoping to start up the blogging shortly, so do not fret! I still have a passion for it and will try to come back full force!

For now I leave you with one of my favorite recent NOTDs. I called it "Bling Dynasty". Because I'm a geek. Anyways, it's American Apparel Dynasty with Wet N Wild Fireworks sponged over the top half. Enjoy!

Weekend Away with My Bestie

Hello Lovelies!
A quick update for you:  my grandma is getting out of the hospital within the next two days! We are all excited and relieved! It's been a loooong two weeks!

Today I am headed to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area with Abby, my best friend. We will most likely partake in some shopping and I may return with some goodies to share with you all! I promise to do a haul post right away. I've decided to get motivated and get posting more frequently! Yay!

I promised a new giveaway and that will be posted early next week (think Tuesday-ish). Thanks for sticking around while I sort out my life! I love you guys, even if we've only exchanged pictures of manicures on various blogs! haha that sounded a lot less strange in my head.

Random side note: I found an old Cover Girl crackle polish at my local Dollar Tree. Unfortunately, it was all dried up. I thought I would get it and try to revive it. Thinner seems to be doing little, if anything, to it. Anyone have any suggestions, this is the first time I've attempted it and I'm not 100% sure how to do it.

Stay Glamorous


Or Geeky...whichever you prefer! ;)

Kayla

Worst Week Ever

Wow. This week has not been fun. Right now my grandma is in the hospital recovering from emergency surgery repairing a complication from a surgery she had just this summer. I've spent every available minute in her hospital room, keeping her company.

*Edit* Oh great, my mom just informed me that my grandma will be having a second emergency surgery. Most likely tomorrow.

On Tuesday, my dad was in the ER from a fall/dehydration. Scariest night of my life. My mom and I thought he was having a stroke. I've never had to call 911 before and I hope I will never have to again. He's "perfect" in the words of the doctor. And we all wish he would have used different wording because my dad brings it up any chance he can!

There's been more drama and chaos but I won't go into any more details. Just wanted to let you know what's been going on and why there hasn't been a post. Hopefully soon I will get more time to make a better post, something with nail polish in it. I'll talk to you all soon.

Networking!

Hey GGs! That's short for glam geeks, FYI. ;)

Just a quick post today. I've been wanting to catch up on following everyone's blogs but haven't had the time lately. So, if you have a blog that you would like me to follow, drop a link in the comments and I'll head on over and hit that shiny button labeled follow.

I'm also looking for more interaction on Twitter (I've had it for ages and still haven't gotten completely into it, so I need your help) Just DM me or tweet @glamgeekchic, so I can follow you and keep up with everyone. Or try to keep up. :P

Do a lot of you have Facebook pages for your blogs? I've seen that lately, and though I don't think my blog has quite the popularity needed for one yet, I would love to check some out!

Yay, social networking! I think it may be taking over my life.

P.S. I'll be posting a giveaway soon, yes another one. No nail polish this time though, but still great! And I have some new polishes to show off/review! Exciting!!

Viva La Nails--Review

Hey! How was your Tuesday? Mine was okay. I didn't have to work today (yay) but I had class all day (boo). Another plus, Glee was on! Loved it, as usual! Anyways, on with the post..

I have a review for you today! Viva La Nails! They sent me the Blogger Nail Art Sample Pack full of nail art goodies! Now, if you've been with me from the beginning you'll know that I'm not one for nail art. I have the ideas, just not the follow through! However, they sent me such a variety so I was able to try out different types and figure out what I could do!

I sat down with all the stuff and felt overwhelmed, extremely overwhelmed. Feeling that way I decided it was best to pick one of each kind of art and go for it.

I am a changed woman. Why did I think nail art was so difficult? Granted, it may not be a Picasso painting on my nails, but I enjoyed it and I think for my 'first' try it was pretty darn good. Without further ado, I present my nail art:

 Take one: Star shaped sequins and small round ones. Both holographic, and lovely. Easy to apply, easy to remove. Loved them! 

Take Two: One of everything! Thumb: Small blue sequins Index: Black rhinestones Middle: Crushed Shells Ring: Small Gold rhinestones, large gold rhinestone Pinky: Water decal

Another view. The crushed shells are the only ones I really had trouble with. 

Close ups:

I was confused by this:

 Not sure how to use that for nail art. I tried but it did not work. It was one big fail full of goopy feathers. Or rather, feather. Fail. 

Viva La Nails has a large variety of great nail art items. Check them out! I'm definitely going to try a lot more nail art now that I'm such a pro. Or semi-pro. Meh.

A little birdie told me..

Hello!

So I was looking through random tweets on Twitter, and I found one that really caught my attention.  Nyx Cosmetics tweeted: 

Hint hint: I hope you're all signed up with @Hautelook by this time next week! ;)

I don't know about you, but this makes me really excited! I love discounted makeup! If you haven't heard of HauteLook, it's a great site that offers up to 75% on certain items from different brands. Each brand is featured for a few days and it's only select items but you can certainly hit the jackpot if you get to the sale early enough. 

I suggest joining because there's always a beauty sale going on and there's always other amazing sales on clothes, jewelry, home decor, etc. 

If you haven't been joined yet, here's your chance! Nyx sales are always great! Plus The Body Shop and Butter London have sales going right now (ending Weds. 8am).

HauteLook

Happy Shopping! :)

Kayla

Beauty Tips That Changed My Life

There are many beauty tips that I could list here, but these are the ones that truly make a difference in my life.

1. Use a toothbrush to work cuticle oil into the cuticle. Results are amazing. My cuticles never look better than when I use my trusty toothbrush. Uh, it's not the same one I use on my teeth. That would be nasty. I suggest separate ones. ;) 

2. Only use products from the same line for face wash/moisturizer/etc. My skin has never looked better! The chemical war on my skin is no more! 

3. A paintbrush is amazing for cleaning up your nails. If you look at my first swatches...yikes! Now, I can not paint my nails without cleaning them up to perfection. Or as close to perfection that I can achieve. 

4. Eyebrows aren't supposed to be identical twins. Just sisters. Do you know how hard I tried to get them to be exactly the same! Ugh! It's great not having to worry about that anymore. 

5. Switch it up! Wearing the same eyeshadow or whatever day in and day out gets old. Have fun with makeup, hair styles, clothes, and, of course, nail polish!

Okay, now it's your turn. Tell me about the beauty tip that changed your life, or your beauty habits, at least. Leave a comment and maybe I'll compile a list from everyone and we can share our amazing tips with the world!

Kayla

Giveaway Winner!!!

The moment had finally arrived!! I received 209 entries (a-ma-zing!) and gained a bunch of new followers (double amazing)! I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.

The winner of 10 polishes (6 ChG Vintage Vixen and 4 OPI Swiss) is:

Megan Harmeyer!!!

Congrats!!! She was entry number 88, the number Random.org picked for me! Megan, I'm sending you an email tonight, please respond within 48hrs. If I don't hear from you, I'll pick a new winner. 

Thanks to everyone who entered, it was a lot of fun for me! I only wish I would have received more manicure entries! I only received two! Sad face. 

In the coming week I've got some reviews planned! Thanks for following!

Kayla

Reminder

Hey!

Just a quick reminder that giveaway entries need to be in by the end of tomorrow. That's September 5th! I want to see at least 10 more entries. I'm at 190, and I want to hit 200! It would be fabulous!!! Thanks to those who are new followers! I hope you stick around and enjoy!

Check back September 6th to find out who the winner is!!! I hope its you! Yeah, you!

Kayla

e.l.f Beauty Books

Hello! Welcome new followers and thanks to everyone who has entered the giveaway!!! I already have over 65 entries! I'm so excited!!! Whoo! :)

Today, I'm going nail polish free and bringing you a review on some e.l.f products! The Beauty Books are palettes that e.l.f has released for a limited time. They're kind of a back-to-school accessory. In fact, the packaging looks like little notebooks! And since tomorrow is back to school for me, I thought I'd share my favorite new school supply with all of you (all 115 of you! 115! Freakin' amazing! I hope you all enjoy my blog, because I already love you all! :P)!

There are three different palettes: Natural Eye, Smokey Eye, and Eye Brights. Each palette comes with 12 eyeshadows, a sponge applicator, and a black eyeliner pencil. Each palette has a guide on the inside cover, explaining how to get the "perfect" eye makeup. Not bad tips, but I like to get creative on my own. I guess I'm just a rebel.

When my friends and I spotted these at Target, we were skeptical. We had tried e.l.f eye shadow before and been unimpressed. We decided to sneak a quick swatch of some colors from each palette. Whoa. Pigmentation was extremely better than the single shadows purchased in the past. I grabbed one of each palette and hit the checkout lanes. (Note: I purchased these at a Super Target that already carried e.l.f products, the Target in my home town is not a super and does not carry e.l.f on a regular basis and did not have the back to school end cap filled with goodies. I'm guessing that only some Targets will end up having these palettes).

The Natural Eye palette has the exact colors you would think it would. Browns, taupes, creams, and some mauves and pinks.  It's the perfect palette for creating a beautiful natural look. Excellent pigmentation, silky smooth texture (except on colors with glitter in them), and great ability to blend.  This palette is wonderful for every day looks.

Close up of Natural Eye. 

Swatches in sunlight

No sun. No Flash.

The Smokey Eye palette is equipped with the best shades to make a black smokey eye or a brown smokey eye.  The have the same amount of pigmentation as the Natural eye and the same texture. I was hoping for more gun metals and greys in this palette but overall I like the fact that it's got a broader range of color. Here's the closeup:

Direct Sunlight

Sunlight. The one color matches my skin tone almost perfectly! 

Flash. Look at the glitter in these shadows! Holy cow! haha

Eye Brights has to be my favorite. The colors are gorgeous! It has the same color payoff as the other two palettes but it has more variety of colors. The greens are amazing. I love them! Here, look at them. I can't say anymore, just look!

Sun. The blue is actually a duochrome type color. It has a green flash to it. Stunning. 

Sun. None of my pictures do this palette justice. It's slightly depressing. Everything is gorgeous. And I think that may be the same skin tone-matching shadow as in the Smokey Eye palette. 

Flash. Beauty. Yummy. *drool*

There are some shades in each palette that do not give as mush color payoff as the rest but it's generally the lighter colors. However, you can build them up. There is a down side to these palettes. I cannot get the colors to last all day. I use an eye primer, which has never let me down before, and when I get home my eye makeup has faded. I've also used a finishing spray. That didn't help either. I need to experiment with these some more. There has to be a solution. I only noticed it a couple of times so maybe those were flukes? Hmm. 

Well, I'm going to go paint my nails for school tomorrow. Haha. I hope everyone has an amazing rest of the week. I will see you later!

PS: If you haven't entered my giveaway, do it now! Okay, you have until September 5th, but I still think you should enter right now! :)

Wanna win some nail polish? Giveaway Closed!

Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for entering!

Hey, I'm back for real this time! And I'm starting off with a giveaway! I thought it would be the best way to apologize for being away for so long and I'm feeling generous.

There is only one prize this time around and it includes polishes from the China Glaze Vintage Vixen collection and the OPI Swiss collection! Here's some pictures to drool over:

OPI L-R: William Tell Me About OPI, Ski Teal We Drop, Diva of Geneva, and Yodel Me on My Cell

China Glaze L-R: Swing Baby, Jitterbug, Emerald Fitzgerald, Goin' My Way?, First Class Ticket, and Riveter Rouge

Here's how you enter the giveaway:

1. Be a follower and leave a comment on this post. Your email should be included for contact if you win!

2. Extra entries can be earned. 

• One extra entry can be earned by blogging, tweeting, or by some other way of spreading the word. You may earn an extra entry for each of those if you chose to do more than one. You must give me a link or retweet me (@glamgeekchic).  
• You can earn 5 extra entries by emailing me a picture of a manicure inspired by the Vintage Vixen or Swiss collection. You can even combine them and do a Vintage Swiss Vixen or something! :) Must be a new mani and only one entry can be submitted. I will post all the entries for fun! Email: glamgeekchic@gmail.com.

3. Giveaway ends September 5th, 2010. That's about three weeks to get in your entries! On that date I will draw a name using some random generator site and announce the winner on the 6th!

Good luck! I'm so excited to give these gorgeous polishes away! So pretty! *drool*

I'm Back!!

Hello, how's everyone doing? I know it's been quite a while since I posted something! I've had a lot going on! I've finally adjusted to my new work schedule and I'm loving it. Not really loving getting up at 5:30am but oh well! I'm not staying with my Grandma anymore. She's recovering quickly from her surgery and so I moved back home. She's an amazing woman. Very inspiring!

I've got a few posts lined up, including my Zoya Exchange haul, swatches from my swap with Fleur's Nails & Stuff, another nail art tutorial, and a new nail art contest. So please keep coming back for those fun posts!

Love and Nail Polish,
Kayla

Finding the Time...

Hey everyone! Sorry that it's been over a week since my last post! I meant to post earlier but my life has been hectic! I haven't had the time to even polish my nails in the last four days!!

I recently got a sort of promotion at work, so I'm working full time and only have Wednesdays off and every other weekend off. Before this I worked mostly nights, but now I'm working mornings. I'm still adjusting to this so I've been extremely tired lately and it's hard to work up the energy to post or paint my nails! As I'm adjusting, the posts will happen more and more!

My Grandma had surgery on Thursday and is still in the hospital through tomorrow morning. I've been spending my weekend off up in her room keeping her company.  I would have loved to paint my nails but I figured it would be frowned upon in a hospital! When she gets released I'm going to stay at her house with her until she gets a little more mobile. It may be difficult for me to post for the next couple of weeks but I'm sure I'll be able to figure something out. She has internet but her computer is so outdated that I can't stand to use it. I may have to bring over mine...

Anyways, last post you told me you wanted some nail art and who am I to deny you some nail art?

Since jaljen asked for simple nail art, I did as simple as I could.   And I'm going to tell you how to achieve it!

Here's the finished look:

And here's what you need:

A basecoat, one light color, one dark color, a bold accent color, top coat and blue painter's tape.

First, paint your nails with the light color. I used Damone Roberts 1968. My favorite mint green! I used two coats.

Clean up if you want, I did, and apply your topcoat. Let it dry. I added the top coat to make sure the tape didn't take off the polish.

Next, take a piece of tape and tape off the bottom half of your nails at a diagonal.  Paint the exposed top half of your nail with your dark color. I used Rimmel Black Satin. A dark brown would also look nice with mint green.

Remove the tape after the polish dries. I only used one coat of the dark polish, but depending on what color you chose you may need more.

Again, cleanup and apply top coat.  

Here's where it may get tricky for you.  You want to take two pieces of tape and tape off your nail so that only a small triangular piece of nail is showing. Make sure it's on the dark color, coming from the lower side. It should be wider towards the bottom and thinner at the top. Also, the section should only go about half way across. 

Paint that part with your bold accent color, I used Essence Nail Art Twins in Romeo, a great silver shimmer.  Once it dries, peel the tape off, clean it up, do any touchups (I had to straighten my lines with a dotting tool), and apply top coat for the last time. 

Voila! You've completed your nail art! 

I hope you enjoyed this look! If you do any variations, I'd love to see them! Email me pics! :)

Have a great night!
Kayla

P.S. I received Romeo in a swap with Tina from Fleur's Nails & Stuff! She was super sweet and got me amazing polishes! Go check out her blog! 

I'm so indecisive!

Bonjour! How is everyone doing?

Here's the deal. I need your help.  I'm trying to decide what my next couple posts should be. So I'm gonna ask what you would want to see. I have some polishes to swatch, I think they're all ones you've probably seen before, or I could try out some nail art designs. What do you think? I have some packages on the way so I will have some haul posts soon. Leave me a comment about what you want to see within the next couple of posts and I will make it happen.

By the way, I think I'm going to start up another nail art contest for June. I've got to work out the details still but keep an eye out for it!!

That's all for now!! Except: YAY! I've passed 70 followers! Thank you so much! You all make me smile!

New e.l.f Nail Polishes Part 5--Last One!

This last e.l.f polish is the main indicator that the brand is trying to go for the current trends. Mint Cream is exactly what you would think it to be! A gorgeous mint green that leans a little towards sea foam green.  Not sure how it stacks up against other mint greens but if you all want a comparison, tell me in the comments and I'll dig up all my mints and swatch it up!

Inside, no flash

Outside, direct sunlight

I really wish you could all smell these!

Mint cream was a thin polish as well. It was opaque in 3 coats.

E.l.f was really consistent in the formula for these polishes. Which is great, you know what your getting! Compared to e.l.f polishes I've purchased previously, these five seem kinda thin. However, they were easy to work with and had great shine without top coats! They dried pretty quickly, but tip wear was apparent after less than a day. Overall, for $1, they're fantastic! I really loved these colors, except Innocent, and recommend trying them out!

*Disclaimer* 

Though I did receive these polishes for free, they were a gift combined with a purchase and therefore considered paid for by myself. I have given my honest opinion and will not receive any compensation for that opinion.

New e.l.f Nail Polishes Part 4

Alright, this color will definitely be used in a comparison post!

Smoky Brown is seems to be a lot like OPI's You Don't Know Jacques. I'll definitely do some comparison swatches and get back to you.  It's a gorgeous brown that looks like milk chocolate on the nails. I seriously think I have dipped my hands in chocolate when wearing colors like this! ;)  Smoky Brown is the perfect professional color but also can be fun to wear! Being so similar to YDKJ is great because if it's a dead on dupe, well it costs a fraction of the price of YDKJ! 

Inside, with flash

Inside, no flash

Outside, sunlight

*Covered my thumb because it had lots of bubbles! First times it's happened. I'm pretty sure it was because of two things: my room was extremely humid and the sun was setting and I needed outdoor pics! Super fast nail painting happened that day! 

Another pic with lilacs..they smell so good!!

Smoky Brown was the only one of the set that gave me application problems, namely bubbles. I applied it quickly and in my room where it was super hot. Even so, none of the other ones bubbled. The formula was the same, kinda thin but not so watery you can't use it. The only difference was that it was opaque in two coats versus three or four. Pictures above are three coats.  I really love the color! Definitely recommend it, simply gorgeous! I will check back in with a comparison soon!

I've saved the color I think most of you will like for last! I'll post Mint Cream tomorrow night! 

Kayla

New e.l.f Nail Polishes Part 3

Click HERE to view Part 1 

or

  HERE for Part 2!

Next stop on our journey through the new e.l.f polishes is Lilac. Lilac is a pastel dusty purple that in the bottle looks like OPI's Done Out in Deco with a tiny bit of Parlez-Vous OPI? mixed in. I knew that I would like the color the moment I saw it. Seasoned GGC followers will recall my love for dusty purples. I can't get enough of them! 

In the bottle, Lilac looks to be a creme but when it was on my nails the consistency and drying reminded me of a jelly. It certainly does not look like a creme on the nails. Though, that is not bad. It actually looks pretty darn good on the nails.

Indirect light, no flash

Look at that shine! (No Top Coat)

This picture is true to color.

Direct Sunlight

Direct Sunlight with some Lilacs!

Indoors, flash

Lilac was a very sheer polish when applying the first coats. These pictures are 4 coats, no top coat. It needed four simply because of its jelly-like consistency, it made thin areas really stand out. Three coats can even it out and look fine but I like to add a security blanket of an extra coat. Smooth application but a little thin, however out of all the polishes this one was the least messy. By far my favorite! 

I know a lot of you like purples, too. How does Lilac compare to your favorites?

New e.l.f Nail Polishes Part 2

Click HERE to view Part 1!

Welcome to Part 2 of the e.l.f series! Today's featured polish is Innocent. 

In the bottle, Innocent looks like a nude polish that has a slight hint of pink in it. You can definitely tell right away that it's going to be a sheer. It's the kind of color I would tend to stay away from just because sheers are a hassle.  

I started out swatching on just my thumb to find out if I wanted to do a full on manicure. After two thin coats I just decided to do a full mani. I wish I hadn't.

Remember when 'mannequin hands' was big? I hated it then, and I hate it now. Innocent has proven to be way to close to my mannequin hands! Yuck! I'm sure someone with darker skin, even just a tan, could pull Innocent off, but I can't. I took one picture and quickly took it off. 

Ick. Definitely not my color.

As far as application goes, it applied just fine. Same consistency as Desert Haze, a little thin but not bad. This was about 4 coats, I think. After the second one I stopped caring because it looked terrible. 

New e.l.f Nail Polishes Part 1

Hi everyone!


This week is going to be a series! Whoo, lots of posts! Yay!


I recently received an email from e.l.f, with a code for their 5 new nail polish colors free with a $20 order. Uh, done. :) I got the package in the mail on Friday. And I'm so excited to show you guys their new colors! (Plus two bonus polishes I bought to get to $20! :D) I was sad to find that I couldn't share the code because it's already expired! I'm a bad blogger for not checking that earlier! Next time, I'm posting the code right away!


The colors are all very "trendy", and include a mint green, lilac, dusty brown, gray-taupe, and a soft pink.  Clearly, e.l.f is trying to hit all the favorites. I'm not hating them for it! The colors are gorgeous in the bottle...but do they impress on the nails? Here's a sneak peek at what you'll see this week.

All this week I will do a post dedicated to each polish and give you the info on them. At the end of the week, I'll let you know how I feel overall. 


First up? Desert Haze.


Desert Haze looked gray in the email and on the website so I was a little disappointed when I got it and it was more of a nude/taupe.  I swatched it anyways, fully believing it would look awful and I would hate it. I don't hate it. In fact I love it. It's quite gorgeous. Desert Haze is definitely a color you could wear to work and people would comment on the gorgeous, unique color. In my opinion, it's chic and classy. 


Desert Haze is the perfect name for this polish, when you look at it you are reminded of sand and the slight hint of gray brings on the haze. I love the name! I want to be the person who names polishes...but then of course we'd get some strangely named polishes. ;)

Indirect sunlight

Direct sunlight

Desert Haze applied smoothly, though it may be slightly thin but no major cuticle pooling.  It starts out slightly sheer but is completely opaque with 3 coats. I had tip wear the next day but I did work 8 hours and it was rough on my nails. I would say that it would last longer under different circumstances.  For $1, it would be worth the buy!  I would recommend getting it! Super gorgeous!

Kayla

P.S. Funny story! On Friday, I was answering the phones at work when a woman called to speak to someone in cosmetics.  Well, no one would pick up the call so I thought, "Hey, I know a thing or two about cosmetics! I'll take the call from way back in the fitting room. haha"  What was the woman looking for?  Hidden Treasure. It was hard not to giggle at the irony. I had to unfortunately inform her that we only carry the core Sally Hansen line. I desperately wanted to ask her if she blogs. haha I'm a dork. She sounded disappointed and hung up before I could tell her where I got my HT. I hope she found it! There aren't many places to find it here. *Gasp* What if I got the only two bottles in all of Fargo....nah. That would be crazy though! 

Breathing Room and Blankets

Good evening/morning/afternoon/whenever you're reading this :)

I'm in a spectacular mood today! I finished my last final of the semester and I feel like I can just relax and unwind! It feels like I can breathe, like I held my breath the whole semester! Now it's three months of relaxing...well when I'm not at work that is!

In case you're wondering, I did really well on the final! Yay! I needed to do well, my grade depended on it! I kind of slacked off in that class...whoops! But I definitely made up for it! Just checked my grade and it is fabulous! :) So happy!!!

I have a NOTD for you! It's a french manicure but with untraditional colors. I started with just ChG For Audrey on my nails but I felt like it needed something more.

*Gorgeous*

I could not figure out what to add to it. Then I got a little chilly, so I grabbed my blanket, which has a blue in it that matches For Audrey! It's a blue and brown fleece blanket with a damask pattern on it. Beautiful pattern, gorgeous color combo! That settled it, I had to add some brown! I decided to keep it simple and test out my new Seche French Guides.

My Seche French Guides hanging out with ChG For Audrey and Pro10 #53-Incognito(won in giveaway from Brooke!).

The color combo looked just as great on my nails! Love it! 

The blanket has definitely faded over the years but it once was a bright and beautiful as my NOTD.

Hope you liked it! 

I'm hoping to receive a package this weekend that will include some new nail polishes to swatch and review! Keep an eye out for that within the next week or so!

Kayla

Hidden Treasure Swatches (FINALLY)

Happy Mothers' Day to those of my followers that are moms! I hope your kids spoiled you rotten, today!

I know this post has been put off for some time now. Ridiculous! Let's just get into it!

The night I bought HT I decided to fill a nail wheel with different colors and cover them in the sweet deliciousness that is HT. This is the result:

Inside, no flash.

A lot of the darker colors look the same, but they aren't. There's a black, chocolate brown, dark blue, and a dark plum.

Flash made things go blah. :(

See? Not as pretty. LAME.

This was taken a different day and in a different room. The bathroom, where I found the lighting made HT light up on my nails! So gorgeous! 

This was in the "shade" or rather in the shower behind the curtain. I couldn't believe how gorgeous it looked! 

I threw some Matte Magic over one to see how it looked. 

The whole wheel just glows! I love how it looks different on each color! It takes on the color/softness of the base color so well. And over reds, FIRE! So amazing.

Turned the wheel for a better look at the darker colors.

Here's my first mani with HT, I lost the better quality photo when my photos were deleted. But you still get the idea. It's the same orange/peach as on the wheel.

This was after I removed the swatches from the nail wheel, and the sun happened to show up for a little bit. I chose 5 colors to quickly swatch HT over. SH Wet Cement, Rimmel Black Satin, the coral is either Finger Paints Drawn To This Shade or CND Poppyfield (Hmmm, very close to each other...must do a comparison), OPI Jade Is The New Black, OPI Done Out In Deco, and HT on its own.

Better Pic. Polish on the far left is a franken I did. It was supposed to be a clear polish with holo and black glitter but it was so thick I had to thin it out and the black glitter became silver and the polish is now a sheer black jelly. I then added some HT to the mix. You can kind of see it...perhaps I should add more...

Well, those were my swatches. Overall, Hidden Treasure is definitely worth the hype. In just one coat it looks fabulous and you can't go wrong with what color you put it over. It shows up on most polishes. It does pop more on dark colors, but pastels are given an opalescent look that can't be beat! For those who can't afford Nfu Oh flakie polishes, HT is a great substitute.  It'll hold me off until I finally break down and pay for a Nfu Oh. 

I have to win the lottery first. 

If anyone is having trouble finding it, let me know. I'll see if I can track down a bottle for you and maybe we could do a swap or something. 

Stay glamourous, Geeks! 

Kayla