Battle of the Base Coats!

Hello everyone! So for today I have a battle of the base coats to share! It's between Seche Retain & CG Strong Adhesion Base Coat. Enjoy! :)

*To see my 3 favorite top coats: Click Here
*If you would like to gift swap with me: Click Here

First I have China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat:

-Price: about $6 (@ Sally Beauty)
-Color: Clear & gives my nails a nice shine
-Wear: Decent
-Drying: Dries very quickly- 20 seconds
-My thoughts: I used to love this base coat but I wanted to try something new! If you want to go with natural nail, I would suggest this base coat!

Now onto Seche Retain:

-Price: about $8 (@ Sally Beauty)
-Color: a slight and sheer nude color but does not provide a lot of shine
-Wear: Great, keeps my mani on longer than the CG base coat
-Drying: around 35 seconds
-My thoughts: It does what its supposed to do, maintain strong and durable nails. If you are planning on doing a full mani, then I would use this one!

So who wins this battle??? ...................................Seche Retain.....................


Why? I chose Seche Retain because it keeps my mani on longer & aside from being a base coat it also helps keep my nail healthy and somewhat strong!

However, if you don't do your nails as much as I do, & if you just want to do a natural mani then I would suggest using China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat because it give a beautiful shine!

Pink Wednesday!

Hey everyone! I did this mani awhile back and I'm so behind on blogging! Anyway, for today I wanted to layer 2 pink polishes that I don't really use. Mostly because they are so sheer but together they make a beautiful couple and even thoughtI used a top coat, it looks a bit matte! The first polish is a sheer baby doll pink and the second one is a nude pink with purple micro shimmers! I love it, enjoy! :) To me this color reminds of a strawberry banana smoothie!

-Seche Retain
-Wet n Wild: Tickled Pink (2 coats)
-The Color Workshop: Nude Pink
-Sally Hansen Anti- Chip Top Coat

Want to swap products??...

Hey everyone! So I just decided that i want to do a swap (beauty or nail products) with someone on blogger!  I think this will be a fun way to try new products or see products that other people like. & also a great way to get to know some of my followers! Are you interested?? Then keep reading for more details & requirements! :)

Info:
-What is a swap? : A swap is where you swap products with someone else, it can be stuff you already have & haven't used, or you can set a budget and buy each other products!

-When? : I plan on doing this around mid  April

-What to swap? : Mainly nail or beauty products, but anything is really okay


Requirements: 

-Must live in the US (I apologize if you are international)

-Must have a blog about nails, makeup, OR reviews

So if you are interested in swapping with me, send me an email with:
- your name
- what state you live in
- why I should pick you to swap with
- & a link to you blog! :)

My email: esmeheredia40@gmail.com

*I will be picking the person, this will not be random!
*Don't worry if you are not chosen, I plan on having another swap in July or August!

Top 3 Top Coats/ Review

Hey everyone! :) So for today I will be reviewing my 3 favorite top coats. I couldn't pick just one, so ill be doing a little review on all of them! Hope this is helpful for you guys! Enjoy :)

Alright so the first one ill be reviewing is the ever so famous Seche Vite (I am reviewing in a random order):

-Price: Around $8-10 (I got mine at Wal-Mart)
-Drying Time: Out of the 3 top coats, this has the fastest drying time- about 30 seconds
-Smell: This one is not too harsh but it still has a strong scent
-Finish: Glossy & Glass like, it takes 2 coats to get it super shiny
-Wear: Chips after a day or two, doesn't peel too much & tends to cause shrinking
-My thoughts: I love that it dries so quickly and gives you nails a glass like effect. I also like that if you accidentally smudge you nail, one coat of this will fix it!
-Overall rating: 8.5

Next I have Sally Hansen Insta- Dri Anti- Chip Top Coat

-Price: Around $4 (Also, bought at Wal- Mart)
-Drying: Slowest drying time out of the 3- about 1 minute
-Smell: This one barely has a smell too it which is nice
-Finish: Provides shine but not too much (I like to apply 2 coats)
-Wear: Has the longest wear out of the 3 & does not peel
-My thoughts: For the price, this is a great top coat! Although is has a slightly longer drying time, it still dries fast & gives you mani a nice shine!
-Overall Rating: 9

And last but not least, China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

-Price: $5-7 (I bought this at Sally Beauty)
-Drying: Dries almost as fast as Seche Vite- 40 seconds
-Smell: This top coat has the worst smell , it has a very sweet overpowering & harsh scent
-Finish: This is the glossiest out of the 3 & gives a glassy effect (only 1 coat)
-Wear: Has the worst wear, chips in a day & peels on me after washing dishes or a shower
-My thoughts: I love how fast it dries & that it gives a super glossy finish to your nails! If you get headaches easily this won't work for you because of the smell.
-Overall rating: 8.5

Mini "Placement" Test
*So now, are you still having trouble figuring out which top coat would be best for you?? Then choose the best answer below to find out which one is the BEST for YOU! 

A. You want to wear you manicure out for a few days without it chipping or peeling. Shine is not so important  & you want a good cheap top coat

B. You want to wear your manicure for a couple days & want a glassy effect. Price is not an issue

C. You want to wear your manicure for only one day & you want super glossy & shiny nails. Price is in between

Answers:

-If you chose A, the best top coat for you would be Sally Hansen Insta Dri Anti- Chip Top Coat

-If you chose B, the best top coat for you would be Seche Vite

-If you chose C, the best coat for you would be China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat

*I hoped this helped some of you, these are only my opinions and results may vary!

Cafe au lait & Im back!!

Hey everyone! I can't believe its been almost two week since my last post! I want to apologize, I've  been having a rough time in my life (I even stopped doing my nails for 2 weeks) but everything is a lot better now! So this mani I actually did a week ago and just never got to post it! It reminds me of espresso art. Enjoy :)

Click to see the copper shimmers

-Seche Retain
-Black Nail Polish
-The Color Workshop- Dark Brown Polish with copper shimmer
-Plate: Konad M78
-Pure Ice: Super Star
-Seche Vite

Valentine's Day Giveaway WINNER!

Hey everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! It's time to announce my Valentine's Day Winner!

Congratulations to Sarah!  

Video of the winner being chosen! : 

Shot Thru The Heart- Day 12: Hearts

Queen of Hearts 

Hey everyone! Happy Valentines Day! I hope you all have a very special day whether its with your special someone or with you family and friends :) So today is the last day of the challenge & I really enjoyed doing this with Lydia. So my mani for today, I decided to do like a deck of cards using red and black, and I added a crown (for the queen)! Enjoy! 

*I've been having a horrible week, and I'm not in the mood to do my nails so I won't have a lot of manis the rest of this month. Im hoping to focus on reviewing nail products! (Check out my Coming Soon tab to see what ill be reviewing)

-Seche Retain 

-Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: White On 

-plate: BM19 & BM 08

-Stamp Color: Wet n Wild: Black Creme

-Stamp Color: Cover Girl Nailslicks: Cabernet 

-Seche Vite

Shot Thru The Heart- Day 11: Inspired by something

Hey everyone! So tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and ive been having a rough week since my boyfriend broke up with me three days ago. I want to thank Lydia for being there for me. Since this breakup I decided to do a mani inspired by all us girls who have had their hearts broken by some guy who didn't realize what they had.
*Don't forget to check out Lydia's blog to see what she came up with today!

-Seche Retain
-Scotch Tape
-Red Nail Polish
-Holo Glitter
-China Glaze Crackle: Black Mesh
-Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: White On
-Dotting Tool
-Seche Vite

*after this challenge, i will stop doing manis for awhile while i get over this and just focus on reviewing nail products :(

Shot Thru The Heart- Day 10: Love

Hey everyone! So today's theme is love and i found myself blanking out of ideas so I just threw something together. I decided to use purple because it looks good on my skin color, i added flakies, and a love stamp. Lydia and I only have two more days left in our challenge, its been amazing working with her.
*Don't forget to enter my giveaway, it ENDS IN 5 DAYS ------> 
*Be sure to enter Lydia's giveaway as well 


Onto my mani! Enjoy!

-Seche Retain
-Icing: Text Me Later
-Finger Paints: Motley
-Stamp color: Pure Ice: Super Star
-Plate: BM09
-Seche Vite

* Don't forget to visit Lydia's blog to see what she came up for today!!

Gold Stars

Hey guys! So last night when I was doing my mani, I decided to wear a nail polish that I haven't worn in a long time (Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: Blue Me Away) mostly because blue isn't a flattering color on me! I wasn't in the mood for stamping so I just went with some nail stickers my mom gave me. They don't have a name sadly which sucks because I really loved how they applied, they don't lift as much, and all them stayed on in the shower! Enjoy!

*Don't forget to enter my Valentine's giveaway here -------> 

*To enter Lydia's Giveaway click here 

-Seche Retain 
-Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: Blue Me Away 
-Nail Stickers : No Name 
-Seche Vite

Shot Thru The Heart- Day 9: Roses!

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing weekend! I sure did (aside from slicing my finger and my wisdom teeth coming in). Today's theme for the challenge are roses! I did a subtle pink gradient with black roses!I love roses especially white ones, they are my favorite flower and they smell divine! What are you favorite flowers? Do you prefer a specific color? 
*Don't forget to enter my Valentine's giveaway here -------> 
*Check out Lydia's blog to see what she came up with for today & to enter her giveaway click here! 

Now onto the nails! Enjoy!

-Seche Retain
-Wet n Wild: Tickled Pink
-Sponge
-Pure Ice: Strip Tease
-Kleancolor: Pink Lady
-Stamp color: Wet n Wild: Black Creme
-Plate: BM 14
-Seche Vite

Boring Nail Day

Hey everyone! So lately I've been running out of nail ideas (not including the 12 day challenge). I've also not been feeling well because my wisdom teeth are coming in. Last night I wasn't feeling too inspired to do stamping or anything like that, so I just grabbed my favorite nail polish and decided to share that! Sorry that this post is pretty boring :/ Enjoy.
*Enter my Valentine's Day Giveaway over here ----------> 
*Enter Lydia's Giveaway: Here (her giveaway is international!!) 

-Seche Retain
-The Color Workshop: No name
-Seche Vite

1st Scotch Tape Mani/ Fail

Hey everyone! So the other night I couldn't sleep and decided that I wanted to try a scotch tape mani for the first time. Let me tell you that I suck at it & the colors I used don't really go well together! But even if my manis are horrible, I still share them with you guys! Leave a comment below telling me what colors would go better together for next time! Enjoy! :)
*Enter my giveaway by clicking the picture to the right ===>
*Enter Lydia's giveaway: Here

-Seche Retain
-Pure Ice: Vineyard
-Scotch Tape
-Wet n Wild: Black Creme
-Kiss: Silver nail striper
-Seche Vite

Shot Thru The Heart- Day 8: Guest Post/Kisses

Hey everyone! So once again Lydia from Sekhmet's Purple Castle is back to do her guest post as part of our challenge! Enjoy! Don't to enter my giveaway! To enter click the picture to the right ====>
Now onto her guest post:
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Thursday again! :) I'm super excited about this guest post because now is officially the love month. What are you guys preparing for V-day? do you celebrate? For today's guest post I have a stamped manicure. :) Thank you Esme for letting me over for the 5th time. Don't forget to enter our giveaways. Enter Esme's by clicking here and mine by clicking here. :) Who doesn't love giveaways?

What I used:
Lo que use:
OPI - Natural Nail Base Coat
China Glaze - Recycle
Plate- B60
Color Club - Worth the Risque
Color Club - Revvolution
Seche Vite - QD Top Coat

*Don't forget to check my blog out - Sekhmet's Purple Castle to see what the beautiful Esme put together for today. :)

Pink Wednesday-Swatch & Review

Hey everyone! For this pink Wednesday I wanted to do a quick swatch & review  of a polish (Revlon: Starry Pink) my boyfriend bought me while shopping for my giveaway!
*Before I forget, if you haven't entered my Valentine's Day Giveaway or Lydia's Valentines Day Giveaway make sure to do so!!!
Review: 
-The color is a light pale pink with a bit of an lilac undertone with large silver hex glitters as well as small ones
-The formula is a bit sheer, so full opacity can be reached with 3 coats (As I did below)
- Layered on itself, it creates a gorgeous glitter sandwich!
-If you prefer not to use 3 coats, I suggest to use an opaque pale pink first then use this on top
-It is a pain in the *** to remove (even after using the foil method & the other way)
-Overall, I love this polish! Im a sucker for polishes that look great alone without stamping or stuff like that!

-Seche Retain
-Revlon: Starry Pink
-Sally Hansen: Anti- Chip Top Coat