Nails Inspired By FRESHbiscuits & A Giveaway!

My friend Bianca asked if I'd be interested in partnering with her to giveaway a handmade wristlet from her Etsy shop, FRESHbiscuits. Of course I said yes! She made a super cute wristlet per my specifications & I've done some nails to match.

I started with a base of Lime Crime Milky Ways, then added some quick stripes with Sation Bump In Beige & Zoya Pepper for this manicure. Next I used dotting tools to make polka dots, first with Lime Crime Milky Ways & then Zoya Pepper right on top of those dots. Finished with a top coat & they came out great!

Now the fun part for my readers! Bianca is offering one of my lucky U.S. readers their choice of one in stock item at FRESHbiscuits!

RULES: PLEASE READ ALL OF THE RULES BEFORE ENTERING.

• This giveaway is open with a U.S. Shipping address only! (Please check with country's postal requirements before entering. Neither FRESHbiscuits nor I are responsible for customs charges or lost packages.)
• This giveaway starts today, April 25th, and will end May 9th at 12:00 AM Central Time.    
• I'll select the winner with rafflecopter and notify the winner by email on May 10th.
• The winner will have 24 hours to respond. If the winner doesn't reply within 24 hours, that winner will forfeit the prize and an alternate winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Spring Nails With Zoya

My boyfriend Will suggested this adorable pairing that's perfect for spring & Easter. I started with Zoya Hudson and then added a messy half moon of Zoya Rina. It reminds me of Easter basket grass from my childhood!

 

 

Thanks for reading!
April

Zoya Rebel

Zoya Rebel is from their Awaken collection for Spring 2014.

I love blue polishes and Zoya Rebel is no exception. It's a nice medium blue with just a hint of green packed with silver microshimmer. I ended up wearing this one for a week which is almost unheard of in my world! Shown here at 2 coats, be sure to wait an few minutes between coats to avoid dragging.

 

Thanks for reading!
April

All opinions are my own & were not influenced by Zoya! For more information you can read my disclosure policy.

Elizabeth Arden & Sally Hansen Crackle

Here we have the very pretty Elizabeth Arden Chelsea Heather topped with one coat of Sally Hansen Antique Gold Crackle. You can find both of these polishes for sale in my store, such a lovely combination! 

 

Thanks for reading!
April

Layering With Zoya Cosmo & Apple!

I got just what I was looking for with this layering combination, a great springtime green Pixie Dust with just a hint of holo! I started with Zoya Cosmo & then added a very thin layer of Zoya Apple. Great combo!

 

Thanks for reading!
April

Things Like This Happen At Parties With This Much Nail Polish

My stash is very moderate for a blogger of almost 5 years (somewhere between 300 & 350) but it's still astonishing to everyone else! My collection is sitting out in my living room & whenever we have folks over people are naturally curious. Sometimes things like this happen! And sometimes it more modest. Last week my friend Ton was looking at all of the colors & spotted a crackle and asked how it worked. I told him that it cracks on your nail & he demanded a live demonstration. My friend Andrew ran over & suggested that we use blue & grey to match Ton's hoodie. Success! We used Color Club Pretty In Platinum with Sally Hansen Distressed Denim Crackle.

Thanks for being a good sport Ton! I probably should have sent you home with some acetone. How did you get it off?

Thanks for reading!
April

Banana Cake With Fernet Branca Frosting!

I usually stick to nail polish but every now & then I like to show a bit about my world. Last week I made a birthday cake for Will that got a thumbs up from our guests. Will loves Fernet Branca, an all natural bitter liqueur made with over 40 herbs and spices sourced from five continents. It's not for everyone but I decided to see if I could incorporate it into a delicious cake since I love to bake with booze!

The first step was choosing a cake flavor that would go well with Fernet Branca's complex & strong flavor. I considered lemon but decided to go with a simple banana cake (no spices just a hint of vanilla) since we had some very ripe ones on hand. Then we mixed up a traditional cream cheese frosting & just kept adding fernet until we got it just right. We ended up using 4 TBSP for a frosting made with one 8 oz package of cream cheese, enough for a 9" x 13" sheet cake. A delicious combination!

Thanks for reading!
April