A Day in the Life...

China Glaze Eye Candy

2011-11-07T15:10:00.002-05:00

3-D GLITTERS ARE A GIRL’S NEW BEST FRIEND

China Glaze Introduces Six New Innovative Glitter Polishes for Winter 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (October 2011): Forget diamonds! This winter China Glaze introduces a nail industry first: utilizing 3-D glitters in its new “Eye Candy” collection. Inspired by Marilyn Monroe and her timeless allure, this innovative new glitter technology provides a knock-your-eyes-out, super sparkly effect to your manicure. Multi-sized and differently shaped glitter particles are cleverly combined to create a sexy, super decadent, 3-D finish in six bright, eye-popping shades. Whether you prefer gleaming gold or glamorous smoky grey, China Glaze’s “Eye Candy” collection adds a dazzling finish to your holiday look with a glimmer that is sure to catch everyone’s eye! Colors in this collection include:

· Love Marilyn: Vivacious Red with Shimmering Silver Particles

· Blonde Bombshell: Glistening Multidimensional Gold Flecks

· Lorelei’s Tiara: Sterling Silver Infused with Blue Sprinkles

· Material Girl: Posh pink with Holographic Bubblegum Glitter

· Some Like It Haute: Graphite Gray with Holographic Glitter

· Marry A Millionaire: Alluring Amethyst with Multi-tonal Fibers

Celebs like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ivanka Trump, Rosario Dawson and Emmy Rossum regularly rock China Glaze and now you can get your bling on with “Eye Candy.”

The China Glaze “Eye Candy” collection will be available in an amazing 3-D 12-piece counter display and as open stock colors.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Enjoy the silence....

2011-09-19T13:34:00.000-04:00

Today's title has nothing to do with the polish I am going to show you, but the fact that my house is completely quiet. I am talking eerily silent- all I hear is the fish tank and the dog snoring! Why is it so quiet, you ask? Because the Princess has started kindergarten! This is her second full week of school, and after my initial meltdown on the first day, I am enjoying things. August was full of an earthquake, a hurricane, and a bunch of general schoool related chaos- the quiet is a wonderful change. Now that I am used to being alone, and have peace to do whatever I want, I should be posting way more....

Now, for the polish- I know that's why y'all come!

I am a tight wad. Spending over $6 or $7 for a polish makes me cringe, LOL! That is why no matter how much I love all the pictures of Chanel Peridot or Graphite, I will probably never own them... I know Revlon has a Graphite dupe called Carbonite (the Star Wars geek in me giggles every time!) but LE Revlons never seem to show up here. *sigh* Not sure why that is... Way back in November, Mr. Ski bought me a 2 pack of NYC polish at a Dollar Tree in Key West. In this pack was Molten Metal. Since I have only seen pics of Carbonite and Graphite, I have no idea how this compares to them, but for now, it works for me!

I am going to leave you with one more picture- the Princess on her first day of school.

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Metallic Crackle

2011-08-12T15:58:00.000-04:00

I know that y'all have seen these a million times already, but I was just sent them!! I love crackle polish, I don't know why. Maybe because it is a good way to "refresh" an older mani. I was excited when the metallics came out, I thought they looked awesome.

These are all over ManGlaze Fuggin Ugly, partly because I am too lazy to wait for the bottom polish to dry, an partly because that is what I had on when they came.

First up, Tarnished Gold. This is on my rarely seen right hand, because once again I was being lazy and decided to do 2 colors as a full mani.

Pretty, but I am still not a huge fan of gold with my skin tone. I don't even wear yellow gold jewelry, LOL!

Next is Cracked Medallion. This is the other color that I wore in the above mentioned mani. I even went out in public like that, and no one could really tell... Mr. Ski didn't notice until I pointed it out over lunch!

I like this one a bit better, I think the bronze-y color looks better on me.

Last, but definitely not least, we have Oxidized Aqua. This was my favorite of the three- love it!!

I definitely need to go and get the silver, the lilac, and maybe the pink one. These are gorgeous- I love the texture. The formula was easy to work with, but I know that the crackles tend to get thick... oh well, that's what thinner is for!!

Until Later,
Amberski

**these were provided by the company for review**

U-G-L-Y.....

2011-07-22T15:21:00.000-04:00

First, I want to apologize for my suckiness as a blogger. My personal life is a complicated mess right now, and I don't know when or how it is going to unfold. I am going to try and conncentrate on blogging more as a distraction, even though my head has not been in to it... I knw most of you only continue to follow me because you are nice, but I appreciate it. Thank you.

Enough of the melancholy babble, sorry.

As I have said many times before, I love ugly greens. A few months back, I was asking on Twitter about army greens, and Tiffani from Yardsticks 4 Lunatics sent me Kleancolor Military Green. (I have worn this at least twice, why don't I have pictures of it??) Military Green is awesome, but I wanted something a bit more yellow, so I bought Kleancolor Fashionista. Perfect!! I love this one...

I swear I changed diapers this color when the kids were babies!! I need to gather all my ugly greens and do an ombre mani or something... ideas?

Until Later,
Amberski

Beauty Blog Roundup 7/3-7/10

2011-07-12T14:38:00.000-04:00

Current Combo: Pop Of Pink- Beauty Thesis

Happy Birthday America! Midnight Manicures

Cosmetically Challenged Get's a Facelift!

Moroccan mint tea inspired mani- Nailderella Nails

LTHP Throws some swatches your way

Zoya Layla Life and Polish

Lime Crime Candy Eyed Eye Shadow Helper Review-Royal Beauty Designs

Body Blends Nail Care Kit:http://www.ohcbeauty.com/5/post/2011/07/body-blends-nail-care-kit.html

Revlon Perplex- A Day In The Life

Glitter Zebra Mani- Tara's Nails

Oppose H.R. 2359: Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011- Polish Insomniac

Joining the cult with Cult Nails - Nails and Noms

Pink Wednesdays-Devious Sprinkles- Polish Pauper

Super cute stuff! Forever 21 haul at Beauty Mamas

For those who love holo, purple, and purple holo- Painted Pixies

Mary Kay Timewise Matte Wear Liquid Foundation- Style Eyes

OCC Liptar Swatches- Reve Noir

Aromafloria Salt Glow Giveaway- Addicted To All Things Pretty

Ramy Beauty Therapy Fall 2011 Collection- GlitterGlossGarbage

Until Later,

Amberski

China Glaze Metro Collection- Fall 2011

2011-07-08T18:22:00.000-04:00

I want!!!!

China Glaze Introduces 12 New Purely Pigmented Crèmes, High Coverage Glitters and Intense Shine Shimmers for Fall 2011

Los Angeles, CA – (April 2011): City living boasts excitement, a cool, edginess and confidence that oozes from fashion forward women like none other. City loving celebs like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Ivanka Trump, Rosario Dawson and Jaime King have style to spare and their fashion sense trickles down to everyone from working women to college kids. This Fall, China Glaze has captured the big city feel in 12 sexy, sophisticated shades that are on trend, exciting and will be on every fashion maven’s “must have” list. Whether you prefer downtown funk or uptown class, China Glaze’s METRO collection pulls together ensembles and will undoubtedly make heads turn! Colors in this collection include:

· Skyscraper: A sparkling, glitter blue reminiscent of the sky over the city.
· CG in the City: Glittering dusty purple, bronze and silver multi-tonal glitter, perfect for a pop of edge from West side to East side.
· Urban-Night: Exactly what you need for a night on the town – rich purple crème.
· Traffic Jam: Stop traffic with a breathtaking, raspberry pink crème.
· City Siren: The perfect deep, red crème to match any outfit.
· Loft-y Ambitions: Burgundy shimmer and cocktail hour – nothing better.
· Brownstone: Burnt terracotta crème mirrors the quaint townhouses of the city.
· Midtown Magic: Burgundy base with flecks of gold shimmer captures the latest fashion trend.
· Street Chic: This gorgeous beige crème is the perfect go to shade letting your clothes do the talking.
· Concrete Catwalk: Steel grey crème is amazing for a chic mani.
· Westside Warrior: For the trendsetting woman this camo green crème is to die for.
· Trendsetter: Mustard yellow shimmer translates beautifully from hot dogs to nails.

Fall in the City is a magnificent time and China Glaze has interpreted the hues of the urban jungle into their limited edition METRO collection. Escape your everyday and indulge in the city life!

The China Glaze METRO collection will be available in a “Downtown” 6 piece box collection (includes Skyscraper, Concrete Catwalk, Westside Warrior, Trendsetter, Loft-y Ambitions and Midtown Magic), an “Uptown” 6 piece box collection (includes CG in the City, Urban-Night, Traffic Jam, City Siren and Street Chic and Brownstone), a brand new, amazing 3D 12 piece counter display, a 36 piece rack display, and as open stock colors.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries
For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com.

Until Later,

Amberski

Revlon Perplex

2011-07-08T14:21:00.000-04:00

Okay, I know I am way behind with this one! I could never find it, though. I stalked the drug stores, Big Lots, and anywhere else I could think of and never saw it. I had to resort to ebay.... I know it is a Chanel dupe, but I couldn't spend that money- I am a tight ass, LOL.

I took quite a few pics of this, trying to show the purple shimmer. I love colors like this, dark but with a bit of a surprising shimmer.

This is actually the second time I have worn this- for some reason, the first time it looked blah brown... maybe it was because I was using a cheap top coat, who knows. I think this will be a favorite this fall though, it is gorgeous.

Until Later,
Amberski

Happy 4th!!

2011-07-04T10:10:00.001-04:00

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th. We are getting ready to go to an all day cookout (they are not called bbq's here unless bbq is involved- and by bbq, I don't mean bbq sauce slapped on some chicken or ribs and grilled, I mean pulled pork on a bun with vinegar, hot sauce and cole slaw!) and to watch fireworks at Mount Trashmore- yes, it is what the name implies, don't ask me why- I just live here.

For my patriotic mani, I used Wet n Wild Crystallic in Scarlet Red, ChG Frostbite, and Revlon Powder Puff, with a Kleancolor star glitter on top. (I fished out the silver stars- it was a pain!) It is lame and uninventive, because I have no nail art talent, LOL. I also am showing my rarely seen left hand because it turned out better...

Boring.... oh well.

Before I go, can you spot the tacky? I wanted to put it in the front yard, but Mr. Ski was afraid it would get stolen.

Until Later,
Amberski

OPI Stranger Tides

2011-06-30T09:59:00.000-04:00

I couldn't think of a clever title for this one, I think it may be too early for me, LOL!

This is OPI Stranger Tides- I got it in the mini Pirates of the Caribbean set that the Princess picked out for my birthday present. I want to get the full size of this one, Skull and Glossbones, and Mermaid Tears- I love these colors!

Stranger Tides is a grayish green color. I have this love of weird greens- I don't know why. I want more!

The formula on this was pretty good- a bit streaky at first but it evened out. I have a feeling my mini bottle will not last long! I don't think these colors scream "pirate" to me, but they are pretty. (though I am not sure exactly what colors would scream "pirate", LOL)

Until Later,
Amberski

Beauty Blog round-up

2011-06-27T11:53:00.000-04:00

Lip Tar and MAC Surf Baby Lipstick Give Away Winner on Cosmetically Challenged

Hard Candy Beetle on the Life and Polish blog

500 Follower Giveaway 6 winners on Midnight Manicures

Zoya Touch Swatches on Kewtified

Animal Manicure on Bright Lights Big Color

My First Nubar on A Day in the Life

PritiNYC Summer Day Kit Swatches on Polished to the Nines

Multidimensional Mani on Nailderella Nails

You're Moody, Bish on Lambchop Mobile

Home Laser Hair Removal Guide on Beauty and Fashion Tech

Review: Mary Kay Love Lash Mascara on Style Eyes

A rainbow tape mani from Let Them Have Polish

Are You Down With OCC? Polish Insomniac is.

Pink Glitter Mani on Bookworm Nails

Battle of brush cleaner on Purple Eye Diamond

Get to know JoElle Skincare on Creatively Yours By Ro

Continuing Education in Artistry on Royal Beauty Designs

Review: e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner in Plum Purple on Beauty Mamas

Essie Ruby Slippers on Nails and Noms

Walking the Plank on Polish Pauper

Get in the Mood for Friday with Tara's Nails

Real French Perfume from Fragonard on Reve Noir

Enter the Nicole By OPI Texture Giveaway on Addicted to All Things Pretty

Are you tired of the bandwagon trends? Glitter Gloss Garbage is.

Until Later,
Amberski

Pretty in pink... isn't she?

2011-06-22T11:09:00.001-04:00

I love 80's Brat Pack movies. Breakfast Club, St. Elmo's Fire, Sixteen Candles. Pretty in Pink was my favorite though- I wanted to be Andie. She was a pretty red head, I loved her clothes, and she had a cool boss. I wanted her to end up with Duckie, I thought Blane was a douche. (Plus I liked Jon Cryer better than Andrew McCarthy!)

I put this polish on, and all I could think of was the lyrics to "Pretty in Pink" by the Pyschedelic Furs. Good grief, I am old!!

This is Essie Mod Squad. I like Essie, even though I only own three. I really need to get more...

I think this may be a summer pedi color though- it is pretty, but very pink. It is a happy color though!!

Until Later,
Amberski

My first Nubar polish

2011-06-21T13:17:00.000-04:00

I finally have a decent computer, so I am back. I was using the Princess' piece o'crap that only booted up when it felt like it, and locked up on me. I stole Mr. Ski's Macbook, LOL!

I have been lemming Nubar Reclaim for a while now. I finally broke down and bought it off the Bay of Evil... I am not disappointed!! This polish is wonderful- the application, the coverage, the color... basically I love it.

Everyone knows that green is my favorite color, and a green holo makes it damn near my favorite polish! This one will be worn quite a bit. Now I need to buy more Nubars, if they all are as great as this, I will be a fan.

Until Later,
Amberski

OPI My Private Jet- the "dud"

2011-06-09T15:15:00.000-04:00

The Princess picked out a few polishes for my birthday... Apparently all by herself! One of them was one of the "dud" versions of MPJ. I have the brown holo version, but I wanted to try this one out. Turns out, it is kind of pretty!

I know there are a few "duds", but The Princess managed to pick a good one!

Until Later,
Amberski

Yes I am a pirate....

2011-06-07T14:24:00.000-04:00

200 years too late.
the cannons don't thunder,
there's nothing to plunder
I'm an over 40 victim of fate.
Arriving too late,
arriving too late.

(2 points if you can name that tune, LOL!)

Sorry it has been so long since I posted. I had no internet for a week, then my hard drive died, and we had a dog emergency. It has been a long 2 weeks.

Mr. Ski and the kids got me the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean mini set, and I decided to give Skull and Glossbones a try first. I lovethis one, it is a weird greyish greenish color.

Pretty! I think I want to go back and get the full size.

Until Later,
Amberski

ABCs of Amberski

2011-05-20T18:12:00.001-04:00

I saw this on a few other blogs and it looked like fun, so I stole it, LOL.

A. Age:
I will be 36 in 11 days. Yay.

B. Bed size:
I have a queen, but since the Princess, the cat and the dog like to climb in bed with us, I think we need a king!

C. Chore you hate:
dishes, laundry, vacuuming... all of them!

D. Day:
they all kind of run together for me... but I like weekends since everyone is home.

E. Essential start to your day:
coffee and a cigarette... I know, bad!

F. Favorite color:
green

G. Gold or Silver:
Silver

H. Height:
5’6″

I. Instruments:
I was in percussion in high school- I was the nerd playing the xylophone.

J. Job title:
nanny, maid, cook, laundress.... mom.

K. Kids:
2 - Ski Jr. is 13 and the Princess is almost 5

L. Live:
Virginia Beach, VA

M. Mom’s name:
Robin, or Ma, Mother, Mommy. Kids call her Geema

N. Nicknames:
Amberski, duh!

O. Overnight hospital stays:
when my kids were born

P. Pet peeve:
umm, so many!

Q. Quote from a movie:
wow, can't think of just one. I always liked "There's no crying in baseball!"

R. Right or left handed:
right

S. Siblings:
I have 3 younger sisters.

T. Time you wake up:
7 am on weekdays, but I go back to sleep until about 9 after Ski Jr. goes to the bus stop.

U. Underwear:
nope! ; )

V. Vegetables you dislike:
brussel sprouts

W. What makes you run late:
When Mr. Ski is going with me, I am always late.

X. X-Rays you’ve had:
knees, back

Y. Yummy food you make:
hmm, BBQ chicken with cheese and bacon, my meatloaf

Z. Zoo:
haven't been in a while, our zoo is slightly crappy, very small.

That was fun! Can't wait to read more of these.

Until Later,
Amberski

Borghese Riviera Sunset

2011-05-20T13:30:00.000-04:00

This is another polish that Mr. Ski picked up for me. Bless his heart, he tries. (my mother has a hilarious bit about how southerners can get away with insulting someone because they preface it with "Bless your heart", LOL) I don't wear gold, copper or bronze usually because I think it looks bad on me, but he seems to like picking those colors!

meh. My sister likes it, so I may let her walk away with it next time she comes over, and play dumb....

Until Later,
Amberski

Playing with 230- mini pic spam

2011-05-10T11:51:00.002-04:00

After a day or so of a mani, I get bored. Sometimes I am lazy and add crackle or glitter instead of changing completely. Here are a few that I spruced up with Clarins 230. (I am not as afraid to use it as much, I got a back up!)

230 over ChG 108 Degrees

230 over Ulta For Bitten

230 over ChG Channelesque

Until Later,
Amberski

I wish that I had Jessie's girl...

2011-05-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

I loved Rick Springfield when I was younger. He was hot, and had a catchy song- plus, he was on General Hospital! He still pops up on GH once in a blue moon, but he is not quite as hot as he used to be. I hate getting old, LOL!

Mr, Ski picked this polish up for me purely because the brand is Jessie's Girl. I have seen it at the drug store, but never grabbed it because it didn't really jump out at me. Since Mr. Ski was so proud of himself for getting it, I didn't have the heart to tell him that I really wasn't that into it.

This is Jessie's Girl Spring Break. It is a red based purple. I think it is dupeable- pretty, but not unique. The formula was pretty good though.

Since I think it is sweet that Mr. Ski tries, I will keep wearing the polishes he buys, even if I am not really that into them- he picked out a Borghese that I am really not into, but I suppose I will have to wear it soon, LOL!

Until Later,
Amberski

New storage

2011-04-29T12:32:00.000-04:00

All of my polish has been sept in cardboard boxes since I moved in October. I told Mr. Ski I wanted to get something to store them in, thinking maybe some sterilite drawers, a melmer or even a helmer, but apparently Mr. Ski had a different idea. He started looking online for a rack that hangs on the wall to put them in.... then I counted my stash. 201. He discovered that I would need more than one rack, and that it would be cheaper for him just to build a bigger one himself. I wasn't to sure about that, Mr. Ski is not much of a woodworker, LOL. Give him a computer and he can take it aprt and put it back together in no time. He can install car stereos and home theater systems 'til the cows come home. Working with wood? I was sure that I would have to take him to the ER, and with my recently acquired blood phobia (due to a trauma I won't go into here) I didn't know if I could handle that- so I left, LOL.

Five hours later, and surprisingly no ER trips, this is what I got:

I still need to stain it, but I think he did a great job! He was so proud, he showed everyone he came in contact with for the next few days- it was cute!

If you stuck around this long, yay! Since it is Red Friday, here is a quick NOTD. This is Wet n Wild Crystallic in Scarlet Red. It is gorgeous, but I think I am gonna change it already- I am not feeling it.

Until Later,

Amberski

15 years...

2011-04-28T11:35:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it has been 15 years. I still think about you every day, but more often than not it is with a smile instead of tears.

I love you.

WLC Jr. 10/25/52-04/28/96

Red Friday- Cult Nails Quench

2011-04-22T14:05:00.000-04:00

a few weeks back, Ange did a Red Friday post. I thought it was a good thing and intended on joining in, but I am a forgetful person, LOL. I finally remembered this week!

I come from a large military area. You can't spit in any direction and not hit a base of some kind. I think we have all branches represented here, even Coast Guard. My father was not in the military, nor is Mr. Ski, but Mr. Ski's father and both grandfathers were in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Army (I believe) and my maternal grandmother's 3 husbands have all been military- 1 Navy and 2 Coast Guard. (Plus she was in the Air Force) So as you can see, I am connected to the military in quite a few ways. I admire the men and women who are risking their lives every day, even if I don't agree with the reasons they are doing it.

For my Red Friday mani, I chose Cult Nails Quench, and did an accent with an old Sally Hansen called Very Sexy. Quench is gorgeous! In my dim living room light, it looks dark and vampy, but in normal light- sexy red!! Love!!

Isn't it awesome? I will be pulling this out when True Blood comes back!

Until Later,
Amberski

Amber is the color of your energy....

2011-04-15T11:08:00.001-04:00

First, let me say that "Amber" is my least favorite 311 song ever, LOL. I just couldn't think of any songs that had my name in it. (Except for "America the Beautiful!) Let me know if you know one!

I collect amber jewelry, my grandparents had a jewelry store when I was growing up and gave me several necklaces. Over the years, my mom has continued the tradition and bought me some as well. (damn, too bad she didn't name me diamond! LOL) Since I have amber jewelry and love it, I thought I would try to find some Amber named polishes. I haven't really found any that I like, the all tend to be too bronze- ish.

I (finally) found some Sally Hansen Prisms at my Dollar Tree, and included was Pink Amber. Of course, I had to give it a try!

sorry about the bad photos, I had to wander around the house to get the colors to show. The "amber" is not quite the glowy, lit from within color of real amber that I am searching for, but it isn't too bad. Someday I will have the proper amber color, though seeing how amber comes in so many colors, I guess technically I may already have it, LOL...

Until Later,
Amberski

It's Magnetic!!

2011-04-13T14:38:00.000-04:00

I told y'all I would have some more pretties from the box of goodies Tiffani sent me, and here they are!

I have had a huge lemming for magnetic polishes since the day I first saw them. I thought it was the neatest thing ever, and Tiffani was kind enough to send me some!!

This is Essence Iron Goddess:

I used a bendy fridge magnet on these, and there is a bit of a learning curve. You have to hold it really close but be careful not to hit the polish, which I did in a few places. I have shaky hands, LOL!

This is Agnes B. in Kaki Metal

yay, green!! I will definitely be playing with these more- I want to try different magnets and see if I can make the lines go different ways. I also need to find more- Essence needs to bring these to the US!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Fighting crime, trying to save the world...

2011-04-11T14:52:00.000-04:00

here they come just in time, the Powder Puff Girls!

Just kidding, I know it is Power Puff. Every time I see Revlon Powder Puff, I automatically get the theme song in my head. That is a problem with me, I have a running musical in my head. Everything sets off a song- it's my crazy.

Enough of the crazy, here is Powder Puff. This polish was a major pain in the ass. I had to do at least 5 coats to make it look less streaky/crappy. Then, I went to bed about 2 and a half hours later and woke up with dings and dents! Grrr..... I put another layer on this am to smooth it out, and it is better. It frustrated me though, because this is actually a white polish that doesn't look like I have White Out on my nails...

trying to capture the blue shimmer:

I really like this polish, but the formula sucks major butt. I will have to be in a very patient mood with plenty of time to let it dry before I wear this again.

Until Later,
Amberski

Mani Challenge from Landa

2011-04-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

I was tagged by Landa for this challenge, and it was hard because I am so damn uncreative, LOL!!

The rules:

1. go to your lacquer stash2. CLOSE your eyes and pull 3 random items - JUST 3

I ended up with China Glaze Grape Pop, a Sally Hansen Prism in Lavender Gold and Kleancolor Sparkle Emerald (which is a glitter)

Warning, this is UGLY!!

I used Grape Pop as the base, with random Lavender Gold stripes and then slapped the Kleancolor on top. Yeah, I am sooo original.

I am going to let you guys tag yourselves for this, but let me know, cause I want to see!!

Until Later,

Amberski

Now I want a Creamsicle...

2011-04-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

China Glaze Lightning Bolt over Papaya Punch

yum.

Until Later,
Amberski

Oooh, pretty!!

2011-04-06T12:25:00.000-04:00

I recently received a package from the awesome Tiffani of Yardsticks 4 Lunatics. Among all the pretties (and there were a bunch- stay tuned!) was a holo polish that looked slightly grey. And then I put it on...

It turned out to be an amazing blue-grey color- kind of slate like... Love!! This is Bobbie (a brand from the Philippines) and the polish is called Weng Weng. I admit, I did laugh my ass off over the name... I love having a polish from the Philippines in my collection, Mr. Ski is half Filipino. Now I just need a Polish polish.....

Thank you, Tiff! I will be showing y'all some of the other awesome things she sent soon, and I have a challenge tag from Landa that I have to do. (thanks, Landa- I am so uncreative, this is gonna suck!! )

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Island Escape Collection

2011-03-31T10:10:00.006-04:00

I know it isn't even Easter yet, but I am going to jump ahead a bit and show you China Glaze's Summer 2011 collection- Island Escape. I wish I would have had these in Key West, they seem very appropriate for the Keys!

All swatches are 3 coats with no topcoat.

108 Degrees- this is a glass flecked pink. I am not a huge pink person, but I liked this, the color is bright and the flecks make it sparkle. My picture does not do it justice.

Blue Iguana- I love blue. This is another glass flecked polish. Once again, bright and sparkle-y!

Senorita Bonita- I really don't own a lot of purples, but this is a gorgeous one. Very jewel like. I can see this on my toes this summer.

Cha-Cha-Cha - green is usually my favorite color, but for some reason, this is my least favorite of the collection... (which is not a bad thing, because I like them all, LOL) Maybe it is the bit of gold shimmer that this has... still very pretty though.

Electric Pineapple- one of my favorites in the collection- this is a greenish yellow. I love this, it doesn't give me lobster hands!!

Papaya Punch- I think orange is the color I have the least amount of. I think this will be my go to orange from now on though!! It is not too bright, makes me want to eat cheetos!!

I loved this whole collection. The green was my least favorite, but I still love it... I think the formula was great, as well. China Glaze is one of my favorite brands, as a matter of fact- it was the first non-drugstore brand I ever tried. (even before OPI!) This is a great collection, I can't wait for summer because these may be on my toes a lot!

**these were sent to me for review.

Until Later,

Amberski

China Glaze Frostbite

2011-03-25T12:47:00.000-04:00

I am feeling blue today, (long story and I don't really want to go into it here.) so I thought I would share my favorite blue polish with you. I don't know why I waited so long to get this. I had seen many gorgeous pictures of it, but never picked it up until recently. This is China Glaze Frostbite, a beautiful, glowy blue. It almost looks like it is lit from within.

for some reason. I only have this one picture... hmm... see what I mean, though? Glowy.

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- China Glaze Techno Teal

2011-03-19T22:56:00.000-04:00

First, I wanted to tell you the name of the pink Sally Hansen from my last post- it is called Pink About It....

I love all things teal, probably because I am a blue eyed redhead and teal is one of the colors I can wear and not look ridiculous! I had seen swatches of Techno Teal, and knew that I had to have it.

Gorgeous, right? I couldn't really capture the holo effect, but it is there. It is a subtle holo, and scattered, but I still adore it. After a day or so, I decided to experiment and put ChG Cracked Concrete over it. It didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to, I think it is a bit dark.

From a distance, it just looked muddy... oh well. That's why it is called an experiment, LOL!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Tag and Circus vomit

2011-03-13T15:40:00.001-04:00

I was tagged by Landa for this, and I thought it was kind of neat. I like seeing other people's handwriting, probably because I hate my own!

1. What is you name? And your blog.
2. Blog url
3. Write: the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
4. Favorite quote
5. Favorite song
6. Favorite band/singers
7. Say anything you want
8. Pass it along to a few bloggers

Mr. Ski went to Ulta for me, trying to find some China Glaze Crackles and the ever so elusive Revlon Perplex. He didn't find either, but he picked up the Ulta dupe for DL Happy Birthday- Pinata-yada-yada. I tried it over a very sheer pink Sally Hansen whose name escapes me at the moment. It was very bright, so I decided to put a coat of the pink over the glitter as well. It still looks like a circus threw up on my nails, LOL!!

It made me want a cupcake...

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Broken-Hearted

2011-03-08T13:54:00.000-05:00

This weekend, Mr. Ski stopped in to Sally's to see if they had Crackles and Tronica for me. (I figured he would see if they had them and let me know so I could go later.) H e found them, and called me to see which ones I wanted, and brought them home for me! They only had a few of each left, I guess my Sally's is more popular than I though!

I decided to wear Broken- Hearted first. I put it over ChG Hologram, the silver from Tronica. (I forgot to take pictures of Hologram alone, so I will have to post that another day.) Hologram is very pretty, not as holo as OMG, but it is a pretty scattered holo.

I figured out how the crackles worked pretty quickly, so I think it turned out cool. I missed this trend the first time, so I was anxious to get these!

Until Later,
Amberski

I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush

2011-02-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

For all you young'uns, that is a line from an REM song... for the rest of you, sorry for the earworm!!

This is one of the polishes Mr. Ski bought for me from the Dollar Tree in Key West, back in November. It was one of a two pack, the other being a gorgeous purpley-green duochrome- in the bottle only... on the nail, not so much. These are by the brand Pro 10, the color is Crush.

I just want to go off on a quick rant here- I keep seeing posts on MUA and blogs about the awesome things people seem to find at their Dollar Trees- old Sally Hansen holos, old Cover Girl Crackles... All I ever find at mine is LA Colors and the occasional separated mauvey Maybelline. WTH, Dollar Tree?? What makes it even worse, it that the DT corporate offices are practically in my city! (there are 7 cities here that are so close together they are all considered one metro area sometimes- I can drive through 3 cities in 15 minutes, LOL) You would think since they are here, we could get some good stuff too!! But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. ( 2 points to anyone who can tell me who I ripped that off from, LOL)

Sorry about that, I may have had too much coffee already today.... Now on to the pictures!

My camera seems to freak out with bright colors, but here is Crush... this is a pretty bright, traffic cone orange with a bit of gold shimmer that really doesn't show up on the nail.

It is a bit brighter in real life... I got bored and wanted to see what it would look like with a matte topcoat. It looked like vinyl!!

Kind of looks like a diner booth, doesn't it? I think I like this color, but I think it will be mainly a summer pedi polish.

Until Later,
Amberski

Another Lemming Down!

2011-02-16T14:48:00.000-05:00

When I started this blog, I didn't know I would meet such wonderful people. Rebekah from For The Love of Nails was kind enough to send me one of my biggest lemmings- GOSH Holographic, and asked for nothing in return!! So sweet.

My camera did not want to capture the pure awesomeness of this polish. I did 3 coats, only because I don't have the special GOSH or Nfu-Oh base for holos, so it was a bit patchy at first.

Love!! thank goodness we have sun so I can enjoy the awesome!

Until Later,

Amberski

Big sister duty of the day...

2011-02-15T21:57:00.000-05:00

I am gonna be shameless here and plug my little sister's new jewelry endeavor! She is starting a jewelry business, and like a good big sister, I want to help. She only has a Facebook page for it right now, but please take a look.

Rici's Pieces

Thanks!

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Crackles

2011-02-15T16:16:00.000-05:00

I want these.... I need these.... sigh.

LET’S GET CRACKING

China Glaze Introduces Six New Crackle Colors

Los Angeles, CA – December 2010: Roughed up grunge meets gorgeous glam! China Glaze brings a whole new level to the game with “Crackle” polish! Create endless edgy looks and make a statement with fun, fearless, color. Everyone has asked for it, and now China Glaze is giving it to them! The six different Crackle colors include:

Lightning Bolt – White Crackle
Black Mesh – Black Crackle
Broken Hearted – Pink Crackle
Cracked Concrete – Grey Crackle
Fault Line – Purple Crackle
Crushed Candy – Teal Crackle

An innovative technology allows you to play with a wide array of color combinations and achieve an edgy, new wave look. This unique formula was developed to give your nails a “crackled” design over traditional nail color. Contrasting colors are used one over another to achieve a deconstructed shatter look that takes place right before your eyes. Instant art for your nails!

How do you do it? It’s easy! Apply your favorite China Glaze glitter, shimmer or crème. Depending on the color you are using, apply either one or two coats for full coverage. When the colored enamel is dry, brush on a thin layer of the Crackle color. Allow the Crackle to work its magic during dry time. After approximately 5 minutes when the crackled design has completely formed, apply a top coat to seal the design for prolonged wear.

China Glaze Crackle will be available starting February 2011 at Sally’s Beauty Supply and BSG in 12 piece displays and 3 pack color kits which will include a base color, a crackle glaze (Black Mesh, Broken Hearted or Crushed Candy) and a China Glaze Top Coat.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply storesnationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter:http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

My early Valentine's Day gift

2011-02-01T14:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, first off, I am the worst blogger in the world!! I know it has been a few weeks since I posted... I finally got a new computer (yay- a Mac!) so I have been transferring all my stuff over from Mr. Ski's Gateway. Then I had to ransack the house looking for the camera cord, since the Mac has no card reader... I have finally found the cord, so I can post again!

Mr. Ski is sneaky. He ordered one of my major lemmings on Ebay for a Valentine's Day gift. He also ordered a bunch of computer parts at the same time, so when a small box came yesterday I assumed that it was the parts. When I spoke to him on the phone, I mentioned that he got a package. Now, I was extremely pissed at him yesterday (long story) and he knew it, so he told me to open the box and let him know what part it was. I open the box and found this:

AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!! Unicorn Pee, AKA Clarins 230!!! I think I stuttered for a bit and told him that it wasn't fair, because I was mad at him and now I couldn't be. Sometimes he can be a sweetheart!

I can't stop waving my hands in front of my face- this is gorgeous! Here are some bad pictures of it:

Love, love, love!! This is 2 coats over 2 coats of SH Spark. I am gonna wear this as long as I can this week. I have no plans to change it until Sunday for Superbowl!!

Until Later,
Amberski

It's not easy being green...

2011-01-13T13:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the Kermit reference, and I hope that I didn't give you an earworm! The Princess is on a Muppets kick lately, we have the first season on DVD and I have seen it 90 bajillion times.

The last two polishes I have worn have been green. I was over the dark, vampy winter colors, so I picked OPI Who the Shrek are You? I am a huge fan of this color! It is bizarre, yet pretty.

I wore it for a day or so, and then I started craving the Tronica polishes... Since I can't go to CosmoProf to get them, I decided to make my own holo. I put a coat of OPI DS Original over WTSAY and got this:

Not perfect, but it satisfied me for a day, LOL!

I finally broke down and bought my 2nd Essie polish ever. I am lazy though, so I ordered from Walmart online..even though there is a Walmart across the street from my neighborhood... I got Sew Psyched finally! I am an idiot or waiting so long, this color is gorgeous! I love the dusty look of it.

I love it, and since I heard it is a dupe for RBL Diddy Mow (which I never got because I am a cheapskate) it makes me even happier that I bought it. This is definitely one I will be wearing often.

Until Later,
Amberski

Happy (Belated) New Year

2011-01-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

I hope every one is having a good year so far. Sorry that I have been missing, but the holidays were crazy and then I got sick! I spent New Year's eve and New Years Day clutching tissues and whining about being sick. Now that I am feeling better, I have a few things to show you!

First, these are a couple of polishes I won from Jackie S. at Candy Coated Tips. (her Valentine Kisses giveaway).

First, Sally Hansen Pat on the Black. This is a deep maroon-ish color that wanted to photograph black! You can tell it is not black thanks to my horrid application, though!

Next, is Wet n Wild Rock Solid Nail Polish in Quartz of Course. This is a rosy color, that gave me Nana hands, LOL!! It is very pretty, but a bit to tame for me, I think.

Last, but definitely not least, we have Hard Candy Beetle. I had Mr. Ski brave Walmart for me to get this, it was cute! I have been making him do all the scouting for me lately, he has looked for Revlon Perplex and Milani Gems (unsuccessfully, boo) for me as well. Sweet, right?

Anyway, Beetle is one of the most gorgeous polishes I have worn in a while, and I actually managed to get semi decent pictures of it!

I love this one, I will probably wear it to death!!

That's all I have for the moment, I need to start swatching a few more things I have gotten recently. I also need to get my grubby little paws on the ChG Tronica and some of the Anchors Away polishes....

Until Later,
Amberski

Happy Birthday

2010-12-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

Yeaterday was Ski Jr.'s 13th birthday. It seems like just yesterday I was a scared 22 year old bringing home this tiny human! I had no idea what I was doing, and I couldn't believe they trusted me with him... Now he is 13 and in middle school. Soon he will be interested in girls, learning to drive, and graduating from high school! Time goes by so fast.

There is another birthday to celebrate- my blog is 1 year old!! When I started it last year, it was mainly a place to talk, but it morphed into nail polish... I know I am not the best writer, and I suck at taking pictures and posting regularly, but I appreciate you guys reading. Thanks for putting up with my babbles for a whole year!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday, and I promise I will post again soon!

Until later,
Amberski

Franken- from poop to pretty!

2010-12-09T20:21:00.000-05:00

This is one of my first successful frankens! I re-discovered OPI Shim-mery Chic in my stash last night and decided that it looked like sparkley poop. I was complaining on Twitter, and Scandalous suggested that I add red and clear to it... Since she is the franken Queen, of course I took her advice!!

This is how it turned out:

Please excuse my crap polish job, I had the Princess up my butt while I was trying to paint, LOL. I have no idea what to call this color, any suggestions?

Until Later,
Amberski

Man Glaze and other random stuff

2010-12-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

So, I had a post all planned out to do on the day before Thanksgivivng, but Mr. Ski needed his computer. No problem, (I thought) I will do it when he gets home.... guess who left his computer at work? Normally, this would be no big deal, but the next day was Thanksgiving, and Friday we were flying out to Key West. That's life, I guess!!

I went to an out door concert a while back, and since it was a punk band, I decided to go with Man Glaze Fuggin Ugly. I loved this polish, but it was pretty chippy- I had a chip before I even got to the concert. I think net time I wear it, I will use a top coat.

I went to get my hair done recently, and the girl had OPI polish for sale. Since I had given her a crapton of stuff before we moved, the cut and color was free, and she threw in a polish. I picked OPI DS Reflection. Oddly, the cap is black, but the polish looks like the swatches I have seen:

Sorry for the tipwear, I think this was after a few days.

We went to Key West on Friday, and I scoured the Dollar Tree looking for those Sally Hansen Prisms that everyone is finding... no luck. Mr. Ski picked up a pack of NYC and Pro 10 (I believe) for me- the NYC was Molten Metal and #229, Pro 10 had Morph and an orange that I can't remember the name of....

I am going to leave you with a shot or 2 from Key West-

This is the Artist House- I believe it is supposed to be haunted, like most of Key West. It was the original home of Robert the Doll.

This one is pretty self explainitory... please excuse my dopey looks, I had a stye on my eye that pretty much swelled it shut- I almost wore a pirate patch on the trip!

This next one is from the Ghost tour- we stopped at the Auduban Haouse, and I caught this on film. Apparently, the orb is next to the room where the children had died of yellow fever.

Anyway, I have tons more pics, but I need to resize and do a few things. Maybe I will share more soon!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Apologies

2010-11-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive, and I am sorry it has been so long. We moved over Halloween weekend, and I have been busy as hell cleaning, unpacking and organizing! I also had to go down to nubbins because of the stress of moving, and they were really short- I didn't want to even take pictures... I promise I will be doing a post here in the next few days, bear with me!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Halloween NOTD- China Glaze Ick-A-Body

2010-10-28T14:59:00.000-04:00

First, thank you all for your kind words Monday! It meant a lot.

This is my Halloween mani. I know it is a bit early, but we are moving this weekend, so I wanted to have one less thing to worry about! I love this polish! It was a bit streaky in the beginning, bu it all evened out. Here is 3 coats with SV (which it seemed to eat, it was lumpy the next day.)

I may actually wear this around Thanksgiving too, but matte so it is more fall-like... I got a bit of tipwear after a few days, so I decided to turn it into a funky french. I used WnW Black Creme and WnW Sunny Side Up.

Now that my nails are dressed for Halloween, I just need to figure out what I am going to be!! We take the kids Trick or Treating in my in-law's neighborhood, mainly because Mr. Ski grew up there and he is related to half the damn street. This is Ski Jr.'s last year, so I think he may be a tad upset.... he may be able to pull it off for a few more in that neighborhood though!

Hope everyone has a safe Halloween!

Until Later,
Amberski

Hold me closer, tiny dancer

2010-10-25T11:29:00.000-04:00

When I was a baby, my daddy would sing this song to me. Every time I hear it, I think of him. I always seem to hear it when I need to- whether I am sad, happy, or just need to know he is with me. Today is one of those days, it is his birthday.

Happy Birthday, Daddy. I miss you.

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- OPI Jade is the New Black

2010-10-22T22:07:00.000-04:00

I forgot to take pictures of the polish I wore last weekend when I went out with Mr. Ski... I wore ChG Mummy May I, and I love it, so I will definitely be wearing it again soon and I will take pictures!

This is OPI Jade is the New Black. I know I am way behind with this one!! I loved this color on me, for some reason, the green looked great against my very pale skin!! Sorry for the picture quality though, I need a better camera that actually likes greens!

Sorry, this was under the "natural light" light bulb in my living room. It is pretty close to the color I think. Like I said, I need a better camera!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- Color Club Revvvolution

2010-10-19T13:32:00.002-04:00

You say you want a revolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world
You tell me that it's evolution
Well, you know
We all want to change the world

Now that I have given you your earworm for the day, I must tell you that I love the Beatles. I grew up listening to them, and I love pretty much every song! Two of my favorite movies are Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Across the Universe. I even have a print of John Lennon's Imagine artwork in my living room. (directly across from the U2 Joshua Tree album cover print, LOL! My living room is one giant pop culture reference, we also have a large Disney pic and a bunch of James Dean!) I think I would have bought this polish even if it was not a holo, just for the name. (that is part of the reason I want Lippman's Across the Universe- I am a dork)

Enough babbling, here is Revvvolution!

(please excuse the random stray cat hair, LOL!)

It is not as holo as my OPI MPJ, but I love it, and true to Color Club form, the formula is excellent! I will probably use this more and save my MPJ for special occasions, or maybe even try layering it.

To further jam the earworm into your head, here is "Revolution" from the movie Across the Universe. (I love Jim Sturgess in this, can I have him??)

Until Later,
Amberski

PS, I realize I should have done this for John Lennon's birthday, but I got distracted!!

NOTD- China Glaz Zombie Zest

2010-10-15T10:00:00.000-04:00

I asked on twitter the other day what I should do for my next mani, and jbrobs suggested I do ChG Zombie Zest over OPI Who the Shrek are You. Here you go, twin!!

I think that putting over a green kind of adds to the color... It was a tad streaky, but that could have been user error, LOL! My camera had a hard time picking up this polish, it looked much better in real life. We kept calling it "glitter snot" the whole time I wore it!!

Today is Mr. Ski's 40th birthday, and we are going to try and go out for a bit. I need to figure out what polish I am going to wear, and maybe I will show you!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Tags!

2010-10-15T00:15:00.000-04:00

This first tag is from my long- lost twin, jbrobs. (with the exception of the football team she roots for, we are way too much alike! I think we love the same hockey team though!) This is the Sunshine Award.

Here are the rules:
1. Save the image above and post it on your blog.
2. Share the love with 12 fellow bloggers.
3. Link the nominees
4. Let the nominees know they have been given the award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link the person(s) who gave you the award.

This next award is from the fabulous Scandalous. This is the Versatile Blogger award.

For this I have to tell you 7 things about me and nominate 12 other blogs. Here we go:

1. Amber is not my first name. It is my middle name, my mother decided I should have a conventional name in case I decided I didn't want to be called Amber when I am 80. I hate my first name!

2. I scrapbook. I have tons of scrapbooking materials in my garage, and I kind of suck at it, LOL

3. I didn't learn to swim until I was 13, which is nuts considering I live near the ocean!

4. I am terrified of snakes.

5.I have dyed my hair many colors because I hated having red hair. Now that I am older and love it, my hair is turning brown.

6. I love true crime books and tv shows. I got so excited when I discovered that "The New Detectives" was filmed near here and my childhood home was on an episode that was supposed to be set in Canada.

7. my first job was in a bookstore. If I ever win the lottery, I want to open a used bookstore where people can come and curl up on couches and read all day with big cups of coffee!

For both of these tags, I am just going to let you tag yourself- I have no idea who hasn't done this yet. If you decide to do them, let me know so I can read!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- OPI DS Extravagance

2010-10-14T22:43:00.000-04:00

This is what I wore all last weekend. I could not stop staring at my hands!! OPI DS Extravagance is a gorgeous magenta-ish holo. The formula was awesome, and it is soo sparkley!! Even Mr. Ski commented on it, we all know how rare that is!

This is 3 coats plus SV... I alway seem to do 3 coats, just to be safe, LOL!!! This is my 2nd OPI DS polish, and I want more....

Until Later,

Amberski

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2010-10-08T21:10:00.000-04:00

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2010:

•About 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women.

•About 54,010 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer).

•About 39,840 women will die from breast cancer

1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in their life. Early detection is key to treating it successfully. That is why it is important to get screenings and mammograms regularly. Know your body, do self exams (or have your significant other do them- who else knows your body as well as you do?) Breast cancer does not always present as lumps, be aware of any changes in your breasts. Please pay attention to your body!

In honor of BCA, here are some pink polishes I have. Please excuse some of the pictures, they date back to the beginning!

China Glaze Fuchsia

Claire's Calm/Wild

WnW True Love

China Glaze Something Sweet

Zoya Katy

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- OPI DS Original and guest nails

2010-10-03T21:09:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago I won another giveaway on the awsome L.'s blog, Bright Lights, Big Color. I will try and get pictures of the goodies for you! I decided to try OPI DS Original first, since I love holos. Unfortunately, I was only able to get one picture in the sun, because it has started to rain again....

Sorry it is not the best, but it shows some of the gorgeous holo-ness!! I will try and get better pictures soon. I love this polish, but it is sheer. I may try it over black or purple, I heard it was pretty that way!

TO make up for the crappy NOTD picture, I have some guest nails for you. She will not be commenting on them herself, because her typing is bad and her spelling is not the best... (that's because she is 4, you guys!!) Today's guest nails are none other than The Princess!! She loves having her nails done, and she is very particular about making sure her toes match, LOL. Usually, she chooses pink or purple, but this time she opted for OPI Ogre the Top Blue:

Ha, she even has the pose down!! Cute, right? Her is her " I am adorable" pose:

That's all for now, have a great night!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- Color Club Ms. Socialite

2010-09-30T20:40:00.000-04:00

First, I want to apologize for not posting for a while. All of us here have been sick off and on during the last two weeks and I have not felt like doing much of anything- I actually wore the same polish for eight days straight! I honestly believe my house is making us sick, we have found black mold... No worries though, it will be straightened out soon.

Now, on to the polish!! This is Color Club Ms. Socialite, a lovely eggplant purple. Mr. Ski even commented that he liked it, which is rare- he hardly ever pays attention!! I could have gotten away with 2 coats, but I am a serial 3 coater...

It didn't photograph very well, we have had massive rain for days... blah!! Anyway, I promise to post again a lot sooner, please forgive me!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Color Club Uptown Girl

2010-09-15T16:14:00.000-04:00

Today I have another Color Club from the Rebel Debutante collection- Uptown Girl. This is a dusty purple color, and I think I am in love!! I love purple (nail polish only, I rarely wear purple!) and I think this one looks good on me!!

Sorry for the lack of clean up, I have a sick munchkin and I had to do this quickly.... This is probably my favorite of the collection so far, what do you think?

Until Later,
Amberski

Are you ready for some football???

2010-09-12T15:00:00.002-04:00

Real quick, I wanted to show you my football mani!!

I used OPI Bogota Blackberry and freehanded the tips with the orange Pixi Stix polish. (please excuse the preschooler rubble in the background!)

Go Redskins!! Who do you root for?

Until Later,
Amberski

Never Forget

2010-09-11T16:17:00.000-04:00

I know I usually don't post on weekends, but I cannot let today pass with out saying something. September 11, 2001 started out just like any other day for me, just like everyone else in America. I got up, dropped Ski Jr. off at the babysitter's, and went to the job I despised. I poured a cup of coffee, and started to pull the day's credit reports. ( I was a mortgage loan processor.) I remember the phone ringing and someone sayingg a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers, and I remember thinking that it was sad, but probably just a Cessna.... Then we started getting more information, and I remember being horrified- I remember everyone huddling around the computers trying to find out as much as we could- we had no access to television. Once the plane hit the Pentagon, we started to freak out more- we lived in a major military area, what if they hit us next? I remember everyone spent the day trying to call loved ones, even though we didn't know anyone in the towers, and no one could get through to anyone. I remember freaking out because I couldn't reach my babysitter, and being frightened because we were living right by the airport. We finally left work early, and I rushed to get Ski Jr, and spent the rest of the day and long into the night in front of the television, crying non stop...

I know everyone has their own story of that day, and I thank God that I lost no one close to me, and I pray for the families that did. I want to thank those of you that serve our country and have love ones that serve.

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- Color Club Best Dressed List

2010-09-09T14:43:00.000-04:00

This is the next polish from Rebel Debutante- Best Dressed List. It is a brownish color that seems to have a bit of pink in it on me.... I don't think I am a fan. I like bright colors on me, and this is just way to neutral. Oh well, they all can't look fabulous on me!!

I wore this for a week (I got lazy, and then I was sick!) and I had not one chip, and only minor tipwear!! Color Club has a great formula!

Until later,
Amberski

NOTD- Color Club High Society

2010-09-01T15:59:00.000-04:00

Today I have the second polish in The Rebel Debutante collection- High Society. This is kind of a taupey gray color on me. It is very pretty, but it is another one that I don't know how I feel about it on me....

The formula on this one was a bit tricky, but that may be user error!! These are my first real Color Club polishes, and I have to say I love them so far, even if I am iffy on the colors!!

I also wanted y'all to know that even though I don't reply to your comments all the time, I do read them, and I appreciate all of them!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD Color Club Who are You Wearing?

2010-08-28T18:22:00.000-04:00

I know I am WAY behind with this color, but I recently won a giveaway on the fabulous Landa's blog, Bright Lights, Big Color. One of the prizes was Color Club's Rebel Debutante collection (minus Rebel Debutante, boo for Color Club not putting that in the boxed set!) I decided to try them out from lightest to darkest, so Who are you wearing is up first!!

This is 3 coats:

This picture doesn't really do the color justice... it is a weird color, on me it looks light gray with a very light lilac tint to it...

I haven't decided how I fell about this color yet, it makes my hands look a bit corpse like... although, I am so pale, that I look corpse like on most days anyway!! I think I will wear it through out the rest of the weekend to see if it grows on me!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD Maybelline La-La-Lime

2010-08-20T16:01:00.000-04:00

I got this one from the sweet and wonderful Scandalous of Scandalously Polished. I love you, Ange!!

La-La-Lime is a pretty green color that I probably wouldn't have picked up for myself- I tend to grab darker greens... I love it though!

Pretty, right?

Anyway, sorry this is such a quick post. I am feeling a bit blah today... I think I need a vacation!

Until Later,
Amberski

I haz boobies!!

2010-08-12T16:12:00.002-04:00

Okay, not really, just boobies as in my first Nfu- Oh polish!! My awesome friend jbrobeck from polish insomniac sent me a RAOK with Nfu-Oh 56 and Zoya Charla!! I couldn't decide which one to wear first, so I decided to wear both!!

Zoya Charla by herself:

Ain't she pretty?? I then added 2 coats of Nfu Oh 56 (and promptly freaked out my camera)

Sorry for all the pictures, I got excited... (it was also sprinkling, hence the drop of water on my index finger) In all my excitement I forgot to take abottle pic, so I will do that later. I wanna go look at my hands some more!!

I should mention that the idea for layering these came from reading magic maid's awesome blog. (Sorry Nicole- I love you!)
Until later,
Amberski

I want a yellow holo!!

2010-08-06T13:52:00.000-04:00

As I was applying ChG Lemon Fizz the other day, I starting wondering if a yellow holo existed... I asked on Twitter, and ScandalousAnge said that she had tried to franken one and it didn't work... well poop!! So then I decided that maybe a few coats of Cover Girl City Lights over Lemon Fizz would make a yellow scattered holo.... um no.... It looks like Big Bird ate Abby Cadabby and vomited on my fingers!

Observe the Big Bird glitter vomit:

Sigh... oh well.... If any polish companies happen to read this, I want a yellow holo!! Please!

Until Later,
Amberski

So sorry!

2010-08-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

I know haven't posted in a while... I am running out of things to show you guys!! I am trying to put aside some $ so I can do a small haul very soon. Bear with me, I am still here!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- Milani Metallic Mango

2010-07-19T17:32:00.000-04:00

I told Mr. Ski to pick me out a new polish last night when he went to the grocery store... I really didn't think he would, because he never does, but he came home with two new polishes for me!! They are colors I probably wouldn't have picked for myself, but I thought it was sweet that he took the time to stand there and choose colors he wanted me to wear! He picked this one because he said he thought it would look good with my hair.... erm, okay...

This is 3 coats of Milani Metallic Mango, plus tc:

Different... it is kind of an orange, glowy color. I am not a huge fan of metallics, but it is pretty... he didn't do too bad, I guess!!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- unamed Sally Hansen

2010-07-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

Help!! I got this polish a few months ago in my Freecycle haul, and the label is missing... it is an old Sally Hansen.

It is a pretty greenish/gray.tealish color. (does that even make sense, lol?) I adore it, but I can't find the name anywhere, the bottle seems wrong. Maybe it is a franken...

Anyway, here is what it looks like on:

The polish is more color accurate in this pic, but I am not yellow...

Pretty, right? If anyone has any ideas, let me know. Whatever color it is, I will be wearing it again, it went on like a charm! Gotta love all those chemicals!!

Until Later,
Amberski

We have a winner!!

2010-07-16T14:09:00.000-04:00

I drew the winner of the Pixy Stix scented polishes, with a little help from the Princess. I took pictures as we went, so her we go:

Here are all the names in the her Bilibo. (it is a weird toy thing...)

Reaching in to pick a name:

And the winner is......

KarenD!! Congrats!! I have emailed you to get your info, hope to hear from you soon!!

Thanks to everyone that entered. I hope to be able to do another giveaway soon!

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Fall Promos

2010-07-15T09:20:00.000-04:00

Find Strength in the Power of Pink

China Glaze Nail Lacquer Gets the Gloves Ready to Join in the Fight Against Breast Cancer

Los Angeles, Calif. (July 2010) – Join China Glaze Nail Lacquer this October in the battle against breast cancer, one nail at a time! The professional line of nail lacquers brings on the fight with three powerful pinks. Inspired by the women who fight everyday and those that support them in their battle, these fabulous shades are sure to help you defeat the toughest opponents with style and class. China Glaze representative Rachel Schafer voiced that “in an industry dominated by women, for women, it is important that we strive to work together towards finding a cure.”

The three colors in “Fight Like A Woman” include:

Encouragement – A baby pink shimmer that brings on the cheer

Endurance – Power through the punches with this raspberry shimmer

Empowerment – Stand up tall with this cotton-candy crème on your nails

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization dedicated to the science of cancer and promoting international collaboration in cancer research.

The “Fight Like A Woman” Collection will be available at professional beauty supply stores and select salons this September. Availability will be very limited internationally.

China Glaze colors may change from season to season, but our formula remains the same amazing longwearing lacquer with hardeners. Designed with the professional in mind, our 220-strand brush is great for ease of application. Best of all, our non-thickening formula provides great coverage. For more information, please visit www.chinaglaze.com.

AWAKEN YOUR HALLOWEEN SPIRITS WITH GLAMOURISHLY GOULISH NAILS

China Glaze Introduces Three Limited Edition Halloween Polishes

Los Angeles, CA – (July 2010): Sink your claws into these three ghoulish glitters from China Glaze, perfect for a night of fright! Uniquely alluring and unlike any other Halloween colors before them, this collection is sure to entice. Colors in the promotion include:

· Zombie Zest: A mossy green shade with gold flecks of micro glitter.
· Ick-A-Body: A dark green base chock full of orange glitter.
· Mummy May I: Vampy, wine colored purple with flecks of hot pink glitter.

The 18 piece display will be available at Sally’s Beauty Supply Stores only and the 4 piece with free Fast Forward Top Coat will be available at all other beauty and nail supply outlets, stores and e-tailers.

China Glaze (www.chinaglaze.com ) is a division of American International Industries.

About American International Industries

For 35 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include 5 Second Nail, Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Correctionist, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, One Touch, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Sweet Mary Jane, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra and Youthair. For more information about our full line, visit our new website: www.aiibeauty.com

For more information, please contact:

Irene Chao
PR and Advertising
American International Industries

i-chao@aiibeauty.com

Last two Pixy Stix scented polishes- Orange and Cherry

2010-07-13T19:12:00.000-04:00

Here are the last 2 polishes from my giveaway. First up, we have Orange. It is also sheer, and I completely forgot to try it over white!! This is about 4 coats:

My pictures don't show the bit of shimmer these have, it kind of looks like a lollipop on your nails! It also smelled like an orange lollipop, but the smell didn't stick around as long as the Grape did. It also matched the Cheetos I was pigging out on as well!!

Next up is Cherry. I remembered to put this one over white!! Please excuse the crappy application though, I did this in a friend's garage at about 9 pm while Mr. Ski was throwing darts... (3 coats over white)

This was more orange colored to me than cherry, but it smelled like cherry, and was totally yum!! I kept smelling my hands, just like I did with Grape. Mr. Ski told me that my fingers looked "1968 Chevy Camaro orange" and that I should have put a racing stripe with the white... : )

These are fun polishes, and I hope the winner enjoys them as much as I do!!

Until later,
Amberski

Pixy Stix scented polish- Maui Punch

2010-07-09T15:17:00.000-04:00

The next polish I tried was Maui Punch. This is a frosty, glowy blue color. It is also VERY sheer- I stopped counting at 4 coats...

As you can see, I still have VNL... next time I will put it over white I guess!! This one doesn't smell much like fruit punch, more like fabric softener... I was hoping it would be like Hawaiian Punch! Oh well, it is still pretty!! What color/flavor do you want to see next- orange or cherry?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!

Until Later,
Amberski

Pixy Stix scented polish- Grape

2010-07-08T14:49:00.000-04:00

Here is the first swatch of the scented polishes I am giving away. (you can enter the contest here.) I let the Princess pick, and she chose grape. I also told her to choose one for her to wear and I would put it on my blog, but she picked it off before I could get a pic!!

Here is Grape:

This is 4 coats, plus a topcoat. I took a blurry picture so you could see the purple color better:

It is a bit sheer, but it turns into a lovely, glowy purple with some shimmer!! Not bad for a cheapy polish!! As for the scented part, it smells just like grape Kool- Aid!! I kept smelling my fingers, LOL! You could smell it, even after adding SV, so that is a plus!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD- Funky Fingers Fashion Addict

2010-07-03T16:38:00.001-04:00

I went to 5 Below last night in hopes of finding some of the newer Funky Fingers... apparently everyone else around here did too!! There wasn't much there, but I did manage to find Fashion Addict for $1!! It is a mini bottle, so I may have to go get another, but you can't beat $1....

This is 4 coats, sunlight picture... my camera had a mini freakout trying to capture this, so this is the only pic I was able to get. It is a scattered holo (I guess that's how you would describe it... ) and looks amazing in the sun!! Funky Fingers is essentially the same as Color Club, so if you come across it, pick it up!! I was going to do a 4th of July mani, but I think I am going to keep this on as long as possible- love it!!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th!!

Until Later,
Amberski

My first giveaway!!

2010-07-03T14:36:00.000-04:00

I wanted to do something to show my appreciation for you guys. I have a very tight budget, so it isn't much, but here it is!

I thought these were cute and summer-ish, and reminded me of when I was a kid. The winner of my giveaway will receive these scented polishes. I bought myself a set, so I will be swatching them for you this week.

The rules are simple:

1. be a follower, and comment on this post with your email address and how you follow.

That's it! Feel free to blog or twitter about it, but I want to make this easy on myself, so I am just giving everyone 1 entry...

The giveaway will run until 12 midnight July 15th. Good luck!!

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Fuchsia

2010-06-29T14:52:00.001-04:00

First, I want to say Happy Birthday to Scandalous of Scandalously Polished. She was among the first to welcome me to the polish blogging world, and she is a sweetheart! Have a great day, Ange!!

Now, on to the polish! This is China Glaze Fuchsia ( I swear I am spelling this wrong, but that's how it is on the label, so maybe it's right!) This took 4 coats, and it was still a bit sheer. It also did not want to dry, even with SV- maybe because it is old...

It is very pretty though- maybe I will keep it for pedis...

Before I removed it, I decided to put ChG Matte Magic over my Emerald Sparkle mani-

Looks neat, right?

Until Later,
Amberski

China Glaze Bermuda Breakaway and Emerald Sparkle

2010-06-25T15:56:00.002-04:00

Here are two of my most recent NOTD pictures. First, I have Bermuda Breakaway, from the Bahama Blues colection (winter 2008, I believe) This is a gorgeous, squishy looking blue! I love it!

So shiny! You can see my reflection in my nails, LOL!!

Next, I used Emerald Sparkle. Why was this untried?? Gorgeous green glitter! I should have worn this on my birthday, since my birthstone is emerald...

I will definitely be wearing this again!!

Until Later,
Amberski

So sorry!

2010-06-16T22:00:00.001-04:00

Sorry I have not been posting, things have been a tad bit crazy here with the end of the school year coming up!! Ski Jr. still has 2 more days of school to go, and I am going to my little sister's high school graduation on Saturday...
I do have a polish to show you though, so here we go! I got this one in the massive freecycle haul a few months back. It is a Bratz polish, and there is no name on it, but I thought it was pretty.

This is 3 coats in the sun:

It is a bit more purple in real life, but I kind of like it- The Princess loves it!

A whileback, I promised some pics of my OBX weekend... better late than never, right?

This is Mr. Ski and the Princess fishing in the canal behind the cottage:

This is my family (minus me, LOL) playing mini golf- I know, fun right?!

Ski Jr. wanted to try out the new skate park, but he was a bit shy......

Last, but not least, this was my view the whole ride down.. (the very white spot in the bottom left corner is my knee)

Cute, Huh? He was so excited to go on a trip!!

Anyway, thats all I have for now. Mr. Ski took the camera deep sea fishing in OBX for the next 2 days, so I won't have any new pictures to post for a bit... I will be back sooner this time though, I promise!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Katy Perry Rocks China Glaze- Press Release

2010-06-09T16:35:00.000-04:00

I am sure y'all have seen this all over, but:

KATY PERRY ROCKS NEON YELLOW NAILS AT MTV AWARDS

China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini Makes It’s Debut On The Red Carpet

Los Angeles, CA – (June 2010): Dazzling in her Zuhair Murad mini dress and Rock & Republic grey platform heels, Katy Perry was definitely a stand out at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. With so much sparkle, shimmer, sequins and shiny fabric going on, Katy nixed the accessories and instead went with a wild royal blue coif and neon yellow nails!

Katy Perry, who is known for her love of manicures and nails, went with her favorite celebrity manicurist Kimmie Kyees for this event. Kimmie, who is totally aware of the fact that Katy likes to stray as far away from the norm as possible, chose China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini as her first manicure color for the night. To make the neon yellow polish pop, Kimmie used a well-known manicurist trick by first applying a couple coats of China Glaze White on White underneath the Yellow Polka Dot Bikini. This insured that everyone was able to see Katy’s nails from a mile away! To achieve the desired nail length that Katy wanted, Kimmie also used ibd Natural Nail Tips. Kimmie says that she goes through so many of these nail tips that she can never have enough in her manicurist kit.

China Glaze colors may change from season to season, but our longwearing formula continues to provide consumers with the highest quality nail lacquers. Designed with the professional in mind, our 220-strand brush is great for ease of application. Best of all, our non-thickening formula provides perfectly even coverage. China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com .China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.

IBD is committed to supporting today's salon professional and promotes excellence in nail care by offering comprehensive education and training to nail artists. Our educational program is a hands-on training program that enlightens nail professionals with up-to-date techniques, explains the science behind the products and describes ways to build business and profits. Taught by a highly trained ibd educator, each attendee will experience the incredible benefits of using ibd products. No odor and no dust - nail professionals discover the future of nail care in IBD's light activated systems, for a healthier and safer salon environment.

About American International Industries

For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean + Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com or contact:
Irene Chao

PR and Advertising

American International Industries

i-chao@aiibeauty.com

Until Later,
Amberski

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Review: China Glaze Stroll

2010-06-04T10:17:00.001-04:00

Ok, so Mr. Ski left his computer at home, so here is the review!! A while back, I was sent some polishes from China Glaze to review, and I got Stroll. If you remember, I posted a picture of it here. I then swapped it! Oh, well, guess I was meant to own this polish!
Anyway, here is the review. I decided to show you how sheer it goes on. From left to right- 1 coat, 2 coats, 3 coats and for fun, 2 coats over black:

Sorry for the crappy pics, this was a quick and dirty swatch, LOL!! As you can see, 1 coat goes on very sheer, but it builds up very well. The formula is easy to control and applies great! Here is another sun picture:

In this one you can kind of see the glitter a bit better. I was also sent Matte Magic, so I thought I would give it a shot over Stroll:

Pretty nifty, huh? Anyway, all in all, Stroll is a very pretty color, and I do like it. Maybe it just needed another shot from me!

Until Later,
Amberski

*These product were sent to me to review by the company. The opinions expressed are my own.

Yes, I am still alive!

2010-06-04T06:57:00.000-04:00

I got back from the Outer Banks on Monday, but things have been slightly nutty around here! I may have pics of the weekend to show you, and I have a review to post, but Mr. Ski is taking his computer to work today. (hence the 7 am post- I am writing it while Ski Jr. is getting ready for school, before I go back to bed!) I may post it after he gets home from work today..... Please bear with me y'all!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Going out of town...

2010-05-28T16:10:00.000-04:00

First, thanks for all the sweet comments about my last post!! I normally don't post pictures of myself- the camera and I are not friends, but those are two of the best pics of Mr. Ski and me. I forgot to tell y'all about the proposal as well!! It was so romantic! (haha) Mr. Ski woke up one morning and said " Hey, let's go get married today!" Sweet, huh? We went to the courthouse and got married that afternoon, went to lunch at McDonald's. and then bith went to work that night! Great wedding day! My in laws offered us a honeymoon in the Bahamas, but we turned it down because I was pregnant and didn't think I would enjoy myself as much. They threw us a big party instead, and Mr. Ski put on the invitations that hawaiian shirts were encouraged! It was a blast!

Anyway, I am going to the Outer Banks this weekend to celebrate the anniversary and my birthday, so I will be MIA for a few days. The cottage does not have internet, and I am completely ok with that!! I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend, and a safe Memorial Day. Thank you to all who have served (and still serve) our country.

Until Later,
Amberski

Then and Now

2010-05-26T19:10:00.002-04:00

This is a non nail polish post, so if it doesn't interest you, feel free to skip- I won't mind!!

This Saturday is my 13th wedding anniversary! I met Mr. Ski in a bar. I was his waitress, and he couldn't even remember my name at first! I went to an after hours bar one night in search of another guy who never showed, and Mr. Ski and I ended up talking the whole time I was there. He asked me out (which apparently was a bet between him and a friend over who I would go out with) and we started dating.... I realized I was in love with him the noght before my father died- we had only been together 6 months or so, and he dropped everything to get to the hospital to support me! We got married after a year and a half of dating- I was pregnant at the time, but we were planning on marriage anyway.

Thiteen years and two kids later, we are still together. It hasn't been easy, and we still have our rough spots, but I can't imagine spending my life with any one else. I love you, Mr. Ski!!

Here is the then and now part- this picture was taken in 1996, when we had been dating almost a year:

(sorry about the quality- this is pre digital camera days, LOL!)

This is us now:

(and if anyone was wondering, that is Rimmel Zeitgeist on my nails, LOL!)

Until Later,
Amberski

Some China Glaze, Claire's and more Hidden Treasure

2010-05-25T20:21:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lapse in posts again, my Mac is still non functioning, boo hoo!! I have some pics for you, though, so maybe that will make up for it!
First, I received China Glaze LOL in a swap with a great lady! This is 3 coats:

Isn' she gorgeous?!! Love it!! Next up, I have another of The Claire's Mood polishes from Metro Chic's giveaway. This is Daring/Innocent:

Cold:

warm:

This is how it looked most of the time:

Last, but not least, I put 2 coats of Hidden Treasure over NYC Skin Tight Denim, and then added China Glaze Matte Magic:

Awesome, right? Loved this as well!! I should have more Mood polishes and a China Glaze review for y'all in the next few days, bear with me!!

And for anyone who was wondering how my doctor's appointment went on Friday, they are scheduling the S.I. injection appointment for me (hopefully soon!) and my blood tests came back fine- my thyroid levels are on the high side, but not enough to warrant treating... Thanks for the support with that ladies!!

Last but not least- Scandalous- you better not quit on me!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Duh!! I am an idiot!!

2010-05-23T01:48:00.000-04:00

I forgot to mention in my last post that the Claire's mood polishes were won from a contest over at Metro Chic. Check her out!!

Until later,
Amberski

Finally, a new post!!

2010-05-19T12:55:00.000-04:00

Sorry this took so long, I had to convince Mr. Ski that I was able to transfer pictures on to his computer with out messing anything up, LOL!! My Mac is still out of commission, waah!!

Anyway, here are a few NOTDs for you. I couldn't decide on a color the other day, so I attempted my first franken. Don't ask me how much of what I used, I really couldn't tell you- I was just adding things!! I know it was an old white, some old NYC blue, a bit of ChG Fuschia. and a tad of an old NYC glitter... I ended up with a lilac color:

Not too bad for my first one....

I also got some of the Claire's mood polishes in a swap (plus I won some, so now I have them all!!) Here is Calm/Wild:

This is what it looks like whe my hands are cold.

That is warm! Below is what they looked like most of the time:

Pretty cool, huh? I have a few more of these to show you, plus an awesome swap extra that I may post later today!!

Thanks for being so patient with my computer issues!! Love you guys!

Until Later,
Amberski

Update on the dead 'puter

2010-05-14T12:57:00.000-04:00

My Mac is still not working, so I am still stuck with this Gateway... I am going to try to do a real post either today or tomorrow, Mr. Ski is just gonna have to deal with me hijacking his computer for it!!

Just wanted to let y'all know that I am still here, and alive, LOL!!

Until Later,
Amberski

If I disappear...

2010-05-10T22:24:00.000-04:00

Just a heads up, if I happen to be scarce for a few days, it is because my computer is being uncooperative. I am trying to fix it myself, and I am stuck using Mr. Ski's Gateway.. Windows 7 is the debbil!! I am so used to my Mac that this is annoying me... I will try and do a post or 2 from his 'puter though.... Keep your fingers crossed that my Mac is not dead yet!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Stupid doctor's appointment and Hidden Treasure pics!

2010-05-07T23:09:00.000-04:00

I went to the clinic today to have blood work done and finally see the pain management specialist... After waiting 3 hours, I saw the doctor for the the blood work. I told him my concerns about possibly being diabetic, and he told me to follow the diet that they gave me for gestational diabetes, exercise more, and de-stress. He also decided to test my thyroid. I have lost about 12 pounds since I saw them last, and I was too skinny before. I am 5'7" and weigh 106 as of today. He was very concerned about that, especially since my appetite has increased but I am still losing weight. I have always been too skinny, but this is ridiculous! They blew out a vein in the crease of my elbow, so I now look like an addict, but they finally got their sample and said they will call. Just as I was going to go back and wait for pain management, they told me that it was postponed YET again!! UGH!! I now have to wait until the 21st before I can talk to them about scheduling more injections...

Thanks for letting me rant about my crappy clinic experience, now on to the pretties!! I have been putting HT over everything!! First I tried pale pink- this is HT over TBN French Pink:

Love!!

Then I tried layering it over an old Sinful from my freecycle score. This is Sinful Phoenix by itself. (Excuse the yellow hands, but the polish is color accurate.)

This is with HT:

Not so much love for this one... too much gold. (that is the inside of my freezer by the way, it was the only decent lighting, LOL!)

Last, my mani for today. I had two compliments on it at the clinic!! This is HT over Ulta3 Spring Shower (a pretty, robin egg blue)

Love, love!! HT probably going to go over everything!! I need to grab a bottle when it actually makes it here!!

Anyway, thanks for reading my non polish ramble!! I just needed to vent...

Until later,
Amberski

A little bit of pic spam for you

2010-05-05T11:56:00.000-04:00

I am not feeling well, so this post may not be very wordy.....

I got some lovelies in a swap- Colorama Sonic Sunset and Claire's Chunky Purple.

Colorama over ChG Ruby Pumps:

(This is supposed to be a dupe for Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure)

Claire's Chunky Purple:

Not the best pic, but it is pretty. A bit of a PITA to get the glitter to apply....

This is TBN Aubergine, which I won from You've Got Nail:

Once again, not the best pic, but it is gorgeous, and applied great!!

Last, but certainly not least, a lovely MUA NBer sent me the coveted SH Hidden Treasure!! Here it is over Aubergine:

Look at the colors!! It flashes orange, gold, and green- beautiful!! This is going to be my new favorite to refresh manis!!

Anyway, I think I am going to try to take some cold medicine and rest. Have a great Cinco de Mayo, folks!

Until Later,
Amberski

Freecycle Haul and another Giveaway win!

2010-05-03T14:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went and picked up some polishes from Freecycle. If you don't know what Freecycle is, it is a group on Yahoo that you can join and request items or give away items for free. Check Yahoo and see if there is one for your area!

This is my haul. Some of them are dried up, and the bottles are covered on old polish, but I can used Seche Restore and clean the bottles, no big deal!!

Street Wear Chick, Colorama Blazes of Blue, Sinful Phoenix, Rimmel Lilac, Nicka (unknown color)

Unknown Sally Hansen color, CG Iced Rosewood, Maybelline Lunar Shell, Maybelline unamed color, NYC 107

Garden Botanika Amethyst, WnW 412, purple Bratz, unknown white, Revlon Mulberry

unknon white, Sation White Pearl, unknown yellow glitter, L'oreal french white, Color Impact unknown color

unknown purple mini, unknown pink mini, another unknown white

I think I may use some of these and try frankening... maybe!

I won some polishes from You've Got Nail a few weeks ago, also:

TBN Brown Earth, Frosty Red, Black Beauty, French Pink, Aubergine and Ulta3 Spring Shower.

I can not wait to try these out. Swatches and NOTDs of these soon!!

Until later,
Amberski

My almost mannequin hands

2010-04-29T23:56:00.000-04:00

This is another polish I got from Nailstah's giveaway. I love the color in the bottle- it made me want chocolate milk, or coffee with lots of cream! On my hands, I don't love it so much...

I think if I wasn't so pale, it might work for me... maybe I will use it for layering....

On another note, I wanted to thank y'all for the nice comments here and on Twitter yesterday. I know my dad is watching, and that he would be proud... All in all though, I got through the day with a minimum amount of tears, and now I need to go listen to "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John- he sang that to me when I was a baby, and I always seem to hear it when I really need my daddy. Thanks again, guys, I think you all helped me get through the day a little easier! <3 you all!

Until Later,
Amberski

NOTD, my prize from Nailstah, and something personal

2010-04-28T14:01:00.000-04:00

Before I get to the good stuff, I want to talk about something personal, bear with me please.

April 28th is a tough day for me. My father passed away in 1996, and I still have a hard time on this day and his birthday. I realize that it has been a long time, but my father was one of my best friends, and I get upset when I think about all that he missed in my life- my marriage, the birth of my children, both of my sisters graduated from HS and college after he died. Oddly enough, on April 28th, 1997 (one year later) I found out I was pregnant with my son. Needless to say, this is a bittersweet day.

Thank you for letting me get that out.

I won Nailstah's giveaway a few weeks ago, and my package came yesterday!

There were 2 of the Choco pies, but I ate those pretty quickly. Also not shown is a Hello Kitty head with stickers (the Princess took that over) a Hello Kitty cell phone charm which went on my keychain, and some lipstick.

Here are the polishes:

ChG Channelesque, Fuschia, and Emerald Sparkle

CND Infatuation, Rimmel Milk Chocolate, and Cheri Tiky Punch

For today's NOTD, I chose Channelesque. This applied very easily, and I used 3 coats. I haven't decided what I think of it on yet....

It is actually a bit less grey in real life, but it is very pretty!

I also scored about 10 or so polishes off Freecycle, I should be getting those tomorrow. I have no idea what they are, so it should be interesting!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Medical question for my readers

2010-04-27T02:09:00.000-04:00

Does any one out there have diabetes? I have been having some health issues lately that are leading me in that direction, and I wanted to talk to someone who has it before I talk to a doctor. (I use the free clinic and it is a PITA to get appointments...) Thanks in advance, ladies!

Until Later,
Amberski

Apologies

2010-04-25T21:39:00.000-04:00

I wanted to tell you all that I realize I have been slack on leaving comments on your blogs. I do read every single post, but sometimes I get distracted by the Princess and forget to leave a comment.... I will try to be better, I promise!! In the meantime, keep it up- I really do read your posts!!

Until Later,
Amberski

I have caved...

2010-04-25T12:36:00.002-04:00

I have finally given in and gotten a twitter account. Don't hate me if it is not always nail polish, but if you want to follow, I am @amberski75.

NOTD- ChG Ten Man **warning, naked nails included!*

2010-04-24T16:50:00.000-04:00

So much for getting sun light pictures! It has been gloomy all day here. The best I can show you is some natural light pics and some pics under the lamp.

This is 3 coats of Ten Man, and I still see VNL, so you may want to layer it over a nude or white polish. (Neither of which are in my stash...) I was afraid this would make me look dead, but I liked it!

Natural light

under my lamp

Then, I got the idea to put PI Heartbreaker over it. In my head, it sounded very pretty, but on the nail, meh. It is barely noticeable after 3 coats- just gives Ten Man a pale green tinge to it.

Please excuse the color of my hands, this is in my kitchen, but it was the most color accurate of the polish.

WARNING!! Naked nails ahead!!

My nails are stained yellow, and I am not sure why. I use base coat under everything.... any recommendations on how to fix them?

Until later,
Amberski

Excited, gonna babble for a sec...

2010-04-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

Mr. Ski and I are diehard Redskins fans. (Stop that laughing!!) I am excited because the Skins are playing Dallas in DC for their opening game!! I wish I could go, that would be awesome- I haven't been to a game since 1998. Oh well. We will have people over, a few of our friends are Cowboy fans (including my sister) so it will be interesting. Too bad I have to wait until September!!

I should have a new NOTD for you tomorrow, I want to try to get pictures of it in the sun... stay tuned!

Until Later,
Amberski

Just to let you know

2010-04-22T19:42:00.000-04:00

Elizabeth from Lacquered Lizard had knee surgery today, so let's send positive thoughts her way!!

Get well soon, Elizabeth!!

Until Later,
Amberski

Stash pictures

2010-04-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

Since my NOTD is one that I have already showed you, (ChG Recycle, you can see it here.) I decided to show you my stash. I keep everything in the bathroom linen closet, since I don't have a spare room to use.

The clear box and the blue crate are my polishes. Here is a close up of the clear box:

This is mainly China Glaze, with a few OPI, a Zoya, and an Orly thrown in. I also keep my SV and Restore in here. (In case you were wondering what the writing on the box says, it says Scrapbook Stuff- I stole the box from my scrapbook stash, LOL!)

Here is a close up of the blue crate:

This has everything else- Rimmel, Cover Girl, Milani, Loreal, etc.... when I first got into polish, my entire stash took up maybe a third of this!! I counted after I took these pictures- not counting base and top coats, I have 75 polishes!! I know that isn't much compared to some of y'all, but I started with less than 10 in November... I need to find more storage, I have more coming from 2 contests I won. I am not ready for a helmer (nor do I really have room for one) so I am not sure what i am going to use yet.

Anyway, Happy Earth Day, everyone!!

Until Later,
Amberski

PSA- Zoya Nail Polish exchange

2010-04-21T17:42:00.000-04:00

Zoya is doing a nail polish exchange, check out their website. I probably won't participate, at $3.50 a bottle, minimum of 6 bottles, that is a tad over my budget for now... (I know it isn't alot, but I am limited, LOL)

Unfortunately, it is only for US, but I may be able to help one or two of you out if need be (provided shipping isn't too bad to you) by having it sent to me and I will forward to you. Just email me and let me know if you want to do that...

Until later,

Amberski

Totally not nail polish related, but.....

2010-04-20T20:02:00.000-04:00

Mr. Ski likes to fish, and I found this cool product here. I think this is going to be his Father's Day gift!! I haven't come across anything like this, and I just wanted to share, especially if any of you ladies like to fish or have significant others who do!!

Sorry for the off topic, I got excited- Mr. Ski is very hard to shop for!! : )

Until Later,
Amberski

Sigh, Orly hates me.....

2010-04-20T14:05:00.000-04:00

I did my nails with Orly Fantasea, and it decided to slide right off my nails!! Eep!! I don't know if I didn't wait long enough in between coats, if it didn't like my base coat (sv base) or the formula just hates me.... I managed to get a couple of crappy pics of my right hand before I removed, so here you go.

This is 2 coats of Fantasea over 1 coat ChG Awaken.

I decided to use one of the Go Natural polishes I swatched for you here. This is 3 coats Midnight Skies. I totally cancelled out the non-toxic part by using SV top coat, LOL!!

I am still not completely happy, but I think I will leave this for a while... we will see!!

Until Later,
Amberski