Pretty & Polished - Boy Bleu, swatch and layering

I've showed Boy Bleu several times before but not over pink before. The pictures are from early 2013 (lol emptying the archive again) but I've worn it layered over white, over brown and over red. My favorite combo is not over pink anyhow, brown and red are so far the favorites. Anyhow, this is my contribution to Blue Monday.

So I've talked about Boy Bleu before. It's black and bright blue hex glitter in 2 sizes and also tiny glitter in both colors, and some very occasional large semi matte white hexagons in a clear base. Those large white hexagons are so rare that they are unnecessary in my perspective.

Polishes used:
Paris Memories - #229
Pretty & Polished - Boy Bleu

What do you think about this combo? Do you have any proposals on more base colors for Boy Bleu?

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Pretty and Polished Spring FX Collection

Pretty & Polished is bringing out the special effect polishes for spring with their Spring FX line, which includes holographics, duochromes, and thermals (some are even combinations of those). I have four of the five shades in the collection to share with you today. Be sure to stop by the comments and let me know which ones you're dying to rock this spring!

Fields of Poppy is my JAM! This gorgeous coral orange-pink hybrid applied beautifully in two coats (I've used three here for photos). It has a subtle holographic sparkle that adds just a hint of magic to it. Perfect spring shade.

Disguise the Limit is a metallic powder blue holographic shade. I needed four coats for the opacity here, as the formula was pretty thin and sheer. It's obviously a gorgeous shade, but I didn't think that it suited me particularly well. I imagine it would look beautiful on someone with cooler undertones in their skin. Shown first in direct and then in indirect light.

Green Eyes and Stormy Skies is a green-to-turquoise duochromatic shade with holographic shimmer. I layered two coats of this polish over a black base, which really made the green shimmer pop and the color shift stand out. You could probably wear this alone after four coats, but I prefer the look of duochromes over a black base. Shown first in direct light and second in indirect, which gives you a better idea of the duochromatic shift.

My Friend Dahlia is a pink to purple thermal holographic polish that changes from purple when cold (shown first) to pink when warm (shown second). I used three coats plus topcoat here. The formula is thin without being runny and dries matte naturally. There are some little bumps in the polish, I think due to the thermal pigment, that can be smoothed out with a couple of coats of topcoat.

There is also another shade in this collection that was a late addition, so I don't have it to share with you today. It's called The Fifth Beetle and it is a duochrome thermal polish (check out P&P's website or social profiles to see it).

Pretty and Polished lacquers are available via shopprettyandpolished.com. You can also follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the latest news and previews.

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Black n blue glitter on brown

Today I'm showing a simple inverted glitter gradient. I just LOVE this color combination with brown, bright blue and black! What do you think?

Polishes used:
Claudia - 604
Pretty & Polished - Boy Bleu

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Pretty & Polished - Punk'd Up Betty, layering on pink, swatch

Pink Thursday and since I've prepped a large archive with lots of manicures I might as well show colors which fits for the theme days. Here I'm showing double up with pink. The base is Kleancolor - Neon Pink and then I've layered Pretty & Polished - Punk'd Up Betty.

Punk'd Up Betty has black opaque glitter in mini size and middle size black hexes. There's also pink middle size hexes and large silver hexes. Those silver hexes I think this could do with out to be honestly. I've showed this polish and it's blue brother Boy Bleu serveral time and both of them has the same formula. It's for layering and opacity can't be build with just the polish is self which I think is sad, I just love my floams and wish that this would work as the same. To sum it up I still like this polish, but maybe on another base than pink. ;)

Polishes used:
Kleancolor - Neon Pink
Pretty & Polished - Punk'd Up Betty

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Abstract nail art in red, blue and black

Yesterday I was too tired to schedule and today I've been busy until now. I was actually at an job interview during this morning, not to a job I actually want but hey, money is money and Christmas is coming.. Today I'll show you a brand new nail art, a NOTD and also what I wore to the interview. I wanted something classical (I decided to try the red Claudia I showed you yesterday; 607 as base) and with some tiny decoration which fell on Pretty&Polished and this is what I ended up with:
(And yea, the pictures are crappy and why you'll see at the bottom of this post...)

Polishes used:
Claudia - 607
Pretty and Polished - Boy Bleu
Jordana pop art - Black Mark

I adored the color combination with the classical red and the neon blue and black. I wasn't going to change my manicure until tomorrow at the earliest but during mid day I noticed that all nail polish was missing on my right index finger! When I got home I noticed that the nail polish seemed loose on all nails so I had to quickly photograph them in simple florescent lamp light, otherwise everything would be ruined, which is the reason why the color is a bit off to reality, the top picture is actually the most color accurate and I've already photographed 607 alone in correct light so you'll see that later. After I was done I was able to peel off all nail polish on all nails, mostly i large pieces. Normally nail polish sticks well to my nails so I hope it isn't Claudia's fault but I'll look into that (will try a new Claudia to night).

Is there any brand which make your nails peel or is it just coincidence? Any one who's tried Claudia and experienced this? And also, what did you think about the manicure? Too daring for a job interview?

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Pretty and Polished Whatta Mighty Good Mani Collection

Pretty and Polished is known for bold glitters (and more -- but this is how the brand started out ya know), and the Whatta Mighty Good Mani collection is no exception! This group of six polishes is not only super fun but also have amazing names inspired by hip hop and R&B songs.

Seriously, these names are awesome. They are nail related AND music related, and I really appreciate wordplay. Who doesn't?

Blurred Visible Nail Lines is pinkish red coral shade with a medium holographic effect. Inspired by Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," this shade needed three coats for the opacity shown here. It's a great fall shade without being too muted and I know some of you subscribe to the "buy ALL the holos!" mindset!

I Don't Think You're Ready For This Crelly is a royal blue crelly (this is the only time I will use this word haha) with blue, purple, and silver glitters. The name is inspired by Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious," and I used just two coats for the swatch below. I am always impressed when jelly polishes still show the glitter but don't need a billion coats. You may need a few coats of topcoat to smooth everything out.

Nails Up and Touch the Sky is an adorable candy pink base accented by pink, purple, and white glitters, plus purple shreds. This shade is inspired by Nicki Minaj's "Starships." I used three coats for the swatch below.

Put a Bling On It! is a beautiful topper that contains gold glitter and flakes and silver diamond glitters in a clear base. Very harlequin-esque, especially when paired with a sexy red like OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress. The diamonds can sink down in the bottle a little bit so just flip it upside down a bit before you want to use it. Of course, this one is inspired by Beyonce's "Single Ladies"...oh oh oh - oh oh oh oh oh oh - oh oh oh...

This is F$@#ing Awesome is a supa rad glitter topper that has pink, green, and blue squares as well as black diamonds, hexes, and shreds in a clear base. I am loving the black diamonds in this, in particular. Layer it over white for an 80's effect (in the best of ways)! Inspired by Macklemore's "Thrift Shop," I've shown it here over Sally Hansen Barracuda.

You Down With PnP, Ya You Know Me! is inspired by the song "O.P.P." by Naughty by Nature. This grey based semi-opaque jelly has blue and green hex glitters, and I used three coats for the swatch below. This one will need a few coats of topcoat for smoothness.

I am always appreciative of a good clever polish name, and all of these are killer. They are fun and youthful, and I love all of the bright colors! The formulas are all easy to work with: no glitter clumping, none of them needed more than four coats, and I didn't have any problems with streaking.

You can shop this collection via shopprettyandpolished.com; each polish retails for $8.50. You can also keep up with the brand on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

Which one of these songs will you be rocking on your nails?

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Geometrical pink nail art

Time for me to add some nail art in United In Pink, and one that I'm proud to come up with, I think that the effect became very beautiful with the lines and the neon and glitter. I'm also interested to try this in other colors than pink. Hope you liked this! :)

I'll probably be a bit unavailable today, I'm going to the capital as a part of a recruiting process for a job I've applied and I'll be back home very late so I don't know if I got time to read any blogs or comment or answer comments, but I've scheduled posts.

Polishes used:
L.A. Color Art Deco - Black
Pretty & Polished - Punk'd Up Betty
Kleancolor - Neon Pink

An InLinkz Link-up

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Pretty and Polished Blogger Collection (+ Giveaway)

Some of my greatest joys as a blogger have been working with indie brands to design polishes. My mind is constantly racing with ideas for finish, glitter, and color combinations, and I'm so thankful for the special people that help me make some of those ideas real. Today I'm proud to share the Pretty & Polished Blogger Collection with you, a group of 5 polishes that have all been designed with the help of bloggers. I am lucky enough to have been one of the ones to collaborate. Let's take a look!

P.S. Don't miss the giveaway! You can enter to win a set at the end of the post!

Press Sample

Me, Myself, and Cacti is the polish that I worked on with Chels. This neon green jelly was inspired by the heat of summer and all of the cacti we have here in Arizona. Of course, I couldn't let the opportunity go by without including black and white glitter! I love the way this turned out, it's so bright and juicy. The amount of glitter is perfect, too! I've used three thin coats here.

I also couldn't resist mattifying it. I used OPI Matte Topcoat; doesn't it make the polish look like a rubber bouncy ball?

Crazy Circles is the brainchild of Crystal from Crystal's Crazy Combos. It begins with a slightly grey-tinted white base, adds holo sparkle, and finishes with a bunch of circle glitters. The holo sparkle in this, though hard to capture in a photograph, is really lovely and adds great dimension. Because of the large glitters, I would give the polish a few extra minutes to dry in between coats. I used three coats here.

Adventures In Polish Making represents Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-venturous. This medium grey base is accented with smaller blue and purple glitters. It's a quiet glitter polish, perfect for those days when you want something a little more simple without sacrificing sparkle. I used three coats here but it really only needs two.

New York City Lights was created with Carly from Lacquered Lover. This polish is made up of purple microflakes that flash blue in the light. It reminds me of a snow cone, or crushed candy. Alone, this polish can be worn at three coats for an etheral look.

I've also tried layering one coat over black to show off the "evening" side of this polish.

Queen You Dig It? was created with Shipra from Taneja's Bride. Is it weird that I almost like this one more than the one that I helped create? It's so pretty. The creamy base has bright blue hexes, smaller maroon glitters, and a gorgeous gold flake sparkle. It has a kind of graceful, antiqued quality that is really beautiful. I used three coats.

This collection is being launched at 6pm EST today. I want to extend a thank you to Chels for inviting me to participate, it was such a fun process and I'm so pleased with the result.

Pretty and Polished products are sold on www.shopprettyandpolished.com and on Etsy. You can also keep up with the brand on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

There's more! Pretty & Polished has generously offered to provide a set of these polishes for a giveaway. Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below. Must be a follower of Chalkboard Nails to win. Must be 18 years of age or older, or you must have your parent's permission to enter. This giveaway is open internationally, and closes on July 10, 2013. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize, after which a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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