USA! USA! USA!

Earlier in the month I went down to the USA for my annual cross border polish shopping. I got to spend good quality time with my mom and Aunts, we didnt stuff our faces like usual and we all found some great bargains. I had a really nice time just hanging out with them at the hotel, and all the mcDonalds coffee I had was really good, too.❤

Onto the shopping !!! Oh Dollar Tree - I love you more than the Dollar Rama - but not more then my favorite dollar store in my town ( Looney - Twoons dollar store ). Every time I go to the USA  - I buy the most stuff and my favorite things are from the Dollar Tree. I did find that Kmart had some great deals on make-up and polish - I found the 2 Insta Dri's I was looking for ( Coco a-Go-Go and Bronze Ablaze ) I wasnt sure if they were coming to Canada so I figured I should grab them when I saw them.....

So this is a haul post - Its Friday night ATM and I am ready to hop into bed with a big bowl of chips to watch a movie- If I dont get up early to correct spelling grammer and add proper names to this post - Sorry!!! ❤

 Check out these awesome cheetah nails from the Dollar Tree!

holographic cheetah print - yeaaaaaaaah!

soooo pretty - I love the white base on these

I picked up a few sets of these nail polish's from the Dollar Tree - they are made by Markwins which also makes Wet n Wild Products. I struggle with bottle handles like these...... but I hope to mess around and make some cool frankens. There is a very nice fleck in the apricot and rose coloured polish's

these have no names...... lets give them names!!!!

I also found some double packs of NYC Long Wearing Polish.... If you dont already know about the magesty of NYC Love letters there is a photo below - ( these are .99 cents at Target!!!! )

L-R Love Letters, Scandelous Blue Glitter, Glitzy Grape Glitter

here it is layered over..... something. NYC Love Letters walmart/Traget USA = 99 Cents!

 I have already swatched the pretty purple on the right, These Nail Fetish polish's came with nail stickers or a nail file. I left behind quite a few shades, a gold, shimmery black and a darker vampy purple.

L-R Babe, Clash, Scorpion, Tank Top

See - the Dollar Tree is where its at! The local store I buy by LA Colors polish from charges 4 bucks each for these Nail Art Polish's.

I will likely do a whole post on all my stripe polish. I do not find any different in quality among all the brands I have tried. Does anyone else?

.... and I picked up a few glittery color Craze polish's as well. I have duped myself as I now have these 5 polish's below in stripe polish above LOL!

I took these out of the package without recording their names..... I'll have to hit up the LA Colors website for the proper names.

and a visit to Kmart proved successful. I love Kmart. We used to have them in Canada but when Walmart came that is who they bought out and took over the stores. Below is Coco A-Go-Go and Bronze Ablaze.

I happened to walk by the nail art section( even though technically I am not allowed to buy any more stickers/ nail art items till 2012) and found these on sale for $3.99 = okay; these are $10.99 or more in Canada. Is there some reason that Kiss products are double or triple compared to USA prices? Anyhoo - I had just seen the most fabulous dot manicure on ABOP and snagged these to copy..... for 1/3 of the cost in Canada, grrrrrrr.

I knew that Sinful Colors were on sale for .99 cents at Walgreens in the USA thanks to Nouvea Cheap who lovingly keeps North America posted as to what sales are going down in American stores, but I was pleasantly surprised that Wet n Wild Fast Dry polish was also .99 cents so I couldn't pass that up either! 2 of these I had already.... the ones I passed on were dupes of polish's I had already.

I'm soooooooo lazy - do I really have to name these?

And the Sinful Color polish's I was looking forward to finding at Walgreens I love the form ula on the creme polish's. I can always count on 2 to 3 coats with Sinful Colours.

Happy Ending, Cream Pink, Nirvana, Fly Away, & NYC In a New York Minute Backstage Brown from Kmart

Unicorn, Savage, Rich in Heart, Innocent, I Miss You

o

♥ Avon Green Olive & about the Colour-Rama's ♥

Avon Olive Green 2 coats with 1 coat of Nailene TC - I am so impressed with Avon = WOW

Shade

Shade with Flash

Wow This Avon Polish Olive Green is fabulous. This is 1 coat plus one thiiiiiin coat. I think this could be a 1 coater. The formula is fabulous and the drying time was surprising. It dried  fast considering it is very humid in my region of the Country right now.  The colour is a lovely rich green in a creme finish.

I have not used Avon nail polish for years, but if this is an indication of the quality I will likely put them on my 'to-buy' list. I picked this up at an AVON KIOSK IN THE MALL!!!!! How cool is that. In the USA at Fargo's Mall  in North Dakota they had this little Avon Kiosk where you could buy products right there - instead of ordering it and waiting. = Instant Gratification.   How awesome is that?

I also picked up another lovely polish 'Jade'. These two polish's have different names in Canada and in Europe. They are both lovely shades and have a great fast drying formula. I think they are still $2.99 for all the Nail Wear Pro polish's in the Avon Book and in mall Kiosk's ( if you have them in your state - do they have these in Canada?..... I wish! )

♥

About the Colour-Rama's;

My very first stop on my trip to the USA was The Dollar Tree. I just about fainted when I got to the Make-up aisle. I actually left behind like 12 to 15 packages of these Color-Rama's becuase there was little girls looking at them and asking their mom to buy them and their Mom said 'Next Time' and I thought...... If I buy all of these, I'll be an awful human being. I even went back the next day to grab them all and just couldn't stand the the thought of hoarding 100 cute Color-Rama polish's = How cruel would that be!  Imagine those girls coming back tot he store and they were ALL gone? I also snagged some very pretty L.A. Colors polish's at the same Dollar Tree. I think that the L.A. Colors colr craze polish's are available at all Dollar Trees .

{{ I will be editing my haul photos...soon.... }}

I was actually hoping to spot the Old Skool Maybelline Blue Jeans collection- However I am delighted to have found these. I bought alot of polish during this trip, things that I cannot get in stores here in Canada. I am thankful for all the cool bargain polish that i can find here in my town at the local dollar stores yet I have to say that Americans are very lucky, there are literally 100's of beautiful, good quality polish's availbale in the CVS, Walgreens and Kmart and Walmart for .93 cents to $2.00.

Love My Nail's, Perfect 10, NYC, LA colours are all under 2 bucks! My Main focus was Sinful Colors and the were $1.50 each at Walgreen last week. I picked up the 10 I wanted for sure, but left my list in our Hotel of the names of the other Sinful Polish's I wanted. I have read that these are available in Canada recently? ==AWESOME== 

My only complaints about my polish shopping trip were that I didn't spot any of the new Pure Ice polish's.

YES! they were 1 dollar per package of 3. Alot of them were sheer and boring looking; there are some stunning shimmery top coats in here that mimic those CND Effect polish's. So if you happen to live in Grand Forks and neeeeeeed some awesome old Skool nail polish - get yourself to that Dollar Tree. I bet that even weeks later they will all still be handing on those hooks..... the ones I left behind.

Also; I know I have mentioned alot about stalking stores...... Its true you really do need to pop into stores a few times a week, I always ask....'when will you be getting a shipment of polish or make-up'. It is a good idea to ask and be kind to the ladies ( or dudes ) who work/manage/own stores. You never know = they could whip out a box of Nail Prisms one day.

' Welcome Home Children '

♥

I am lacking with my Toe Nail Polish photos. I have had the best luck with the polish's I choose for my Pedicures = N.Y.C.'s and China Glaze. I have been re-wearing Polish's that I already have T.O.T.W. photos of so I don't bother posting. Below is Icing Blue Goose a lovely glass-fleck like medium blue layered over N.Y.C. West Village, a fabulous rich Navy packed with shimmer.

N.Y.C. and China Glaze Polish's last forever on my toes. I used a coat of Nailene Acrylic Strong Top Coat, then applied 2 coats of N.Y.C. West Village, then the Icing Blue Goose. I added a coat of Nailene TC the next day. It's held up well for almost 8 days now.

Also my BIG TOE nail is an artificial nail.... I walked into a piece of wood ( I know..... I know... ) and broke my toe nail straight across but halfway down my nail bed. I have a few photos chronicling this injury, too and the healing process and finally the outcome of this injury.... which I will post eventually.

Icing 'Blue Goose' layered over 2 coats of NYC West Village

( my poor dry toe-nail cuticles )

...... and some more Avon Green Olive....This is a prefect Dark Green Creme. I highly recommend it. I believe it is still $2.99 in Canada and the USA.... I am looking forward to seeing alot of swatches on the blogs of the different colours available for summer and fall. They look lovely in the brochure.

The square cap, though...... ( me and my nail polish caps.... )

SunShine

Shade with Flash

Shade with Flash

♥

♥ Icing Van Gogh w/ NYC Chinatown and MEGA USA HAUL'IN ♥

2 coats of Icing Van Gogh, 2 coats of NYC china town, and a profane amount of rhinestones 

FIRST; here is my USA polish Haul.... 96 POLISH'S!

I was elated to find those older Maybelline Color-Rama's at the dollar Tree..... I LOVE THAT STORE. and as soon as I step foot in any state in the USA I go to the nearest Dollar Tree I can find!!!!!!!

I am a thankful  and lucky girl, I got to spend 5 glorious days with my mom, and a trip to the USA with my aunts. It was very, very nice.

I have alot of photos to take. I very rarely see the actual polish's from older Maybelline Color-Rama's; just the top coats. There are so many fabulous shades from this line = I am very lucky!

So; Back to my mani ~

Here is an experiment I did with the Dollar-Rama rhinestone embellishments and some Nailene rhinestones. I used a clear polish to adhere the rhinestones in place ( using a small piece of UN-COOKED spaghetti to pick them up and place them into the wet clear polish). When I felt that they were set in the clear polish I applied a coat of Nailene Acrylic Strong Top Coat, to seal everything in. The top coat 'fogged' up the dollar store rhinestones, they lost their sparkle and clear-ness while the Nailene ones stayed clear and sparkly. I actually think the contrast between the shiny sparkly Nailene rhinestones and the dollar store rhinestones is really cool.... it looks like bubbles.

This look with the rhinestones was experimental, I literally slapped on some clear polish and just began adhering the rhinestones randomly all over my nail. I knew I would be busy with my hands and shopping, and I wanted to see how well the rhinestones would stay on my nails. They lasted for 5 whole days, with the first rhinestone falling off at 6 and 1/2 days. 

I made sure everything was dry before I started doing stuff, though. Because the last time I tried an experiment like this I had taken out the garbage immediately after applying the stones and I totally ruined my manicure. So if your ready to go crazy with rhinestones or other embellishments, make sure it's totally dry before you start any activities with your hands.♥

My manicure was 2 coats of Icing Van Gogh, a fabulous icy lilac chrome. I applied Nailene French Tip Guide on the diagonal and then applied 2 thin coats of NYC China Town a deep dark purple shimmer. I did not use Top Coat for the rest of my nails.

Mr. Orange approves

♥ after 5 days  ( three of those days were serious shopping) ♥

I started to pick these off, then thought I should take a before and after for the blog.....It actually wasn't that difficult to get these off. The silver backing remained on my nail but came off with ordinary nail polish remover just fine. Also; check out that TIP WEAR. I did not use top coat when I did this mani.

after picking off the rhinestones

The rhinestone backing came off with nail polish remover just fine.

♥

♥ NYC EAST Village and some haul'in ♥

  Flash - NYC East Village - 5 coats could use a few more a few more

This is a lovely glowey ocean-turquoise. This was 5 coats! this dried  fast  so it is redeemed, but I do wish it was a smidgen more opaque. I think that glowing finish would be lost if it was more opaque so I'll definitely be layering this over an opaque polish in the future, probably my favirote 'go-to' polish China Glaze Shower Together. In the flash photo above, the glow-i-ness really shows up.

All my photos of  NYC West Village are under cloudy gloomy skies. I applied a Nailene Bedazzle nail sticker over a crack on the base of my ring nail. Nail stickers to the rescue!!!!

w/ NYC Skin Tight Denim

I stepped into Superstore the other day and they had alot of NYC stuff at half price. I suppose they are clearing them out for the new line of NYC polish's. These were $1.14 ( reg. $2.28 ) so I snapped up 2 clears and 2 polish's that I wanted to try but haven't bought for whatever reason. I bought back-ups of West Village and Chinatown, two dark and shimmery polish's that are must have's.

Keep in mind though, these are 9.9 ml and volume wise they are not the most economical of the bargain polish's available...... However they are a great formula, have beautiful richly pigmented shades and are easily available. My only complaint is the NYC polish West Village, which needed like 6 plus coats for full coverage. Next time I will definitely layer it over something when I wear it again.

Grand Central Station - Clear; My new clear polish for frankens
ChinaTown - A fabulous shimmery dark purple - great frankens have been made with this
East Village a watery shimmery turquoise - needs like 6 coats to opacity & could be layered over something
West Village -  An awesome dark blue. Rich and shimmery
Mulberry Street - a shimmery buff shade
Grand Central Station - Clear, My new clear polish for heavy duty shimmers and glass flecks

..........and a few Icings I have picked up in the last month or so... on the 5 for $10 rack.

L to R: Icing Monet, Van Gogh, Marine Blue, Sandy Beach, Blue Goose

L to R: Icing Monet, Van Gogh, Marine Blue, Sandy Beach, Blue Goose, Blue Goose layered
all 2 coats with TC except Blue Goose which was 3. The last nail is Blue Goose layered over ChG Shower Together. Blue Goose is very, very pretty.

Also; Marine Blue had no shimmer in it at all. I picked up alot of the shimmer with the top coat i used from the two chrome like polish's Monet & Van Gogh - {{ Ruining ANOTHER TOP COAT... well contaminating it with shimmery particles. === DANG!}}

Monet -  Sea-foam chrome.... it is more subtle then the China Glaze Krome Metallic Muse
Van Gogh - a grey chrome that I suppose is a knock-off of  ChG SciFi - it even has the Lavender tint to it.
Marine Blue - I wish this had  a 'green' themed name; its more on the green side than blue to me.
Sandy Beach - A fabulous shimmery buff shade
Blue Goose - a glass flecked blue, I picked this up and put it down like 5 times. Its very pretty ( 3 coats )
Blue Goose - layered over ChG Shower Together. ( 3 coats layered over 2 coats of the ChG )

♥

♥ ... NEW N.Y.C. polish's & Wet n' Wild & other goodies

Dang that orange is Bright!

These are 4 of the new NYC in a NEW YORK COLOR MINUTE polish's that I recently found at Walmart. There are quite a few new ones, lot of the ones I did not buy are purple, mauve and pink colours. None of these polish colours are up on their website, and I cannot find any info about them...... I will definitely do a skittle & mani when the sun rises.....

These polish's are between $1.87 to $2.99 in my town at different stores. There is only 9.9 ml in the bottle, where Wet n Wild or Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear is 12 to 14 ml for $1.57 to $2.99.

The rest of my post is some new Wet n' Wilds I picked up... The Wild Shine Polish 'Black Creme' is an amazing black~ the most pigmented and opaque black I have come across. I found those mini polish's from Dollarama = I thought they would not stock them ever again. The brush is a little stiff but they are perfect for my franken polish! .........And thats my 10th box of false nails that I use for swatching my polish collection......10!

♥

From Left to Right;

Pier 17 - a shimmery blue, (lighter than Skin Tight Denim)
Spring Street - a ridiculously bright Koi Orange
Flat Iron Green - a weird swampy green with speckles in it
Prince Street - a lovely purple that is a close match to a  mani I recently wore; Ardene Rockin Purple, just with out the shimmer.

Below;
L to R - NYC old skool black, Ardene Rockin Purple, NYC Prince Street, NYC Spring Street, NYC Flat Iron Green, NYC Pier 17 = all 2 coats no TC

Left 2 coats of Ardene Rockin Purple = = = Right 2 coats of NYC Prince Street ( no TC )

Left - 2 coats of NYC Pier 17 = = = Right 2 coats of NYC Skin Tight Denim ( no TC )

Worst. Black. Ever. Even worse than S.A. HAN 'Black Night'..... who the 'F' wants a sheer jelly black? This will be good for some black jelly based glitter frankens in the near future. This had no name..... possible part of a Halloween collection from a long time ago

I totally thought they would never stock these again, these are water based polish's that I rinse out and POP THE BRUSH OUT OF THE CAP and wash the brush with WATER and a small amount of soap. Then I swish a small amount of acetone in JUST the bottle and let them dry overnight.

= Viola; empty franken bottles......

More false nails from the Dollarrama for my swatching things

Wet n' Wild Shine Caribbean Frost, Bijou Blue, Burgundy Frost

Wet n' Wild Wild Shine in Lavender Creme and Black Creme

 I already posted this photo = this is a reminder to me to add it to my side bar

♥