Mermaid Nails

Happy new year!

Goodbye 2013, hello 2014! Hope you all rang in the new year fun and safely! :D I wish I had some epic revelation to share with you regarding my 2013…but the only thing that comes to mind at the moment is that I learned that my favorite hues tend toward mint/teal shades. (surprise surprise)

Anyhoo, celebrated today by coating my tips in a shimmery aqua-mint color duo called Sun Shower for Revlon's Sun Candy collection:

I started with a base coat, applied one coat of the creamy color, one coat of the glitter, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite. The cream coat is a little bit on the thickish side and applies slightly unevenly, but the glitter coat covers any imperfections for a visually perfect finish.

Previously, I also got a chance to try out Drops Of Jade from Maybelline's Color Show Polka Dots collection:

For this look, I applied a base coat, one coat of Essie's Turquoise and Caicos, one coat of Drops of Jade, and finished with a coat of Seche Vite. I really loved how I was able to get substantial bits of black and white hexagonal confetti bits in a variety of sizes. Easy to apply and made for a super-cool effect.

And finally, Mint Candy Apple by Essie. Yeah, it's a pretty popular shade and I'm sure I've posted about it before, but I thought it looked really cool paired with my new Kate Spade stripe wallet. Just a gratuitous shot of a rockin' color scheme:

Something about mint, gold, and white…one of my all-time-favorite color combinations!

Happy Wednesday, all! And cheers to a bright 2014! Thanks for reading. :D

Hugs,
Cat

Bossy Boots by Butter London

Hey all! Miss me? Yeah, so sorry. I know, I'm forever apologizing for being absent. I noticed that I was a *much* more consistent blogger when I wasn't in school. ^_^; Oh, well. What's a girl to do? All I can say is that I think about Style By Cat all the time…when I'm trying out some new product, or get a new pair of shoes, or discover some fantastic fashion find. I just can't find the time. T_T

Good news! I'm in finals week right now, which means, by next week, I'll finally have some room to blog a bit more! Yay! I just thought I'd kick things off with a little review of one of my favorite new nail polishes: Bossy Boots by Butter London!

Yeah, I know. It says "Butt" London due to poor placement. Lol.

I first came across this color several months ago when I got a salon mani pedi. It was so unusual. I wasn't sure if I even liked it, but gravitated toward it for some reason. Even my manicurist thought it was weird. But once I got my tips and toes polished, we were like, "Whoa, that actually looks kinda nice!". I received compliments and inquiries about it while I was out and about, and, once it started chipping, I knew I had to buy myself a bottle.

I'd describe it as a creamy, pastel, green tea shade. It's very opaque, I almost didn't have to do 2 coats, and applies very smoothly and evenly. It's slightly warm, which I find compliments my skin tone quite nicely. I really like it because, while it's unique, it's not an over-the-top shade, making it striking, yet very wearable.

Anyways, I really miss you guys. I miss blogging. I dunno. Am I changing the world, am I making a difference, am I doing anything revolutionary? No, not really. It's just fun, it's expressive and meditative for me. I find it satisfying to be able to communicate my thoughts and share my little joys with my readers. I can't wait until Wednesday is over! (my last final for the year) Then I'm free to come back and blab on and on about whatever! XD

*BIG* hugs,
Cat

Sinful Cinderella

Hi!  Just wanted to show off some new-ish nail polish.  Cinderella, by Sinful Colors.  I said "new-ish" because I actually purchased it about 2 months ago and lost it during the move to my new house.  I was unpacking some leftover boxes and found it a few days ago.  Go figure!

Love the name. You can probably figure out the obvious pun, lol!  Cinderella is a pale, fairytale-ish blue, very reminiscent of the shade portrayed in Walt Disney's classic Cinderella.  (technically, I think the original film's dress was silver/white, but these days people remember it as blue)  Anyways, it's fairly sheer with pretty pink iridescent shimmer throughout.  I had to apply about 3 coats to get decently solid coverage.  A very cute, feminine, and wearable color.  Unusual in that it's blue, but not in a conspicuous way.

Happy Tuesday all! :)

Hugs,
Cat

Meg by Zoya

Hey all!  Here's the final color from the Beach & Surf trio that I purchased from Zoya.  Meg is described as: "light-yellow toned mermaid green with heavy gold and silver metallic shimmer and sparkling foil finish".

This is what it looks like with just one coat (with a base coat and topped with Seche Vite).  It applied very fluidly and evenly, I guess the shimmer makes it a very forgiving color because it easily hides any flaws.  As for the color itself, I'm not sure how I feel about it exactly.  When I asked my husband what he thought, he took one glance and said: "Shiny."  Upon heavier contemplation, I've decided that Meg looks like I melted a metallic tennis ball on my fingertips, lol.  What do you guys think?  Love it or leave it?

Hugs,
Cat

Wednesday by Zoya

Just moving down the line with the colors I purchased from Zoya's Beach & Surf Collection.  I decided to try Wednesday next, a creamy, subdued shade of turquoise:

It kind of reminds of me Essie's Turquoise and Caicos...don't you think?  The color displayed on my monitor when I was at Zoya's site was so much different than how the color looked in person.  Maybe it's my computer, I dunno, but it looked more like a pastel, seafoam blue-green.  I wasn't expecting it to look so bold.  I do like it, although I feel like I have similar colors already.  Unlike Shelby, Wednesday applied very evenly without any streaks.

2 down, 1 more to go!  Will post the final color for the Surf Collection, Meg, very soon!

Hugs,
Cat

Amazing manicures by Steffels.

I was exploring Pinterest the other day when I kept noticing that photos of beautiful manicures were popping up all over the place.  There was one manicure that was particularly outstanding, however, which lead me to Steffels, an awesome nail blog by a super-talented blogger named Stef.

Ok, I'm officially obsessed.  I cannot stop looking through her blog!  I know I throw in nail color every once in a blue moon, but this girl has me fiending for some bling on my fingertips!  You guys have to check her out, she has some serious manicuring skills.  Now I want to buy all the colors that she owns.  I'm especially keen on these indie polishes, packed with loads of glittery confetti, by a brand called Lynnderella which I only just found out about yesterday, thanks to Stef.  Yay!  I'm so inspired!  I can't wait to go slap some polish on my nails! :D

Hugs,
Cat

Essie: Borrowed and Blue

I purchased Borrowed and Blue at the same time I got Turquoise and Caicos and have been dying to try it! I finally got around to putting some on yesterday and I thought I'd share:

2 coats polish.  No topcoat, no base coat.

Borrowed and Blue is a really gorgeous, opaque, eggshell-blue.  I know that when we think of blue nail polish, we're usually thinking super-bright and radical, but this is probably the most wearable blue polish I've ever come across.  It's such a fresh and breezy color that's perfect for any occasion, including weddings for the slightly offbeat bride.  I think that would be totally cool!

Turquoise and Caicos

Ever since I got my first bottle of Essie nail polish, I've been hooked!  I had previously mentioned that I can't stop thinking about Turquoise and Caicos since I had seen it at CVS.  We know what happens when I can't stop thinking about something, lol!

Sooooooooo pretty!  I also adore the name...makes me think of warm, sandy beaches, which is where I want to be now that the temperatures are starting to dip.  Turquoise and Caicos is a lovely shade of blue-green with a hint of grey.  It's a creamy color with a glossy finish and no shimmer.  Opacity is about 90% with two coats.  Like Spaghetti Strap, I find that the slight translucence gives it an otherworldly quality that I covet.

The best part is, I got it from a great online shop from Bonanza (an online marketplace for numerous vendors) that sells it for about half the price at the drugstore.  Yay!  I'll definitely be buying more!

Oh, and from experience, I find that Essie nail polishes last fairly well.  After 7 days, I noticed only very mild chipping and minimal wear. (this is from 3 coats of Spaghetti Strap with no base or top coat)  The only thing that would put them on par with OPI is if they came with a comparable applicator.

Well, I guess that's it!  Happy Thursday and have a great night!

Hugs,
Cat

Essie nail lacquer in Spaghetti Strap

As a reward for all the shopping I do at CVS, makeup, household goods, makeup, toiletries, and makeup, CVS gave me $19 Extra Care Bucks to spend on whatever I wanted.  Naturally, I went and bought a bunch of makeup.  I got, like, 5 Wet N Wild products, which I'll be posting up tomorrow, but splurged on a bottle of Essie nail polish in Spaghetti Strap:

Taken in natural light.

Spaghetti strap is truly a gorgeous, romantic color.  It's a pale, ballet-pink with just the slightest hint of warmth.  It's translucent, so I'm wearing 3 coats which takes it to about 95% opacity.  The hint of translucence gives it a delicate, ethereal feel which I find magical.  It's got a really nice shine to it when it's freshly painted as well.  My husband thought it was funny that I couldn't stop staring at my fingertips all day.  Lol.  Even if I didn't have the Extra Care Bucks, I think I would have spent $8 on it!

Hugs,

Cat