Guest Post by Rachel of Rachel's Makeup and Skincare Blog!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Saturday!  I am currently away on vacation in Ohio visiting the boyfriend's family for Christmas but I have lined up some awesome posts by fellow beauty bloggers in my absence!  Today we have a post from Rachel of Rachel's Makeup and Skincare Blog.  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!!!

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Good afternoon lacquered lovers! I'm Rachel from Rachel's Makeup and Skincare. I thought I would share with you the nail polishes I received in my December Glossybox and my Winter Loosebutton Luxebox! The colors I received were an Essie polish in Leading Lady and a Zoya polish in Storm. Both have two coats of polish.

Both these polishes were wonderful to use. The sparkles spread evenly across the nail and there is no coarse texture. The Zoya polish is very similar to Butter London's The Black Knight.


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Well there you have it Lacquered Lovers!  I love black and red together in a manicure, there is something so classy but edgy about it!  Stay tuned for more guest posts throughout the next week!

What did you think of this manicure?  Any must haves?  Any dupes?

Guest Post by Alexis of XOXO Alexis Leigh!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Wednesday!  I hope you all had a lovely holiday!  Today I have yet another fabulous guest post by the lovely Alexis over at XOXO Alexis Leigh !  I hope you are all enjoying these awesome guest posts while I'm away!  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

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Hi Lacquered Lover readers! I am ridiculously excited to be here sharing on Carly's blog! My name is Alexis and I'm a nail and beauty blogger on my blog, xoxoalexisleigh.com. For my guest post I wanted to do something that really represented my blog and me but I seriously struggled! I'm not going to lie, I did my nails 4 times before I finally settled upon something I really liked! I think all of the time payed off though because I am seriously in love with these nails. One of my favorite nail trends (seen a lot by nail artists like NailsByRegina, Hey Nice Nails, and AstroWifey) is skittle nail art so that's what I did today :)

I used a combination of white acrylic paint, LVX - Grey Matter, LVX - Tribute, and China Glaze - Glistening Snow. On my pinky I started with a base of Grey Matter, created the drips using Tribute, outlined the drips with white acrylic paint, and then drew on "shine spots" with Glistening Snow. On my ring finger I started with a base of Glistening Snow then drew on the damask/baroque type print with Tribute. On my middle finger I started with a base of Tribue then sponged on various blues and greys to create a galaxy effect. I used white acrylic paint for the starts and used Glistening Snow and WingDustCollections - Dancing Queen for the holographic accents. On my index finger I started with a base of Grey Matter, sponged on Tribute, drew on stripes with Glistening Snow, and added silver star rhinestones. Oh my thumb I used Tribute, then drew on stripes with white acrylic paint and Grey Matter. After that I added a 3D bow and painted over it with Glistening Snow. Whew, that's a lot!!!

I used Nail Nation 3000 - 45 Second Top Coat (which is my favorite top coat!) on all of my nails to create a smooth glossy finish! I hope you guys liked this mani as much as I did :D Blue is my favorite color so I had to include it and I have a weakness for holo! Thank you again, Carly for having me, it was so fun!!!!!!

Are you guys a fan of skittle nail art or do you prefer a more uniform look when it comes to your nails?

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I'm seriously obsessed with this manicure!  I wish I had these nail art skills!  Thank you so much to Alexis for sharing this gorgeous look with us!


What did you think of this manicure?

Christmas Guest Post by Destany of Manifest Destany!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Merry Christmas to those of you who are celebrating today!  I am in Ohio having my very first Christmas with my boyfriends family so you will hear all about it if you follow my social media!  Today, my very lovely friend Destany of Manifest Destany has done a super cute Christmas post for you all!  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!


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Hello all you Lacquered Lovers out there! My name is Destany, and I am so honored that Carly asked me to guest post for her wonderful blog! I thought I would try something special for you guys - so I got out my crazy nail art skills (I call them fail art skills!) and tried some Christmas trees for you! :)

First I started with a base of one of my favorite reds, Cult Nails Evil Queen - it's just an amazing color :) I topped that with Seche Vite for quick drying. Once it was dry, I used Scotch tape, and taped off triangles on my nails, with the base of the triangle at the tips of my nails. Now, all my trees are varying sizes...cause, well, Christmas trees come in all sizes! (It's absolutely NOT because I tried and tried and tried to get them symmetric, and I just couldn't do it...) Once everything was taped off, I used Wet n Wild Sagreena the Teenage Witch and painted two coats over that. Once that was done, I took the tape off. I let that dry for just a little while, but then I used a Stripe Rite silver glitter (which was provided to be by It's So Easy) and swiped it a few times across the "tree" to represent garland, and then used a dotting took with Milani Signature Gold (which was provided to me by Milani) and put a topper on the tree. The final touches were dots in Pure Ice French Kiss (blue) and Zoya Pippa (yellow). So here it is!

Have you guys tried art like this? I need to do more of it! It was really simple and so cute when it's done! Thanks Carly for letting me show your readers my Christmas trees! :)

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How cute are these???  I love it!  Thank you again to Destany and I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday!  Stay tuned for more posts!


What did you think of this manicure?

Guest Post by Yulia of Vicerimus!

Good afternoon my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Christmas Eve to those of you celebrating today!  I am having my very first Christmas this year and am very excited!  Today, I have a wonderful guest post by the lovely Yulia of Vicerimus.  Check out her blog because her pictures are amazing!!!  Now, without further ado, on to the polish!

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Hey everyone!

First of all, I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Yulia, a nail blogger and a polish lover from Moscow, Russia, along with being a second-year law student. When I learnt that Carly needed some guest posts for her blog, I reached out immediately because I know the feeling when you have to leave your blog unattended, but you don't want to disappoint your followers. I was delighted when Carly responded that she would have me as a guest blogger, and I feel really honored to be featured on her blog today!

I wanted to do something special for her blog, instead of a plain swatches & review post, but having recently finished a nail art challenge, I've been feeling too exhausted for anything complex. I also have plenty of untrieds sitting on my shelf, glaring at me, so I've really been digging duo manicures lately.

 

 

For these special nails I've chosen Anny Hudson River Turtle and paired it up with BarryM Croc Nail Effects in Black. Hudson River Turtle is a great medium dusty khaki/olive green with the slightest brown undertone when under strong warm artificial light. Application was flawless, the polish spread over the surface of my nails like butter, and I did 2 really thin coats to reach full opacity. It has easily pass as a one-coater if you do a more generous one. Dry time is quite fast, about 15 minutes or so, however, I used my all-time favorite top coat, INM OTD, so I was good to go 5 minutes later. BarryM Croc Nail Effects Black is in the same vein as your average crackle polish, but the formula is different, it creates a reptile scales effect. The thinner the coat applied is, the smaller the scales appear. Also, mind that you should use it when the base color hasn't dried yet, I'd say waiting about a minute before applying Croc Nail Effects works best. By the way, be careful with your application, for it takes some effort to remove the polish from your skin - due to the formula, my guess is. I topped the accent fingers off with a coat of INM OTD, too.

 

 

And that's it from me! Hope you've enjoyed the post! How do you feel about khaki on nails? I used to be quite hesitant, but now I can't get enough! And how do you like the croc effect versus the regular crackle one?

 

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Thank you Yulia!  What a fabulous post!  And I love the pictures!  I hope you all enjoyed and have a happy holiday tonight!

 

 

What did you think of this manicure?  Any must haves?  Any dupes?

Guest Post by Christopher Box of Hair Extension Geek All About Hair Extensions!!!

Good evening my fellow lacquered lovers!  Happy Wednesday to you all!  Tonight, I have a really special post for you all!  As some of you may have seen, during NYFW I had the very amazing opportunity to get hair extension!  I had met a fabulous stylist, Christopher Box, while backstage at a show in February.  When he was coming back for Fashion Week in September, he asked if I'd like to try out some great tape in hair extensions from Easihair Pro.  Since cutting off my hair last year I've been missing my long locks so I jumped at the chance!  You can read all about my adventure at Lacquered Lover Gets EasiHair Pro Extension for NYFW!  

I absolutely love them!  Since then I've gotten a ton of questions from you guys all across my social media (as well as questions from everyone who has seen me in person) about the extensions.  Who better to tell you about them than the man who did them?  Now, without further ado, I give you Christopher Box!

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I met Carly at NYFW last season behind the scenes of Porter Gray. I was there supporting easihair pro extensions. You wouldn't believe how much extensions are used on the models of Fashion Week!

Carly was super cool and gave me some fab suggestions on restaurants in NYC. We swapped some conversation about her blog and mine: www.hairextensiongeek.com. She gave me her card and when I got back I checked out her blog site: www.lacqueredlover.com. I loved her style and I realized immediately that our sites were very much related. In my opinion, nails are extensions too!

Flash forward to Fally 2012: I was green lighted from easihair pro to do some makeovers on some beauty bloggers while back in town for New York Fashion Week. Carly was the first person that popped into my mind. I knew she would be perfect for easilengths tape hair extensions. 

I got her scheduled and ended up applying the extensions in a teeny tiny tic tac sized hotel room. She was a great sport about the cramped space. I think maybe the wine helped a little. When I got done I was in love with her big sexy hair. She really knows how to carry the look well. A lot of what makes something work is the attitude behind it. 

I realized when I got done doing Carly's hair extension makeover that she probably would be getting lots and lots of questions about her new look. That's why when I got back to Hair Extension Geek Headquarters I went through our archives and put together my top 10 Favorite Hair Extension Blog Posts.

Educational and Entertaining, these posts will give you all the info you need to get your very own hair extension makeover!

Top 10 Best Hair Extension Blog Posts

1. How Much Do Hair Extensions Cost | Part 1: Just how much do they really cost? Find out some basics that will get you pointed in the right direction. It is all about the research.

2. How Much Do Hair Extensions Cost | Part 2: DR Hanson (not Doctor, it is pronounced D like the letter and R like the letter) travels the Route 66 researching just how much exactly do hair extensions cost. He hits up 3 salons and they weigh in on this much debated question.

3. Hair Extension Myths and Facts: Move over Big Foot there is a new mythical beast in town. Get the scoop on what is real and what is hype.

4. Sex and Hair Extensions | How to Handle an Intimate Moment with Style: It is okay to blush. I did when I asked Extension Expert, Jennifer Pompa, to write this. It is well written and is a question that my clients over the years have asked many times.

5.  Bad Hair Extensions | The Tale of Happy Meal Barbie: Turns out Barbie doesn't have everything. Have seen her bad pastic wig? A guide on how to avoid her fatal mistake that finally drove Ken away.

6.  Why Your Stylist is Running Late | It’s All Your Fault: Ever wonder why your stylist is running late? Here is the true story and how to help avoid this situation.

7. The JPompadour Extension Style Tutorial:  What do with your hair once you have extensions in. Styling hair extensions can be a little different than styling your own hair. This is a cool style that marries the pompadour, a braid, and a little bit of messy boho chic.

8. Easilengths Tape in Hair Extensions | A Review: This is the kind of hair extensions that I used on Carly. This video breaks down how the product works.

9.  The Truth about Hair Extensions | The Horror Story: Cue the theme from Halloween. Get some popcorn and dim the lights, we are about to go on a journey of some scurry weave ladies.

10. Where Hair Extensions Come From: My personal journey to China with easihairpro. I got to see how hair extensions are manufactured and produced. Be nice, this video is my personal journey and was not intended to be anyting but a rambling mess of fun!

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So what did you guys think?  Would you try tape in hair extensions?

Layering Day 3 - Featuring a Jelly Sandwich Guest Post from Sarah at Chalkboard Nails!

Good morning my fellow Lacquered Lovers!  I have such a great treat for you guys today!  One of my favorite bloggers, the lovely Sarah of Chalkboard Nails, wrote a guest post for Layering Week!  I was so in love with my CND mood manicure from yesterday that I couldn't stand the thought of having to take it off yet, so luckily Sarah said she'd write a guest post!  And, best of all, it's a guest post on a topic I've never done before, a jelly sandwich manicure!  So now, without further ado, on to the polish!

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Hello Lacquered Lovers, as Carly might say! :)

I thought I'd share a jelly sandwich with you today. Are you familiar with this type of manicure? It's where you take a jelly polish and sandwich it around glitter or flakies so that the pieces look buried in the jelly polish. The jelly is sheer, so you can still see all of the fanciness underneath the top layer! I've done this style of manicure a couple times before, and I absolutely love the look. I thought it would fit in great with Carly's Layering Week!

I started out with three coats of OPI Y'all Come Back Ya Hear?. It is an orange "sorbet" polish, which is basically just OPI's name for their jelly finishes. Three coats seems like a lot, but jelly polishes go on so smoothly and nicely that it didn't feel thick at all.

Then, I added on a layer of OPI Rainbow Connection. Can you believe that I've had this glitter since the Muppets Collection came out but I haven't used it until now? Shame on me! It applied like a dream, unlike many other glitter polishes I know…

For my final layering step, I added on one single layer of OPI Do You Think I'm Tex-y?, which is a beautiful beet colored "sorbet" finish polish. I was hoping that putting the orange underneath it would change the color of the final look, and I think it did a little bit, but not as much as I was expecting.

What do you think? I love how the silver glitter all turned pink underneath the top layer of jelly.

Thanks for having me stop by, Carly, and I hope all of you Lovers enjoyed it!

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So there you guys have it!  A gorgeous jelly sandwich!  I was never that into the idea of a jelly sandwich manicure but these pictures are making me want to try it out!  It just looks so squishy and colorful and fun!  Thanks again Sarah for doing a guest post and everyone make sure you check out her blog at Chalkboard Nails!

Guest Post by Amy of I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous

Good afternoon my fellow Lacquered Lovers! I have a treat for you today! The lovely Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous and I decided to get together to do a swap guest post! Click on her link below later tonight to check out my post on her blog! We agreed to both do "fall themed" manicures! I love Amy's blog so be sure you check it out! So without further ado, here is her post!

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Hello lacquered lovers! *waves* I am so excited because this is my very first guest post, and I am so glad it is on Carly's amazing blog. Carly is featured on my blog today too! So please check it out over at my blog HERE.


I only own a few of the OPI DS polishes, and this post features one of them, OPI DS Illuminate. Because Summer is over and Fall is here, I decided to show you a Fall inspired manicure. Here is two coats of OPI DS Illuminate. This is an amazing brown holographic/shimmery polish. It is perfect for the season! My photos do not do it justice as they were taken indoors. It is a shame the sun wasn't out! That is the down fall of doing manicures late at night! I was not about to risk a smudge or something....So I took my photos immediately! =)






And of course I could not have do a guest post with a plain polish..... So I used Kleancolor Metallic Brown and Bundle Monster stamping plate BM19 to stamp on a subtle leave print. I wanted this print to somewhat blend in so it would not take away from the awesomeness of this polish. I added some little fimo leaves for a little something extra as an accent nail.








Thanks Carly for letting me be a guest on your blog! It was fun! Be sure you check out my blog HERE for fun reviews and giveaways!


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Thanks so much Amy for that awesome post! I hope you all enjoy these little guest posts I do sometimes! I figure it's a great way to expose all my amazing readers to new blogs and bloggers and it gives me a chance to learn some new tips!

What did you all think of Amy's manicure? Have you ever used the fimo slices before?

Guest Post by Destany of Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom

Good morning fellow Lacquered Lovers! Today you get not one, but two posts! Later this afternoon I will continue on with Matte Week but first I have a special treat for you! Destany from the awesome blog Confessions of a Sarcastic Mom wrote a guest post for all of you! Be sure you check out her blog HERE. She is a fellow lover of all things lacquered and she posted about a brand I've never tried so I'm really excited about this! So, without further ado, I give you her post!

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Hello everyone! I am so happy - and flattered! - that Carly asked me to do a guest post! I have a wonderful color for you today in a brand that I have recently come to love - Finger Paints! I have for you one of the new Fall Fashionista shades, To-teally Chic! This a beautiful creamy teal along the same vein of ORLY Sapphire Silk (I actually wanna do a comparison of those two polishes one day!)

The formula on this polish is a teeny bit thick, but not so much that is causes problems. I think it works out better for me because pictures is one coat of polish. Only one. No bald patches, no streakiness...application of this polish is wonderful :)


Above: Sunlight

Above: Sunlight

Above: Sunlight

Above: Shade

Above: With Flash


My husband loves blue, so I have a lot of blue polishes. This is one of my favorite blues :)

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Awesome! I love this color! And it's opaque in one coat? I think I need to buy some Finger Paints! Thanks again to Destany and be sure you check out her blog!

What did you all think of the lovely Destany's guest post? Do you love this color? Have you tried any Finger Paints?

My First Guest Post!

Good morning fellow Lacquered Lovers! I'm sorry I didn't post this on Friday but between an earthquake and a hurricane last week was pretty busy for us New Yorkers! Now later today I have a special Fall Collection to show you that I think you'll all love, but first I wanted to share this with you.

The amazing Caroline over at Good Lack Nail was kind enough to post my very first guest post on her blog! She asked me to pick my top 5 favorite summer polishes from this year and it was really fun to go through all my older posts and try to pick just 5! Check it out HERE! Don't forget to follow her blog because it's great!

Hope you all faired ok in the Hurricane! Luckily NY didn't get hit too hard!

Guest Post by Celeste of Death To Hollywood!

Good morning my lovely lacquered lovers! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Today, I have something extra special for you! A guest post by my hilarious friend and stand up comic Celeste! Celeste has a blog called Death To Hollywood you should definitely check out all about her life growing up in a funeral home and then living in Los Angeles that you can read HERE. So she did me a favor and went and got a pedicure this weekend so read on to find out how it turned out!

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Let me start by saying that I’ve never been a big nail polish person, but during the summer when pedicures are of utmost importance, nail polish is a little more important to me than usual. I should also let you know that I have always been conservative when it comes to nail polish colors because chipped nail polish is bad enough, but when I see chipped glitter nail polish, I always think “bowling alley waitress.” But since following Lacquered Lover, I admit that Carly has gotten me a little more excited about glitter and taking nail polish chances.

I went for a pedicure yesterday and I went to a new place. One thing I really liked about this place and never experienced before was that they display the colors with fake nails that you can put over your own nail to actually see how it looks against your skin. Maybe other places do this all the time, but the places I’ve gone to in the past never did this; you chose from what you saw in the bottle, which can lead to unhappiness when you see your finished nails.

I finally settled on a pink glitter from OPI, and it also happens to be from the Katy Perry line, and the color is “Teenage Dream.”I love that song too. Carly probably knows that Katy Perry teamed up with OPI to have her own nail polish line, but I didn’t know this, and if you didn’t know this either, I highly recommend it. I LOVE this nail polish because it’s subtly sparkly and classy at the same time. Some glittery nail polish can look a bit over the top or even kind of cheap at times, but I absolutely love this color. I also think it’s suitable for just about any outfit, aside from a business suit, and the colors are neutral enough to go with anything.
I give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!



However, this picture does not do it justice. It’s a really pretty pink in person.

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Thanks Celeste! So glad you like your glitters! What do you all think, do you like the glittery toes?