Fifty-Two Weeks

Marsala's Angora Cardi First off, let's just say that I hope Marsala doesn't actually own an angora cardi...that would be sad..unless of course it was this magical bottle of nail polish!! The polish for the week of March 1st-7th is a Marsala spot on color by Essie named Angora Cardi.  This polih is great! Not only does it fit into the Marsala theme like a cat in a box, it also is beautiful and long lasting.  (cat in box) Ironically I had been on the fence for a while over Essie nail polishes. They just seemed to not excite me as much as they used to. So it was refreshing to find an Essie color that got me excited again. In my opinion, Angora Cardi  perfectly matches the color of the year! When applying this lacquer,  only two coats were necessary...and honestly, I think I could have gotten away with just one. As usual, Essie's drying time is just long enough. I personally am not a huge fan of the Essie base an top coats, so i didn't pai...

Jamaica me Crazy Radiant We are almost nearing the endddddddd! Only two more weeks left! But for this week, I picked a fun color that's also a little wild...It is Christmas shopping season...that makes me a little crazy... This Essie color is called Jamaica Me Crazy and it's a super fun color. Its Bright, Shiny, and a little Spunky. I have enjoyed wearing it! The first coat of this color seemed a bit streaky and watery, but after I put the second coat on, the polish evened itself out. Adding the top coat sealed the deal for a great look.  Like all Essie colors, Jamaica Me Crazy had a a moderate drying time. Pretty normal for this brand I'd say. It also had a pretty normal wear time. It lasted (with base and top coat) a bit over a weeks or so.  If you want to get your hands on a bottle of Jamaica Me Crazy  just check out your local super center, drugstores or your local Ulta store. Essie polishes can also be purchased online on sites like ...

Princesses Rule with Radiance Hi Everyone! This week's post about the color of the week is brought to you by a friend and coworker of mine who had a great manicure done recently! My friend Beverley had a mani done and and her color choice is a perfect, simple, delicate but also very charming pink color.  I love this color! It is an OPI color named Princesses Rule. Even better, it looks great on Beverley's nails too! I for one, think that the title is ever so fitting! Princesses Rule will definitely be a color that I will be adding to my OPI collection not just because of it's amazing color, but also because of it's long wear. This color lasts! If you're interested in picking up a bottle of this great polish, check out your local Ulta store, local OPI dealer, or online at  amazon.com .  A special thanks to Beverley for letting me post about her nails on the blog for this week's color! If you have had a manicure or pedicure lately and woul...

Lucky Lucky Lavender Radiance Happy week of St. Patrick's day! I originally was having trouble picking a purple color that would fit for this week of the year, but then I realized that I had a color that's title said it all!  Lucky Lucky Lavender is a fabulous OPI color that embraces a mix of baby pink and purple. And the title was perfect for this week, which is all about having the Luck of the Irish. I hope you find this color as wonderful as I do! When applying this color, I used a new base and top coat combination by Sparitual. I love this combination because it cuts down on my bottle clutter. So, I used the Spartiual as the base coat, then put on two coats of color, and finished up with the same Sparitual again, but as the top coat this time.  This color by OPI needs two coats to look wonderful, but they don't have to be thick! I put on two very thin coats and Lucky Lucky Lavender  made my nails look amazing! Would you like to get your hands ...

The Radiant Hannah Hello Everyone!! The week's post is exciting for me!! I had the wonderful opportunity to do another one of my good friends nails. As a nail tech it is important to have a variety of services that you can provide your clients. For my friend Hannah I had the opportunity to give her my special Milk and Honey Manicure.  This mani is great because it consists of a special Milk and Honey soak, warm towels, Milk and Honey cuticle oil treatment, a massage with a Milk and Honey butter lotion, and of course the amazing nail color of your choice.  Hannah picked a great color, too! She picked this week's color which is  Demi by Zoya.  Demi by Zoya is a great purple, cream finish polish that is bold yet also beautiful. When applying this polish I used the whole Zoya nail system - Remove, nail polish remover; Anchor, as the base coat; Armor, as the top coat; and The Fast Dry Drops for a quicker dry.  This color most definitely needed two co...

The Radiant Payton Hello! I hope everyone had a spectacular Valentine's Day with your friends, family or loved ones! I know that I did! I had a great visit from my boyfriend (that included chocolate) but I also got to see an amazing exhibit at the VMFA in Richmond and have dinner at one of my favorite dinner spots! Also, there was tons of snow where I live, so I had a great excuse to stay in, watch good movies, and also cook good food.  I got to see a great exhibit called Hollywood Costumes and it really made me think about the choices designers have to make when it comes to costume design. This also made me think about NAILS! Of course, right?! Would you consider painted nails a big decision choice when it comes to costumes? I think that I totally would! Maybe if we are lucky, this year they will feature movie stars with purple nail polish since it's the color of the year! Anyways, this week's color is a color that moves back into the purple category. It is a...

My Radiant Grace Hi!! This week I have another model! Also, I am using this post to help us gear up for Valentine's Day. This week's color is a beautiful Butter London polish and it was paired with a embellishment polish for a great Accent Nail!  This week's color is a Butter London pin called Primrose Hill Picnic. Check out these toes!! My good friend Grace came over for a pedicure and I painted her toes with this lovely color. Primrose Hill Picnic fits in well with the Radiant Orchid color of the year since Radiant Orchid is a color made up of Purples, Fuchsias and Pinks.  This Butter London color went on great but definitely needed two coats of polish to look superb. Later the following week, Grace was preparing for a Valentine's Day themed Arts workshop at the museum where we work, and she requested the same color for her finger nails! Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to paint her nails, but she did a great job and even added a Accent Nail! ...

The Radiant Other Color Hello! I am so excited for this week! Not only is it a great color, but I have a great model too! This week's color was lent to my by my friend and coworker Emily. This OPI color is called Significant Other Color.  This is a beautiful purple color that, when in the light glimmers spectacularly! It is modeled here by my friend Carter who  was kind enough to sit for me while I painted her nails over lunch. Thanks Carter!  I love OPI and as always, I recommend their products to everyone. The Radiant Other Color took two coats of polish to look divine, but went on effortlessly.  Should you want to purchase a bottle, you can get it at your local OPI dealer, your local Ulta store or even online at  Amazon.com .  If you have a color you would like to share, feel free to let me know and I will feature it on the Blog!! Be Radiant! Amanda

A Radiant Two-Hour Lunch Hi everyone! It's another week of Purple! However, this week I am recognizing the fact that Pantone's Radiant Orchid consists of not just purple, but also fuchsia and pink! This week's color is an Orly color called Two-Hour Lunch . It i a lovely pink color!  This color looks great on my nails but it definitely took two coats of color to look good. It also dried pretty quickly.   I have had this color on for three days now and I haven't even had a chip yet! And I must also admit, I didn't use a base coat and I also used a knock-off brand top coat! So I for one think this polish is a keeper in the long lasting department! I purchased my bottle of Two-Hour Lunch at  Sally Beauty  but you can also pick it up at your local Ulta store or on  Amazon.com .  Have a special color your using for Valentine's Day? Share it with me! I would love to post about your chosen color! Be Radiant! Amanda

Trending Now: The Color of the Year I have noticed that a couple of nail polish manufacturers are catching the Radiant Orchid color bug! This excites me because I genuinely want to try these new colors, especially since they are inspired by Pantone's color of they year! The first set of colors I am super excited to see are  Cuccio's   Cheeky in Helsinki and Bali Bliss . These two colors are two colors chosen for this year. They also come in the gel color too!  You can find  Cheeky in Helsinki   and   Bali Bliss  at  Cuccio.com  or even on Amazon.com at this link for  Cheeky in Helsinki  or  Bali Bliss .  The second color I am so excited to see is from a personal favorite polish brand of mine, Butter London! The colors go on great and are long lasting! Plus, I just have a little secret obsession with the bottle shape...  Butter London has released Molly Coddled a beautiful nail lacquer that truly ...

A Radiant New Year Happy New Year and welcome to the beginning! Also, great news - I passed my practical exam and have sent my application for my official Nail Tech License! I'll show it off as soon as I receive it in the mail.  When deciding the first nail polish to jump start our Fifty-Two weeks together, I started by looking at, and researching, orchids. They are Beautiful!  Orchids, or Orchidaceae, have over 22,000 different species! This seems fitting to me since I'm hoping there are just as many beautiful purple nail polishes to choose from over the upcoming year.   This brings me to the first color of the Fifty-Two Weeks of Purple!  The first fun color is Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?  by OPI. Its a lovely purple nail lacquer that is infused shimmers! First, I cleaned my nails of old polish and natural oils. Next I added a base coat. Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?  went on easy, but it definitely took two coats of color to look great. Aft...