Naughty Nautical

I have been dying for this color and finally found it in Bed, Bath & Beyond. Who knew they carried so much Essie polish?

Essie Naughty Nautical is a nice teal blue color and a shade that I don't have in my polish stash currently. It's just as gorgeous on your nails as it is in the bottle. It's hard to see in the picture but there is a faint shimmer to it that looks awesome outdoors. This is definitely a polish I got many compliments on...Essie has done it once again! Seen below is two coats of Naughty Nautical and Essie No Chips Ahead topcoat.

My stepmom bought me a set of dotting tools this past weekend so I had to use them! I chose Essie Tart Deco for my accent nail.

Running time now before I get started on some homework! Have a great week and let me know what you think :)

Loyally Lacquered,

Caitlin

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Posted by The Perfectly Polished Life 2 comments

Peace, Love and Green Nails

It has been a pretty tough week for my family. My grandfather (we call him Pappy) passed away this Tuesday. Pappy was as Irish as they come and if you ever forgot, all you had to do was take a look at any of his notes from work or a card he signed and there was his signature green ink. Ever since I can remember he has used that same felt-tipped green pen to sign all of my cards... "Love Mimi and Pappy" they would always say with the important words of the card underlined, indicating he took the time to read and highlight what he wanted you to remember. He never missed a beat; Pappy and Mimi made it to just about every event, big or small. We got very lucky with Pappy and are blessed to have another angel watching over our family.

Pappy and Mimi with the grandchildren

Once I had heard of the funeral arrangements I knew I had to find a shade of green to paint my nails. Of course my family was one step ahead of me; my Aunt Debbie (she will be so happy she got a shout out!) texted me another cousin had the same idea and my Mimi had already picked out the polish. I wish we got pictures of everyone's green nails but with everything going on we all forgot. Here are mine for you to see. If you like the polish, it's Wet N' Wild SaGreena the Teenage Witch.

Sometimes polish is a fashion statement, other times it reflects ones mood. This manicure was for my Pappy and although that may seem cheesy or irrelevant, I know he will appreciate it. I also know he will read this blog post like he always used to do, but now the chair he sits at will be just a little higher in the sky. And I'm positive he's showing it to Uncle Mike, Aunt Loretta, Big Grammy, Pop, Little Grammy, Grandma, and all the other wonderful people that left us too soon.

And as Pappy would say...Peace and Love,
Caitlin

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Lilacism

It was a relaxing weekend with some nail polish time...haven't had one of those in awhile. My polish this week is from Essie once again :) My Grandmother bought me this one as a nice surprise.

In natural light

Lilacism is just as its name says, a lilac color. It was much lighter than I was imagining, but still very pretty. Shown above is two coats with Essie No Chips Ahead top coat. The formula was very nice, an easy polish. I thought I needed something to add some character so I went with my go-to glitter, Essie Beyond Cozy on my ring finger.

In artificial light

I bought some new Essie products this week and some new polishes from their Summer 2013 collection so stay tuned for next week :)

Loyally Lacquered,

Caitlin

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Posted by The Perfectly Polished Life 7 comments

Liebster Award!

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Kristen at To Paris With Love!

The rules:
Answer the questions set for you
Post 11 facts about yourself
Choose 11 new bloggers to tag
Add 11 new questions
Let the bloggers know they've been nominated!

Questions from Kristen:
1. What is your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement would be getting into a very competitive graduate school program. They only accept 35 students out of the hundreds that apply!
2. Who is inspirational to you?
I think all the people in my life are inspirational. Recently it has been my Grandfather. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and melanoma on his lung and has been a trooper for the past month in a half. Him and my Grandmother’s strength during this time is inspiring.
3. Why do you blog?
I blog for fun. I love nail polish and decided to blog as a hobby once I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree.
4. What is your favorite memory?
This one took me awhile to think about and I decided I really can’t choose one.
5. What is your must have beauty item?
I absolutely need chapstick. I currently have both Burt’s Bees and EOS and love them both so much!
6. What is your favorite clothing brand?
I love to shop at Ann Taylor Loft. Next semester I have to dress professionally for my graduate program so I’ve been stocking up on professional clothing.
7. What is your favorite book? I haven’t gotten to leisurely read in a long time-textbooks have taken over my life!. The last books I read were the Hunger Game Series and they were amazing.
8. Do you have any pets?
My family has a dog but he loves my sister more than any of us.
9. What is your worst habit?
My worst habit is probably biting my nails. When I get anxious or nervous I tend to start biting my nails.
10. What is your favorite food?
I love tons of different types of foods. Lately I’ve been on a buffalo chicken sandwich kick so I’d say that for now.
11. What is your favorite picture?

This was my yearbook quote Senior year of high school. I have always loved this quote. I tried to find one of all my favorite people but there are just so many!

11 Facts About Me

Graduate Student

Recently engaged

My fiance and I have been dating for almost 6 years

3 sisters

Past sorority president

I love the beach

Christmas is my favorite time of the year

Purple is my favorite color

I currently have a chevron obsession

I get stuck on Pinterest for hours

I love my family!

Blogs I have nominated
Paint Those Piggies
Karen Loves Nail Polish
The Sequined Nail
Em's Polish Paradise
A Polished Prance
I Relish Nail Polish
ErinZi's Nails
Always A Girly Girl
Lane's Lacquers
Mint Nails
The Queen of the Nail

Questions for them

1. Favorite nail polish?

2. Favorite current fashion trend?

3. Beauty product you can't live without?

4. A destination you hope to travel to?

5. Favorite store?

6. Which color of nail polish do you have the most of?

7. Favorite nail polish brand?

8. Favorite quote?

9. Favorite food?

10. Favorite type of nail art?

11. Most hated nail art trend?

Go check out these fun blogs!

Loyally Lacquered,
Caitlin 

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Posted by The Perfectly Polished Life 5 comments

All Yarned Up

On my trip to CVS this week for a few groceries I found myself in the nail polish aisle once again. Sally Hansen has a Fuzzy Coat line that has 8 different polishes (Check them out here). After trying a few in the store I went with All Yarned Up.

The polish had a clear base so I chose OPI Tickle My France-y to go underneath. I wanted something that would be neutral enough so all of the colors of the Sally Hansen polish would be visible. I used two coats of Tickle My Franc-y and waited for it to dry.

Base color: OPI Tickle My France-y

In the picture below is 3 coats of Sally Hansen's All Yarned Up. There are little pieces of what looks like yarn in the polish that are orange, yellow, and two shades of blue. My youngest sister said they looked like cupcake sprinkles! This was definitely a fun polish to use and would be great as an accent nail in the future.

I'm going to get back to study and trying to stay organized for this busy week ahead. Have a great week!

Loyally Lacquered,
Caitlin

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Tips and Polka Dots

I finally had time to do something with my nails this week! It's not too fancy but I'm happy with the outcome!

I used Essie Come Here for the base color. It is a bright red/orange that looks very similar to Essie Hip-Anema that I painted my nails awhile ago. The formula was a bit watery and I noticed I flooded my cuticles quite a bit when painting, which was frustrating. But the color is still very pretty and definitely a good one for the summer.

Photo taken in natural lighting

Then I took Essie Bobbing for Baubles and made the polka dots on my thumb nail with the tip of a bobby pin. I free-handed the tip of my nails using the regular polish brush. It does require a steady hand, but just wipe off the majority of the polish and gently dab the remaining color on the tips until you get a thickness you're happy with. In these pictures it looks black, but Bobbing for Bobbles is a deep navy.

A close-up of my thumb nail

And I just got my ring back from being sized this week so had to take a picture :)

Back to homework and projects for me...surprise surprise. Have a great week!

Loyally Lacquered,

Caitlin

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Posted by The Perfectly Polished Life 3 comments

Matte About You

I found it! I have been searching for Essie Matte About You matte finisher for awhile now. I was on Amazon.com and stumbled upon it for only $6.50! This is definitely my new obsession and I apologize in advance if the next few mani's are all matte :)

I am pretty sure I have never worn black polish, but I'm in love with the idea of a black matte nail, so that's exactly what I did today. I chose OPI Lincoln Park After Dark. It is a truly black polish that went on
smoothly with full coverage after two coats.

Photo in natural lighting

After the black polish dried, I applied one coat of the matte finisher in lieu of top coat. In the bottle it looks gooey, but it is that same consistency as any other polish and applies smoothly. It was very cool to see the transformation from gloss to matte in less than 10 seconds. The matte finish gives your nails the appearance of being dry, but don''t be fooled! Sit tight for a few minutes to let the polish dry. I learned the hard way and had to re-do one of my nails after I smudged it.

I wanted to spice up the matte so I added some dots of Essie's Mint Candy Apple. I love the way the high gloss looks against the black matte. I used the tip of a bobby pin and dipped it in the polish to apply to the nail. What do you think?

Well, back to homework for me. Enjoy the week everyone!

Loyally Lacquered,
Caitlin

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Posted by The Perfectly Polished Life 6 comments