The Color Run Manicure!

 Wow!  It's been a little while.  I have been in the process of moving into a new place, so I've been quite occupied.  We got a winner for my first giveaway!

I participated in The Color Run in Pomona a few weeks ago and of course had to paint my nails to match the occassion!  If you have never heard of The Color Run, it is a 5k fun run where volunteers douse you with colored powder.  It's a blast!  Here's a cool video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EERSfHiqT8&feature=share&list=PLgPbppOsSu8PWIXHyqwk2jcZRN07E1vLy.  I took the color scheme from my running shirt.  I used Zoya's Creamy for yellow, Essie's Orange It's Obvious! for orange, China Glaze's Wicked Style for pink, and Ulta's Salon Formula in Blue Streak for blue.

I highly recommend The Color Run.  I would definitely do another one!

-polish. impress. repeat.

Comparison of Ulta 'Island Hopper' and Julep 'Miranda'

First off, apologies for my dry cuticles.  I didn't even think about it before snapping these pictures.  Since I've started this blog, I've tried to get in a variety of colors from week to week.  I was about to paint my nails and was picking through my collection when I came across Ulta Professional's 'Island Hopper'.  I thought it would be a great color and then Julep's 'Miranda' which I had already done a post on.  They look nearly identical in the bottle, so I decided to compare them to see if they are dupes or not.  ****Note:  in the pictures of my nails, from left to right it is 'Miranda', 'Island Hopper', 'Miranda', 'Island Hopper'.

 Miranda, Island Hopper, Miranda, Island Hopper

 Miranda, Island Hopper, Miranda, Island Hopper

left:  Miranda          right:  Island Hopper

Conclusion, it the direct sunlight, they look almost identical.  In natural lighting, the slight differences are a little more apparent.  'Miranda' is more jelly-like while 'Island Hopper' is more creamy and opaque.  They are both a light teal/turquoise color, but Island hopper is a little more blue-ish.

Dupes?  Not quite.

-polish. impress. repeat.

Ulta - Smoke Screen

And the paint hits the canvas...

 I wanted to have my first post be one of my favorite nail polish colors, but I just bought this polish the other day and couldn't wait to try it out.  I usually don't buy Ulta's Salon Formula, I usually go for the Professional Nail Lacquer because I like the formula better.  I couldn't turn down this color and I'm glad I didn't!  I really like it and it's wearing really well.
 

This polish is called Smoke Screen.  It is a greyish blue.  It reminds me of the the color of a whale or dolphin.  Is that weird?  This polish had a rather thick consistency, but it wasn't fully opaque with one coat.  I'm wearing two in these pictures.  I also added some sliver glitter for an accent nail. 

I think I found a keeper, and I'm glad this found its way into my collection.  Let me know if you have any questions or comments.  I'm not the best photographer, so I'll work on taking better pictures in the future.  :)

-polish. impress. repeat.