Blogger Spotlight- Sammy of The Nailasaurus!

Howdy!

Happy Leap Day, everyone! Did you do anything special or silly to commemorate the day? I didn't....I had school and I'm fighting a nasty bug! Hooowever, I did get a little bit of nail mail today (courtesy of the boyfriend since I'm on a Lent no-buy!) and that cheered me up =] Even though I missed it last week (sorry about that!), it's time for another round of...

 

This week, I am SO excited to introduce Miss Sammy of The Nailasaurus! I love her blog for so many reasons...she has PERFECT pictures, she creates absolutely beautiful nail art and swatches, and she has the cutest nails! My nails don't grow very fast (most of my life I've had shorties for that reason) and I love seeing what gorgeous manis she creates with her short nails! Every time I see that she has a new post I get SO excited...I love how clean, pretty, and perfect her nails are! Let's get to know Sammy better, shall we =]?

Hello! Please introduce yourself and your fabulous blog.

Hi! My name is Sammy and I write a blog called The Nailasaurus. I started my blog to showcase my own nail art after I became obsessed with it when I discovered the world of Nail Blogging.

Give us a few key words that would describe your blog/blogging style.

I think 'Pretty Brief' is a fitting description of my style. There is a big focus on the photographs and letting the polish speak for itself which is good for me because I'm not so good at the writing part! I mostly blog about nail art but I throw in swatches and reviews on occasion.

What (or who) inspired you to create a blog of your own?

My main inspiration was Melissa of The Daily Nail. It was the first nail art blog I discovered and I used to log on every day to see what amazing design she'd come up with. When I saw her using Konad Plates I knew I had to get some for myself and I obsessively searched the internet for other blogs that regularly posted nail art. From there I started doing my own nails and eventually posting them in a blog because I figured if I wanted to see more then there must be other people out there that would too.

What has been your favorite mani thus far?

Ooh, it's impossible to pick one! My top 3 would have to be the Tribal Print, Michael Kors inspired Studded Nails, and the Moustache nail art I did for Movember. I also have a really soft spot for all my Nerdy manis!

 

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Do you have a favorite polish brand?

It has to be W7 because the polishes are so affordable and some of my favourite ever polishes come from them. I'm on my third bottle of 'Purple Paradise'!

What is THE most beloved polish in your stash?

I'm going to go safe, and maybe boring here, but it has to be W7 Purple Paradise. As I mentioned, I'm on my third bottle of the stuff because I love it so much and always grab it without really thinking when I want a stunning mani without too much work!     

 

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What blogs are your favorites and what do you like about them?

There are so many blogs that I love, I wish I could list them all here but I'll narrow it down to three; Let Them Have Polish, Nail Network and Chalkboard Nails are my favourites for seeing amazing swatches and nail art ideas.

Any parting words for us =]?

Thanks so much for inviting me to answer your questions Lindsey! Happy painting everyone and always remember – practice makes perfect ;)

Thanks so much Sammy =]! Isn't she just great, everyone? Now I really want to check out W7 polishes...haha! Here are a few of my personal favorite manis...

 

Rainbow Fish Nails, I loved that book =]! Click here for original post! 

You better believe that I fell in love with this Disney princess mani =D Click here for original post!

 

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You NEED to see her blog if you haven't before! Also, if you are interested in blogging, she has several posts with a goldmine of tips. Click here to pay her a visit! See ya!

<3,

Lindsey 

Wicked Splatter Mani!

Hi there, ladies and gents!

Wicked. was. AWESOME! Ah I love Broadway so much =]! Brandon and I had such a blast (it was his first musical and I'm so happy he liked it!). I was brainstorming ALL weekend to come up with a cute mani for the event, but nothing was hitting me...that is, until I remembered one of my favorite techniques that I haven't done in a while, a splatter mani (you can find a great tutorial here)! I used 1 coat of Wet N Wild Black Cream, 1 coat of Orly Androgynie, and the splatters were done with Zoya Gilda and Zoya Ivanka. My nails were quite "popular" if I do say so myself...haha =P!

 

 

 

It was sooo much more vibrant and sparkly in person, I loved it! And now, a few pictures of Brandon and I all dressed up =]

 

 

 

Talk to you soon =]!

<3,

Lindsey

Purple Holo Plaid Nails!

Hey!

I am ALWAYS in a time crunch to get ready before I go out with Brandon. I don't know what my problem is, I just never give myself enough time to get ready, haha. I did this mani pretty fast yesterday before date night, but I really like how it turned out =]! I used 2 coats of OPI Planks A Lot and 3 thin coats of OPI DS Original for most of my fingers (really, it's not as thick as you would think; there was barely any dry time). On the accent nail, I used Wet N Wild Black Creme, GOSH Holographic, and DS Original to make an easy plaid pattern. I took pictures in the sun today so you can really see the rainbows, check it out!

 

 

I was hoping GOSH Holo would be more vibrant than this. I think the little bit I used just wasn't a big enough to see the super linear holo =P

 

 

 

What do you think? I love it, but it's rare that I dislike a purple =P T-minus one day to Wicked, ahhhh! You can expect to see my Wicked nails early this week =] See ya later!

<3,

Lindsey

Cinderella Meets Lynnderella!

Hiiiii!

Happy weekend, woooo! I hope you have some fun things planned =] I get to see Wicked on Sunday and I am SOOO excited =]! I'm a huge Broadway fan, my all time favorite is Phantom of the Opera...I've seen it probably 4 times so far, haha. Anyway, today I have a fun layering combo for you guys, not only because it looks gorgeous, but because the names go together SOOO well! I layered 2 coats of SinfulColors Cinderella and  1 coat of Lynnderella Bibbitty Bobbitty Boo Blue (I've been wanting this one for like a bazillion years...so happy it miiiiine!)...it's absolutely GORGEOUS! Loooook!

 

 

 

Outdoor shot =]

 

Put 'em together and what have you got? Bibbitty bobbity BOO! Haha =] I'm sort of obsessed with this combo...ever since I ordered BBBB I had been looking forward to this mani. I hope you like it, too =]!

<3,

Lindsey

Tough Chick Gear Nails!

Hey there!

Although I really enjoy Disney, bows, candy, and all things girly...I will always have a hint of tomboy in me =]! I was such a little punk growing up and I played sports all through high school, so I guess you could say I'm a tough chick when I need to be =P! To celebrate my toughness (grrr....), I made some industrial-looking gear nails with SinfulColors Last Chance, Color Club What A Drag, and Wet N Wild Black Creme. Oh, by the way, I made this design only using dotting tools so I could enter it in Chalkboard Nail's dotting tool contest! Take a look!

 

I think this looks so cool =]! It really is amazing what you can create JUST with dotting tools.

Have you entered Miss Sarah's contest? Tell me about your entry, I'd love to know what you created =]!

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*

Konad m84 Plate Review!

Hello there!

I have a fuuun review for you guys today =]! Nail Polish Canada recently asked me to give one of the new Konad plates a try and I just couldn't say no! Now, I'll admit...I'm not the best stamper out there, but practice makes perfect =]! Here is an image of the Konad m84 plate I'll be showing you today...

 

I loooove me some bows, flowers, and stars =]!!! For all of the pictures, I used Pure Ice Peony as the base and LOTS of colors for stamping...if you would like to know one in particular, let me know in the comments =] Also, I didn't take pictures for color accuracy this time, I just tried to get the cleared picture of the images possible. Please don't depend on this post to give you an accurate representation of each color =P Once again...I'm not a perfect stamper, so please be gracious...check it out!

 

From L to R- lip image, bow & hearts image

 

 

I should have used a more opaque color for this stamp...my bad =/ The lips still look cute though =]!

 

Star image (this one is big enough to cover your whole nail)

 

 

I apologize for the bubbles...thick topcoat, grr...

 

 

From L to R- corner rose image, rose bouquet image

For both of these, I used a black and dark pink together in the stamp...don't mistake the pink for bald spots =P!

 

Oopsie...I didn't grab the whole image =/ Again, my bad!

 

 

From L to R- Dandelions image (I think that's what they are...), Hawaiian flowers image

 

 

This is a super fun, versatile plate! I think my personal favorite images are the bow & hearts, the Hawaiian flowers, and the stars =] Konad always makes great, high-quality products in my opinion, so it was no surprise that I really enjoyed using this plate. It's way adorable; you stampers may want to add it to your collection =]!

This was provided to me by a Konad retailer, Nail Polish Canada. I've only worked with them a little bit, but let me tell you that I am quite happy with my experience! They have been so easy to work with and I can tell that they really care about their customers. Please, go check out their website here or check out their Konad section here. The plate I showed you today currently ships within Canada for free, go seeee =]! You know you want to ;]

<3,

Lindsey

*The product in this review was sent to me by Nail Polish Canada in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinions within this review are completely my own.*

Pastel, Glitter, and Matte - Oh My!

Hey there!

I hope you enjoyed your President's Day! I sort of did...homework and doctor's appointments kept me busy, but at least I made time for my nails =]! I was out of inspiration when trying to come up with this mani, so I asked my buddies in one of my polish groups for ideas. Several awesome ideas were thought up, and with the help of Bec, John, Steve, Kristen, and Danielle, this super cool mani was born =]! Lookie lookie!

 

 

 

I used Zoya Bevin, Zoya Kristen, Soulstice Provence, Nubar White Polka Dot, and Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love to create this dreamy, springy pastel look. I really, REALLY like how it turned out =]! Next time, I might try using tape to create asymmetrical shapes instead of horizontal lines. I just LOVE the look of matte glitters though, ah! Hope you liked it, see ya later =]!

♥,

Lindsey

*Some of these products were provided for previous consideration and review. The opinions within this post are COMPLETELY my own.*

Pure Ice Rescue Me over Orly Gumdrop!

Hello Ladies and Gents!

I hope your weekend is going just swimmingly =]! Just a short post for you today...I recently came across a cute, new (to me) polish at Walmart and just had to get it! Pure Ice Rescue Me is a sheer bright green with blue and green micro glitters throughout. I decided to layer 2 coats of it over Orly Gumdrop. The end product reminded me of Tinkerbell's dress, it's the EXACT same color =]! Take a look!

 

 

Ack! So cute!!! You green lovers should really try to track this one down! It's too sheer to wear alone for my taste, but layered over white or green it REALLY pops. I love the little sparkle, it gives it just the right amount of something special =] See ya later =]!

<3,

Lindsey

MAN-icure Time =]!

Hey there =]!

Do you remember a few weeks ago when my oh-so-loveable boyfriend, Brandon, did my nails? Not only was it SOOOO super sweet of him, but he actually did a good job and picked some great colors =]! He really enjoyed reading everyone's comments about his "man"-icure, too =P. He was gracious enough to create another man-icure for me this week. This time, he chose OPI Dim Sum Plum as the base (2 coats) and topped it with a coat of OPI Divine Swine. Check it out!

 

Action shot! This time, I gave him a few tips about application and clean up. He did great!

 

 

He wanted to say hi...so this was his "hello there" picture, haha =]! He's a cutie =]

 

 

 

Once again, I am SO impressed! It was sort of funny that he chose these colors because he bought me Dim Sum Plum for Christmas last year...and his mom got me Divine Swine for Christmas this year =P! They have good taste, haha! Anyway...I've said it once, I'll say it again, I'll say it a million times, I LOVE this man so much =]! Thanks again, Brandon =]! 

Don't be shy...leave him some hello's in the comments =]! I'm sure he'd love some suggestions for his next man-icure as well =]!

<3,

Lindsey

Max Factor Fantasy Fire over Zoya Rea!

Long time no talk, huh?

I'm sorry for going missing this week...I had a few tests at school and studying sort of consumed my free time. Needless to say, I'm EXHAUSTED. No slowing down for me, though, because I'm headed to DISNEYLAND this weekend =D! I'm soooo excited, but I just hope I can stay awake =P! Today, I swatched 2 coats of Max Factor Fantasy Fire over Zoya Rea. It is rumored that Fantasy Fire is a dupe for the uber-elusive Clarins 230 (aka Unicorn Pee). I don't own both to compare, but I've heard they are pretty dang close! I think I should have chosen a creme instead of a foil-finished base color because it didn't really shimmer or color shift all that much for me =[ Yet, it still created a GORGEOUS purple mani...take a look!

 

 

 

Raise your hand if you're a sucker for purples like meeeee! Haha =] Although I didn't get the effect I expected, this mani was still super pretty and worth sharing with you guys =]! Next time, I'll go with a creme base though =P A major shout out to Miss Kira for snagging this baby for me =]! Thank you so much, girlie =]! Until next time...

<3,

Lindsey

Valentine's Day Nails!

Happy Valentine's Day =]!

Are you are feelin' the love today from your friends, family, and significant others? I hope you know that I love you, too =]! Today, I'm have my Valentine's nails to share...I think they turned out super cute =]! However...I have quite the unfortunate disclaimer before pictures =[ I had an absolutely tragic nail break last week (I'll save you the sob story...lets just say I lost a battle with the trash can lid) and had to cut all my nails down to shorties =/ I was able to maintain my square shape, though, so I was happy about that. They aren't too horrible I think...see for yourself!

 

I used Zoya Dita, Zoya Gilda, and Wet N Wild Black Creme for this mani (with the help of real lace...that isn't freehand, haha!)

 

Pretty, right? I wish I had my longer nails again...but I guess they will grow out eventually. Until then...I hope my shorties aren't so bad that they scare you away!

Have a great Valentine's Day! Eat lots of candy and tell people you love them (you should do both of those EVERY day =P)!

<3,

Lindsey