11 Question Tag

May 16th, 2012

Happy Hump Day Berry Patch!  I was tagged by Caateryna from Caateryna’s Beauty Blog for this post that lets our readers get to know a little bit more about us.  I do interviews of all other types of people in the nail polish community, and I figure this is a way I can let you all know some more about me :)

Ok onto the tagging rules!

  • Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
  • You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
  • Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
  • No tag backs.
  • No stuff in the tagging section about ‘you are tagged if you are reading this’. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.

Here were the 11 questions I received:

1. If you could win any car of your choice what would it be and in what colour? (Gas would be free of course!)

  • I am honestly not a big car person, and I don’t really know anything about fancy cars haha, so I guess I would get some kind of an audi, BMW or Mercedes…but I do know what color it would be: Bright blue!

2. If you had to change your name what would you change it to and why?

  • I actually really love my name, but if I had to change it I think I would pick Ariel or Quinn.

3. If there was to be a film about your life, what actor would you want to play your?

  • I guess Emma Watson (from Harry Potter) because people tell me we look alike.


4. Leopard, Zebra or Giraffe print?

5. If you could have one SELFLESS wish granted what would it be?

  • Right now, I would wish for my little brother and sister to get their dream jobs.

6. If you could have one SELFISH wish granted what would it be? (Question above in reverse!)

  • Not to have to worry about money for the rest of my life.

7. Favorite childhood cartoon?

  • Probably Rugrats.

8. Ice Cream or Popsicle?

  • Ice cream!

9. Do you have any tattoos?

  • Nope, I’m not good with needles and have never thought of anything I would want on my body for the rest of my life.  But I don’t mid them on other people.

10. Would you ever pet a stingray?

  • I actually have!  I went on a cruise the Caribbean with my family in high school and we got to swim with them out in the ocean!  It was really cool, not only did I pet them, I got to feed them too, and they were huge!

11. Who is your hero?

  • I’m gonna have to go with obvious answer and say my parents.  I really look up to them and the fact that they have been happily married for 27 years!

Tag you are it!! I really enjoy each and every one of your blogs and interacting with you on Facebook.  I would be really thrilled if you could participate (take your time, I know how hectic life can be!) If you have already been tagged or simply don’t feel like participating, please don’t feel obligated I won’t think any less of you, haha.

Here are my questions for them:
1. What is your favorite color of polish to wear?
2. When was the last time you actually kept your nails naked for a significant amount of time?
3. Do you prefer your nails long or short?
4. Do you have a hidden talent?
5. Do you have any pets?
6. Where is the farthest place you have traveled from home?
7. What event are you most looking forward to at this years Olympic Games?
8. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
9. If you could have any super powere, what would it be and why?
10. What is your day job (other than painting your nails of course lol)?
11. Goldfish or Cheez-Its?
Alright that’s it, I’m looking forward to reading all of their answers, and I hope you will stop by their pages to check them out too :)

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Awards | 1 Comment »

Lacquistry ~ Fish Scales and Mermaid Tails

May 13th, 2012

All pictures are in natural light

Lacquistry’s Fish Scales & Mermaid Tails

 

**First I would just like to say Happy Mother’s Day to my Mommy!  And to all the other Moms out there :) **

Since this past Wednesday’s post was an interview of the creator of Lacquistry polishes, I thought it was only appropriate that I wear one of her polishes this week and post about it today!  One of the first polishes I ever lusted after from Lacqusitry was this very polish – Fish Scales and Mermaid Tails. First of all  I think mermaid’s are really cool and very pretty and secondly, the pictures I saw of this polish lived up to the name.  I do have to give a little disclaimer here:  Jenna had warned me that some people told her that the larger glitters were curling in the bottle and she very generously offered to replace mine if that was the case.  I looked in the bottle and saw a few that look curled, but didn’t think it was a big deal, so I kept my bottle.  But as you can see from the pictures, there were quite a few that curled – but I think it gives the manicure a cool looking, 3D texture – almost like I placed a bunch of jewels on top of the polish (and I actually did get quite a few compliments about it)!

I started with a base coat and ended up applying 3 coats of Fish Scales using various techniques.  One of the tings I noticed was that some of the large hex glitters in this polish had kind of gathered at the bottom of the bottle.  So I began to shake the bottle upside down (A technique I used when applying the heart glitter in my Jelly Sandwich a few weeks ago) in order to bring them back up.  I tried to follow Lacquistry’s suggested method of applying her glitters, which she posts from time to time on her Facebook Page.  So the first coat I just dipped the brush in and wiped off the excess polish as I would with any other polish.  This resulted in me pretty much getting just the blue and silver micro glitters and the clear base.  I waited a little and for my second coat I shook the bottle upside down some more, pulled the brush out with out wiping off a lot of polish and kind of flattened the brush on top of my nail instead of painting – this kind of smushed some of the large and medium gold, silver, blue and teal hex glitter into the first coat.  And then for the third coat I did some more upside down shaking and just really tried to stick some of those bigger glitter on my brush by sliding them between the neck of the bottle and the brush.  To compensate for the curled glitter, I put two thick coats of top coat on, which did help the feel of the manicure.

I really love these colors together!  I think they totally live up to the polish’s namesake – its just as if I was looking at my nails under water and some pretty gold fish were swimming by.  This wasn’t the easiest polish to apply – not because it was thick or sticky – just because large glitter doesn’t like to stick to brushes in general, and I really wanted to get a lot of those pieces on my nail.  At first glance it looks like this is an opaque polish, but on closer inspection it’s actually still translucent.  Another thing that I am really liking about this mani is that my nails feel super strong and protected  - I have worn this many layers of other polishes and not had my nails feel like this, I love it!And it’s hard to believe that this gorgeous polish was actually hand made!  Thanks for taking the time to shake up each of these bottles Jenna :)  I’m not sure when Lacquistry will be restocked, but I think this polish should be on your wish list if you are a fan of, blues, greens, glitter or mermaids (that somehow includes everyone right? lol).

Products used:

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Glitter Finish, Lacquistry | 1 Comment »

Investigating the Indies #1: Lacquistry

May 9th, 2012
Hello Berry Patch!  As you know I have been interviewing my fellow nail bloggers in my monthly “Blogger Bio Series“, and recently Jenna from Lacquistry asked if I had considered interviewing polish makers (who didn’t necessarily have a blog).  The thought had crossed my mind before, but I hadn’t really pursued the idea yet, so I thought who better to get this idea rolling with, than Jenna herself?! Luckily she agreed and the “Investigating the Indies” series was born!  I also have to give a special shout out to Danielle of Princess Polish for coming up with the title of this series, thanks Danielle :)
Now for those of you who are wondering what “Indie” polish is, it’s a term used to describe a hand made polish – usually made in the creators home.  Creating your own polishes is a growing trend and there are over a 100 of these small business all over the internet.  Jenna, in particular, sells her beautiful, glittery, confections on Etsy.  If you love glitter, Lacquistry is a brand you need to become familiar with!  With her bright color combinations and whimsical names (Fish Scales and Mermaid Tails anyone?) her polishes can’t help but make you smile as you stand out in a crowd.  I was lucky enough to snag 3 Lacquistry polishes during one of her last online store openings – despite the mad rush from her fans to snag their favorites!  So I was really excited to pick her brain and take a peek behind the scenes of Lacquistry, the nail polish brand – enjoy!
1. First of all, what are you wearing on your toes and/or fingernails right now?
  • I wish I had a brilliant fun answer of some magical new creation, but in all honesty I have 5 different test colors on my right hand, Gelous on my left hand, and my toes are nekkid. I very rarely have on a fully intact mani, and my poor toes rarely see polish because I never have time to do them!
Chanel Morning Rose topped with random white glitters Jenna threw together (this is her mani from last week)
2. What made you get into the business of making nail polish?
  • I dont think any of us get into this business without having a basic, healthy obsession with nail polish. Or an unhealthy obsession, depending on how you look at it and which of our relatives you ask…I of course tried my hand at dumping pre-made drugstore polishes together in the hopes of making something new and fantastic but that never worked for me. I actually would have to give a bit of credit to Deborah Lippmann’s Across the Universe- I was so stoked to finally get it, and I was disappointed a bit because I wanted it to be MORE glittery. I thought if I couldn’t find polishes on the market that floated my boat, I might be able to make one for my damn self. It took a LOT of trial and error (and still does) but my answer  to ATU was Lake Placid on Acid. I opened my little Etsy shop and hoped others might like what I was doing.
3. What would you say inspires you the most when creating new colors?
  • I dont have any one set of things that inspires me- sometimes it is nature or my garden, sometimes seasons/holidays, sometimes animals, sometimes I try to think of the ugliest color combinations possible. A lot of the time I will just pick out a color and put it next to other colors until it feels right, then it flows from there.
The work station where all the magic happens!
4. Tell which of your polishes you consider your greatest success and if you have had any major flops:
  • I dont know which I would consider my greatest success- people seem to want what they see pictures of on blogs, so if a blogger features a certain polish I will get a bunch of requests for that one, and then it changes the next week. I would say overall that the customs I do are the most gratifying for me- having someone present an idea, story, or picture that is close to their heart and then trusting me to put it into a bottle. Making people happy makes me happy and feel like a success.
  • On the other hand if something doesn’t work out I can actually get kind of depressed about it if it is not perfect! As far as major flops, I have a closet full of them! Flops are a part of learning and I am still doing that every day. I will get messages from gals asking my about how to do this or that, but I dont feel as though I am an authority on anything. I just like sparkly nail polish ;)
This is the closet where she keeps her “flops” as well as her works in progress and empty bottles
5. What is one thing our readers would be surprised to know about your creative process?
  • I come up with a lot of my color combinations as I try to fall asleep at night, and I come up with the more creative names when I am running with my dogs. Sometimes I will just sit and stare at my glitters until something crystalizes in my mind, but if it doesn’t come I get up and go about my day.
The glitter stash the Jenna sometimes stares at for inspiration
6. What is your favorite nail polish trend, past or present?
  • I can never get enough linear holo polishes. Sally Hansen’s Prism collection still rocks my world.
7. What are your hopes for the Lacquistry polish brand in the next 5 years?
  • Wow that is so far in advance!! Hopefully I might have a steady helper by then! I definitely see my brand evolving into other areas (finishes) that I dont do a lot of just because I have to keep it fresh, but I think I will still be doing mad crazy glitters, it is kind of my home base if that makes sense.
8.Here is tough, slightly controversial question: What are your feelings about Indie polishes being resold on eBay?
  • I have not had to deal with this issue really, but I feel that we live in a supply and demand environment, so if you have something to sell and there is someone willing to pay- even if it is a ridiculous amount- so be it. No one forces anyone to shell out $100+ for a polish, it is a choice. If you dont agree with someone selling it, dont buy it. It’s a free country.
9. Ok enough with the serious questions! If you were stranded on a deserted island and could on have 3 polishes with you, what would they be and why (color names and brands please)?
  • This is the hardest question of the whole interview!! If we aren’t counting a quick-dry top coat,Wet n’ Wild Black Creme is such a basic staple for me, it is the only polish I have ever used up many bottles of. The cheapest and best one-coater I have ever found, it is a perfect underwear (or base color) for a multitude of colors and finishes.
  • The second would be Chanel Holographic because if I were stranded I would need some form of entertainment. Holo+sun=WIN!!!
  • The third would be MAC Shirelle- the most perfect, vibrant red.

10. And finally, if you were asked to give one of your berry-colored polishes a berry-themed name, what would you call it?
  • Funny you asked- I have so, so many polishes that I make and even name and then never release, and I have the perfect one for you! It’s called Shaved Raspberry (actually not intended to be sexual at all if that is what you were thinking!!) It is of course a raspberry colored base with varying sizes of hex shaped raspberry glitters and a bunch of raspberry thread glitters.
Wow, thank you Jenna for being the first polish maker to participate in the “Investigating the Indies” series!  It was definitely fascinating to get some insight into your creative process, as well as a greater appreciation for the work and love that goes into those beautiful little bottles we all have sitting on our shelves.  For more information about Lacquistry you have a few options: you can find her shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Lacquistry# (I also have the link on my Links page).  You can also get the most up to date information about her latest creations and future store openings on her Facebook page.  And the final resource I have to share with you is a comprehensive Indie Polish google spreadsheet created by Adventures of the Nail Friends, Girly Bits and Things I Love at the Moment.  So I hope you enjoyed the first of this new series and are looking forward to more.  And stay tuned for this Sunday when I will be featuring one of Lacquistry’s polishes!
If you are an Indie Polish maker and are interested in participating in the “Investigating the Indies” series or you are a fan with a request for who I should interview next, please email me.  Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Chanel, Glitter Finish, Lacquistry | 1 Comment »

Avenger’s Manicure

May 6th, 2012

All pictures are in natural light.  Middle: Iron Man, Ring: Captain America, Thumb: Hulk

Ring: Black Widow, Middle: Thor, Thumb: Hawkeye

OPI Dating a Royal, Alpine Snow, Decades of Shades, Big Apple Red, French Quarter for Your Thoughts, Green-wich Village

Zoya Raven, Essie Marshmallow, Essie Armed and Ready, Butter London Blagger, Julep Oscar, Julep Glenn

This post should be called “How Many Polishes Can I Squeeze Into One Manicure?” haha.  I used a whopping 12 polishes from 5 different brands to create my Avengers themed manicure.  A few weeks ago I saw an amazing Avengers manicure done by JeeA Lee using glitter.  I don’t remember where I originally saw it now, but here is the link to the original picture on her tumblr.  I didn’t have the supplies to create something as intricate as she did, nor did I want to spend the time, haha – so instead I used this picture of the character symbols to model my manicure after.  And oh boy was this a looong project!

So here is the long list of what I used to create all the different characters:

  • On my left middle finger I started with my boyfriend’s all-time favorite super hero – Iron Man!  To create the Iron Man face I used 3 coats of Julep’s Oscar (from their 2012 Oscar collection) for the base, and Julep’s Glenn (also from the Oscar collection), Zoya’s Raven (from the Extreme collection), OPI Alpine Snow (from the Soft Shades collection) for the details.
  • On my left ring finger I did Captain America’s shield.  I used 2 coats of OPI’s Big Apple Red (from the New York collection) for the base, and OPI’s Alpine Snow, Butter London’s Blagger (from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection) for the details.
  • On my left thumb I did the Hulk (I think that is supposed to be some kind of bio-hazard symbol).  I used 2 coats of OPI’s Alpine Snow for the base and OPI’s Green-wich Village (from the 2008 Mod About Brights collection) for the details.
  • On my right thumb I did Hawkeye’s arrows and crosshairs.  I again started with 2 coats of OPI’s Alpine Snow for the base and then Zoya’s Raven for the details.
  • On my right middle finger I did Thor’s hammer.  I used 2 coats OPI’s I’m Dating a Royal (also from the 2008 Mod About Brights collection) for the base and OPI’s French Quarter for Your Thoughts (from the 2011 Touring America collection), OPI Decades of Shades (from their 25th Anniversary collection) and Zoya’s Raven for the details.
  • On my right ring finger I did the Black Widow hourglass symbol.  I used 2 coats of Essie’s Armed and Ready (from the 2012 Go Over Board collection) for the base and Zoya’s Raven and Julep’s Glenn for the details.
  • And for all my other nails I used 3 coats of Essie’s Marshmallow.
This is definitely my most detailed nail art to date.  And I have to say that my Iron Man nail is my favorite!  Quick funny story about that one: When I first thought I was finished with it, I eagerly showed it to my boyfriend for approval and he told me that it looked like an evil Chinese emperor version of Iron Man because it originally had a very bold brow line, haha!  So my solution was to obscure the thick black line with a litter more Oscar glitter – which I think worked pretty well :)  It was also good for me to get in some practice with drawing straight lines for the Hawkeye cross hairs, which I also did a pretty good job of, but oh man, drawing a nice circle around them was very annoying.  But overall this manicure is worthy of representing the Avengers and I wore it proudly to watch the movie with my boyfriend on Saturday (and it was amazing)!

Products used:

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Butter London, Creme Finsih, Essie, Glitter Finish, Julep, OPI, Shimmer Finish, Zoya | 5 Comments »

Julep Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum

May 2nd, 2012

Julep Nail Revitalizing Serum

My naked nails on Day 1 of treatment

 My naked nails on day 43

I forgot to take a picture of my naked nails at the end of my treatment, so this is Day 76 (right after I ran out).  For more info about this mani click here.

This was a demo shot of how to apply the serum and also a way to show you the brush.

Ok everyone, if you want long gorgeous nails that don’t tear or chip, your are going to want to invest in a bottle of Julep’s Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum.  This stuff is a miracle in a bottle!  Here is Julep’s description of how this product works “The first-ever nail serum to use groundbreaking protein-peptide technology to transform the health and strength of nails. Peptides stimulate keratin genes and cell proliferation to boost strength and speed of nail growth. Visible results in two to three weeks.”  I have tried several nail strengtheners before this and a few since (more reviews to come) and this is by far the best I have used.  It’s definitely on the pricey side at $38 for a .37 oz bottle, but I think it’s worth it.

Let me explain all the things I love about this serum, in addition to the fact that it works.  The bottle reminds me of a lip gloss bottle with a long thin brush inside (just like some lip glosses use), so it definitely has attractive packaging.  The serum itself is a clear, odorless liquid that has the consistency and look of water.  So you aren’t having to deal with greasy, smelly creams that take forever to dry.    You apply the liquid on the skin all around your nail and even under the nail.  This takes about a minute or two to complete for all 10 fingers and about a minute for it to dry.  And I love that you don’t have to worry about having polish on since this treatment doesn’t go on your actual nail.  I like to wear a manicure for a week at a time, so treatments that require to add a coat under your polish every few days just don’t work for me.  Julep recommends that you use it twice a day, every day, so I kept it on my night stand and made sure to put it on right before I went to sleep and right when I woke up.  And I was able to use it twice a day, every day for 2.5 months before I ran out – so you do get a lot of use out of that small bottle because you don’t need much.

Now in terms of results, I was amazed!  Before using this treatment I always had problems with my thumbnails tearing on the sides and my middle fingernails breaking at the corners.  But while using Julep’s Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum, I did not have a tear or a major chip the entire time!  And as you can see from my before and after pictures, I gained significant length – and I was even filing my nails occasionally for shaping.  Now the only down side was that I also have thin nails, and was hoping this treatment would help make my nails a little thicker and stronger feeling, but this was not the case.  They still felt thin, but as long as they are growing and not breaking, I am a pretty happy camper :)

So with great results, easy, no mess application, and no smell, Julep’s Nail Growth Revitalizing Serum is definitely going to be my go to nail lengthening product, and I will be shelling out the cash for another bottle once I finish testing the other treatment I am currently trying.  My nails were the longest they have even been while using this treatment and they only thing that would make this product better was if it made my nails feel a little thicker too.  For so more great naked nail result pictures check out MeliNails Blog’s Facebook page, she has a photo album going where she is tracking her nail growth while using Julep’s serum (and she has some beautiful nails).  So I highly recommend you take the plunge and buy a bottle if you have been searching for something to help your nails grow longer!

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Julep, Nail Strengthener | 8 Comments »

My Very First Jelly Sandwich!

April 29th, 2012

I altered the color in this picture, read below to find out why

All pictures of the manicure are under artificial light

Nicole by OPI Step 2 the Beat of My <3 and OPI Do You Think I’m Tex-y? in natural light

 

Alright, I am sharing my very first Jelly Sandwich with all of you today!  And no, I don’t mean the kind of jelly sandwich you ate as a kid (or still eat, I love a good PB&J haha).  I mean the nail art technique of sandwiching a glitter polish between a few layers of a jelly polish.  This is a look that doesn’t require a lot of skill, so none of you should be afraid to attempt this one.  Now I do need to add a disclaimer here in regards to the color of my pictures: Do You Think I’m Tex-y was not photographing true to color – it came out way more red, when in reality it looks very pink-raspberry.  So the first image in this post I altered to reflect more accurately how it looks in person.  The last picture of my manicure was not altered and is the closest to the actual color I could get without photoshop help.  And the two middle pictures are without photo shop, but look really red.

To create this look I applied two coats of OPI’s Do You Think I’m Tex-y? (from the 2011 Texas collection) over one coat of CND’s Stickey Base Coat (the same base coat I have always used, I just don’t always explicitly mention it).  Tex-y is a “jelly” or “sorbet” polish, which basically means it’s supposed to look very sheer even with many coats; which is of course perfect for creating jelly sandwiches!  Now, as I said above, I could not accurately capture the color of this polish.  I would describe it as a bright, raspberry-pink, but for some reason my camera saw it as a red.  The next step was to add the glitter polish.  I chose Nicole by OPI’s Step 2 the Beat of My <3 which is packed with pink and purple heart shaped glitter, as well as some tiny silver circle glitter in a clear base.  I didn’t realize it at the time I picked it up for half price at TJ Maxx, but this polish is from Justin Beiber’s One Less Lonely Girl collection, haha.  Why Justin Beiber came out with a polish collection, I don’t know – but I am sure tons of his constantly screaming fans made it fly off the shelves :)  Now this polish was definitely tricky to apply.  I would dip the brush in the bottle and come out with no hearts.  So my clever solution was to shake the bottle upside down before applying each coat so there were lots of hearts at the top – and this worked pretty well.  You still aren’t going to get full coverage with heart glitter unless you are going to put in A LOT of time, but I got enough to get the point across.  So I applied 2 coats of glitter to each nail.  I then applied 2 more coats of Tex-y right on top of the glitter – finishing the “sandwhich” effect.  Unfortunately the tiny silver glitter wasn’t big enough to show through the top layer of jelly very well :/  And then I sealed everything up with a top a layer of top coat.

For my first jelly sandwich, I am pretty pleased.  I really like the color (in person) and the hearts showed through really well.  For my next jelly sandwich I think I will only use one layer of the base nail polish color though since you don’t really see it that much anyway.  And for the glitter nail polish, I will probably go with something that has a medium sized glitter.  One of the other slightly annoying things about the heart glitter, was that it didn’t always lay flat, which takes away from the affect of looking like it was suspended in the jelly polish rather than sitting on top.  But this manicure did have some good durability.  I only had minimal free edge wear by the 6th day and one little chip.  And of course I had to use the foil method when I finally removed it.  So go ahead and make yourself a sandwich – out of nail polish that is – and be sure to share a picture with me on my Facebook page!

Products used:

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

 

 

 

Posted in Glitter Finish, Jelly Finish, Nicole by OPI, OPI | 4 Comments »

Blogger Bio Series #4: One Gent’s Ten

April 25th, 2012

Scott’s jelly sandwich: EvolutionMan’s Pavement, Cover Band’s Sticks and Stones, OPI’s My Pointe Exactly, Essie’s Matte About You

 

My fourth blogger interview is with another guy nail blogger!  I really find everything these guys have to say really fascinating (hopefully you all do too!).  So today I present to you, Scott from One Gent’s Ten!  You can find his blog at http://www.onegentsten.com/ or in my Blogs tab.  Each blog post is written from a guys perspective – relating nail polish colors to the paint jobs on cars while comparing breaking a nail to “dropping an $80 bottle of cognac”.  He also writes honestly about how it feels to be a man wearing polish in a community that doesn’t fully accept that yet.  And I love that he isn’t afraid to wear bright colors or try different nail art techniques, like jelly sandwiches (even if his inspiration was a rock, haha).  So for another unique perspective on nail polish, make sure to read his blog and the following interview!

Scott’s awesome solution for storing over 100 polishes!

1. First of all, what are you wearing on your toes and/or fingernails right now?

  •  At this exact moment, nothing!  My plan for today is to try out one of a slew of China Glaze neons I just ordered from Transdesign.  I’ll probably start with “In the Lime Light,” not to be confused with “Funky Limelight,” of course.  That will likely be fingers only.  I haven’t worn anything on my toes in many months – I’m not sure why.  The last polish I wore on my feet was one of those at home gel sets in red.  I really didn’t like the way it came out; the finish was bumpy and it somehow acquired sock marks after about a week.

2. Take us back to the beginning – how did you first start wearing nail polish?

  • On that matter, I have to give all of the credit to my sweet little fiancée.  She is a nail polish lover of the highest order, and thought it was really cool that I was so interested in nail polish.  I would help her pick out colors, and eventually I let her put some on my fingers.  I really liked being able to make my fingertips look like something other than scraggly messes, and the endless color options had me hooked.

3. How have your friends and family responded to you incorporating nail polish into your life?

  • They haven’t.  I haven’t shared this part of my life with friends and family, and I don’t plan on it anytime soon.  It just isn’t worth the stress to introduce it to people I only see a few times a year.

 4. How often do you paint your nails?

  •  No less than three times a week, sometimes more.

 5. What’s it like being a guy in the female dominated community of nail polish blogging?

  •  I know you’re looking for tales of struggle and strife, but it’s actually not bad at all.  In fact I might go so far as to say it’s almost serendipitous to be a little bit different in a community that was, for a long time, and for the most part still is very homogenous in terms of mindset and demographic.  
  • I think people in the internet nail tribe are hungry for a different perspective on the enjoyment of nail polish.

 6. What would you tell other guys who are interested in nail polish but feel intimated by today’s social norms?

  •  First, I would say that I understand that this is a complicated topic.  Breaking gender norms can make a lot of otherwise normal people very uncomfortable.  This is doubly true if you’re an otherwise conventional guy.  For example, if people learn you wear nail polish as a man, typically their first assumption will be that you’re gay.  If this assumption is found to be false (i.e., you’re actually straight and you just like to wear it), it throws people for a loop, because they no longer have a neat little box that allows them to fit you into their perception of the world.
  • Next, I would say that you’ll never be happy if you live your life only in ways that make everyone else happy.  You should be true to what you believe and you should present yourself as you see yourself. 
  • Finally, with all that said, I would say that you still need to be careful where and how you present your painted nails to others.  There are places in the world where casual violence is still commonplace, and we all have a pretty good sense where those places are.  So, of course stay away from those places with your nail polish.  However, there is always the chance that you’ll run into someone who is particularly ignorant and belligerent enough that they’ll make a scene in an otherwise safe place.
  • So anyhow, the overarching message is that you should express yourself as you wish, with the caveat that you need to put a little bit of thought into your times and places.  I have personally never had a bad experience with anyone when I was wearing polish, but as in most endeavors, taking some caution is always prudent.
  • So guys, if you’re interested in nail polish, just go out and wear it — nothing will ever change if we don’t actively make things change.

 7. Do you have a particular funny or interesting story that happened as a result of you wearing nail polish?

  •  Hmm..not specifically as a result of wearing nail polish, but about two years ago I was out in NYC for Halloween (I went as Nancy Kerrigan, fiancée was Tanya Harding) and I was wearing those press-on French tip nails that remove with water.  Of course it rained that night, and all of my nails fell off within the first hour.  Not super funny or interesting, but it’s the first thing that came to mind.

 8. What are your favorite colors or trends in polish to see on women or is there anything guys don’t particularly like seeing on women’s nails?

  •  I really enjoy seeing women branch out on the color wheel.  There is definitely a tendency to stick to the basic pinks and reds (which are great, don’t get me wrong), which is why every new collection always has at least two or three reds and pinks.  But I think it’s far more interesting to see people wearing neons, off-beat colors, and foil-y metallics.  
  • I think it would be pretty safe to say that guys are not into the “stiletto” style nails or any over-the-top designs involving props or too much line art.  Basically, don’t overthink it or spend 5 hours on one nail design.  The payoff/effort ratio is too low on some of the more elaborate nail art designs I’ve seen.

 9. If you were stranded on a deserted island and could on have 3 polishes with you, what would they be and why (color names and brands please)?

  •  Well if I could only bring nail polish with me, I would probably die pretty quickly, so… ;)   I’m going to take the easy way out and give you the top three from my QuantRate Database. 
  • In order from #1-3, they are:
  • #1,2:  “Big Hair…Big Nails,” and “Houston, We Have A Purple” (both from OPI’s Texas Collection) are really awesome jellies that go on perfectly and look quite “juicy” once you’re done.  I love OPI’s wide, long brushes and their handles/bottles are quite nicely shaped.  Their formulas are also top-notch.  OPI is probably my favorite brand overall. 
OPI Houston, We Have a Purple
  • #3:  Deborah Lippmann’s “Across the Universe.”  That brand has great glitters that, while a pain to remove, are much worth the trouble. 
Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe (One coat on Index & Middle; Two heavy coats on Ring & Pinky)
  • Those three are scientifically proven to be my favorites, based on the analytical tool I personally developed to score them.

10. And finally, if you were asked to name a berry-colored polish, what would you call it?

  • Molten Mud of Mars.
There you have it Berry Patch!  One Gent’s Ten is another guy blogger showing the world that polish is no longer just for girls.  From his beautiful pictures to his entertaining writing style, this a blogger you don’t want leave off your reading list.  You will also be able to find this interview on One Gent’s Ten site this Friday.  And as always, if you are a blogger who would like to participate or a fan who would like to see a particular blogger interviewed, please email me or comment on this post :)  {My email is listed in the info section of my Facebook page}.
Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.
~A. Berry

Posted in Blogger Bio Series, Cover Band, Deborah Lippmann, Essie, EvolutionMan, Glitter Finish, Jelly Finish, OPI | 6 Comments »

Deborah Lippmann ~ Mermaid’s Dream

April 22nd, 2012

All pictures in natural light

Deborah Lippmann’s Mermaid’s Dream

The manicure I am sharing with you today is one that I was so excited to own, I actually pre-ordered it: Deborah Lippmann’s Mermaid’s Dream!  When I saw a picture of the bottle, I knew right away that I needed to own this polish.  The color is in my two favorite color families and the name was really cute.  So I wasn’t going to waste my time waiting for it to appear on eBay or something, I was going to pay full price, haha.  And let me tell you, I do NOT regret it.

Mermaid’s dream is a soft, shimmery sea foam green base, filled with ocean blue mini hex glitter.  This polish is different from the other Deborah Lippmann I have reviewed so far – Bad Romance – because the base is not a jelly, it’s a very glittery shimmer.  If you turn the bottle just the right way you can even see tiny flecks of gold in the green base.  It’s just gorgeous!  And the application was pretty smooth for how much glitter it contains, and had a lot better coverage on the first coat than Bad Romance.  It was pretty much opaque after two coats, but I feel like Deborah Lippmann polishes seem to be on the thinner side, so I added a third coat for good measure.  The kind of weird thing about this polish is that it has a very bumpy texture.  I guess because it’s so full of small glitter.  I had to put two thick coats of Seche Vite’s top coat to make it feel smooth to the touch, but as you can see, it still looks bumpy.  But that’s not necessarily a bad thing, the texture just adds one more dimension of interest to this polish.  And once again, I love the shape of Deborah Lippmann’s bottles.  The fancy square is just so unique.  And the brush is not bad either, it’s not as long and wide as an OPI  brush, but it definitely doesn’t give me problems.

In terms of wear, this beauty didn’t do so hot unfortunately.  I don’t know if this is going to be the case for all Deborah Lippmann glitters, and I hope it is not the case for non-glitters.  But I had major free-edge wear and a pretty big chip after just two days :(  By the third day I could tell it was wanting to flake off in one big sheet so I decided to go ahead and take it off instead of trying to patch it up and  nurse it through a few more days.  And I had a very similar experience with Bad Romance.  But the beauty of this polish is definitely worth its short lifespan.  But if you are the type of person who only wears polish for two or three days at a time, then it’s not even a problem.  I am interested to see how well it wears layered over a creme or something that I know has good durability, so I’ll try that the next time I get around to wearing it.  But my final recommendation is that you NEED this polish!  It’s just to visually stunning to pass up :)

Products used:

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Deborah Lippmann, Glitter Finish, Shimmer Finish | 8 Comments »

April Julep Maven Box

April 18th, 2012

April Julep Maven Box Contents

Julep Niecy, Jessica and Penelope in natural light (indoors)

Funny story about this month’s Maven Box: it somehow accidentally got sent to my mom’s house.  I had my first box sent there back in December, but ever since then have been getting them at my own house, so I don’t know how it ended up down there this month…  But instead of my mom calling to tell me, she posts on Facebook that she got some nice Julep nail polishes in the mail, haha!  Luckily she was coming to visit me in the next week because she lives in southern California and I live in northern California – so she would have had to mail it to me otherwise.

This month’s box was Spring/Easter themed, not surprisingly.  So in addition to my three spring-y “It Girl” polishes I also got four hot pink wrapped chocolate eggs and some pink toe separators.  I got the chocolates the way you see them in the picture, with the wrappers already coming off, I am not sure if that was from Julep or from my mom bringing them to me in her suitcase – but I ate them anyway (one before I took this picture, oops!) haha.  I didn’t have toe separators, so I guess those are good to have in my nail arsenal.  And as for the colors, I am actually very pleased with all three this month – sorry Berry Patch, no giveaway from this box!  The first color is Niecy, a bright pink creme – right up my alley. Next I have Jessica (my sister’s name!) which is a light pastel blue creme – a color I didn’t already have in my collection.  And finally Penelope, a pale baby pink creme –  and I was just saying last month how I only have one or two light pinks and that I really needed at least one more, yay.

So I am quite pleased with this box – chocolate and three polishes I actually like.  I will probably stick with “It Girl” for next month unless I see in the preview email that 2 out of the 3 polishes are either something I already have or something I really don’t like – like more reds, haha.  If you would like to become a Maven, please you my referral link: http://julep.com/?r=17964394  Thank you to Jennifer Bustamante and Cordia Kell for helping me earn my May box for free :)

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Creme Finsih, Julep | 4 Comments »

How to Extend the Life of Your Manicure (YouTube Tutorial!)

April 16th, 2012

Super exciting news Berry Patch – I made my very first YouTube tutorial video (don’t mind the goofy face I have in the initial screen shot, haha)!  And it’s all thanks to my lovely friend Christine, who runs the beauty vlog, Colorful Agenda.  She’s new to the beauty vlog scene, but she is really fun and entertaining to watch – so you all need show her some of the love you show me by checking out her other videos and subscribing to her channel!  In this video we give you some of our favorite tips about how to get your manicure to last as long as possible.  And I can finally SHOW you where that free edge of your nail is that I am always talking about.

This was the first time I have looked/talked right into a camera and I was totally nervous.  Once we finished, I was sweating and I felt like my face was sooo red.  But after watching the finished product I don’t think you can really tell – thank goodness!  And I’ll let you in on a little secret: one of the reasons I start painting my nails on the table instead of in the air in front of the camera is because my hands were shaking, haha (again thank goodness it doesn’t really show on camera).  Also noteworthy is the fact that we were pretty mcuh just winging it.  We briefly talked about what tips we wanted to mention and then did it all in one take.  But Colorful Agenda did a great job of editing and she even included our bloopers at the end :)

So in the end this was a really fun experience that I am looking forward to repeating again.  This was the perfect excuse for me to do a video because I didn’t have to worry about all the technical aspects of making a video watchable – like editing and uploading.  So I’m very thankful to Christine for inviting me to participate on her vlog.  She and I will definitely collaborate again, so make sure to leave a comment on our video about what else you would like see from us, or just from her, in the future!

Tips included in the video:

  • Clean your nail with nail polish remover before polishing (even if your nails are naked).
  • Lightly buff your nails.
  • Apply your favorite base coat to your nail bed and the free edge of your nail.
  • After some dry time, add your first layer of polish to your nail bed and free edge.
  • After a little more dry time, add a second coat of polish.
  • After a short amount of dry time add your favorite top coat to your nail bed and the free edge of your nail.
  • And finally, add a new layer of top coat to your nail bed and the free edge of your nail every other day.

Products used:

Thanks for reading, I post every Sunday and usually on Wednesdays.  And please don’t forget to “like” my Facebook page www.facebook.com/BerryPolished for extra news!  I also have a “nail ideas” board on Pinterest.com under the user name “berrybear”.

~ A. Berry

Posted in Butter London, Creme Finsih, Deborah Lippmann, Duochrome Finish, Essie, Glitter Finish, Tutorial | 2 Comments »

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