... Guest Post by @LilyandJinks ...

Continuing on with the months theme of "Things I like", it's time for a Guest Post!!! Now it's been a long while since someone came over to do one but I've definitely missed showcasing the fantastic work that others create for the world to see!!! Todays post is the fantastic nails that is lilyandjinks over on Instagram. Seriously clicky click click and check out her work as it is divine!! Her link is http://instagram.com/lilyandjinks

*** *** ***

My name is Sylvia and normally I post my manis solely on my Instagram account, @lilyandjinks. I was very excited at the chance to write a guest post for Sarah Claire, whose blog I’ve been enjoying
immensely for the past year and a half. So, welcome to my first official nail related blog post!

I wanted to do something special for today’s post, so I’ve opted to combine two of my favourite nail
art techniques, stamping and water marbling. I discovered this combination around Halloween last
year when a marble went terribly wrong. Rather than removing it and starting over, I tried stamping
over it and was delighted with the result.

The great thing about this technique is the marble does not need to be uniform or precise. To start
with, I marbled two fingers at a time using China Glaze Escaping Reality, Happy Go Lucky and Shore
Enuff. On the whole, I’ve found China Glaze crèmes to be excellent for marbling.

After applying top coat (I use HK Girl Glisten and Glow) I then stamped with one of my all-time
favourite images, MM20 from Messy Mansion, using Konad White. I really like how the openness of
this stamping image lends itself to a myriad of different colours, backgrounds and techniques.

Finally, a big Happy Blogiversary to Sarah Claire. Three years is quite an achievement! Thank you for
having me as a guest. Can’t wait to see all the other exciting things happening this month

... AN Monday - China Glaze LOL ...

Hoorah! Another Aussie Nail Monday coming at ya. Today's theme is "Your oldest to you polish". Now I thought hard about this as I have some old polishes but I thought I'd share again one of the ones that brought me back to the world of nail polish.

It's Christmas, It's 2010, I had only just started to polish my nails again after a long long long break (and buy polishing I mean just that, no nail or anything fancy! Just polish) and I received this gorgeous package from Reece over at Spit and Polish that contained 4 China Glaze polishes, He's going in circles, OMG, TMI and LOL and a note that said "You Need These".

She was right. So right! Without Reece I highly doubt I would have ever started this blog or gotten back into nails. I've told my wallet many times over the years to blame her! But even after all that she is still as awesome as ever!

So Sparkle. Such Fun. Many Rainbow. Very Shiny. Wow. You can really see how I got sucked back in with the beauty of this polish. Holographic polishes were not as common as they are now and I had never ever seen one but this just took my breath away and with that I was hooked!

These shots are 3 coats of LOL with Seche Vite as a top coat in full sun. There is an instant rainbow on each finger like a good holo should!

If you are desperately now after LOL, the sad news is that it's hard to find as it's long been discontinued. It does pop up from time to time on eBay or blogsales but be prepared to fork out a bit of money for it. Something like Dance Legend Cosmic Rainbow might be able to help pass the time while you wait though!

Wanna see more Aussie Nails? Check out these links or check out #anmonday on Instagram!

Lily Jinks - @lilyandjinks

Ann - Nailovelogy

Tracy - @oliviajade19

Holly - @nails_by_holly

Naomi - @nadeekay and Nananaisnails

Erin Wu -  @erinzi and Erin Zi’s Nails

Elissa -@tenlittlenubs and Ten Little Nubs

Kate - Pimped Out Nails

Astrid - @lovessweetas

Sarah Claire - @shattermeclaire or Shatter me Claire

Julia - Fancy Nails and Cups of Tea

Sylvie - @smudgedpolish

Relle - @lazylacquerista or Lazy Lacquerista

Tammy - @ohmygoshpolish

Christinemay - @xtinemayyy or Nails at 2am

Tash Birch - @tashisdead

Nicki - @celestialcosmetics

Briana -

Loz - Polish Patterns

Kelly - @kellyskolors and Kelly's Kolors!

Tara - @lokislacquer or  Osiris and Loki paint their nails

... Aussie Nail Holiday Art - Sweet Treats ...

Woohoo! 3 days in a row! *big grin* Todays theme is Sweet Treats and I've just gone the easy option and picked Candy Canes since I don't have a lot of time this morning to work with. Mmmmmm Candy Canes *homer drool*

I've chosen China Glaze Ruby Pumps as the base which I'm so thankful that I hung onto. As much as I love the look of red polishes, they just don't love me back the same way.  I've stamped using the Vivid Lacquer plate VL007.

In hindsight, I probably should have lined up the stripes a bit better but I think it still looks ok. Besides, everyone knows that when you pick up a Candy Cane that the stripes aren't always perfect!

If anything, all this did was make me hungry!! Nom nom nom!

Photo via Google Images from this source.

Want to see more Aussie Nail Christmas Nails?? Check out the hashtag #anxmas2013 on Instragram!

... 7 days 7 ways - Day 4 ... Layering

So Day 4 has appeared ... and we are still looking great!! Today I'm layering China Glaze Atlantis on top ... holy wowsers Batman! This is my best day to date in this challenge.

I'm loving this so much! Pretty pretty pretty!!

Just worked out the be the perfect colour combo and the sparkle holo just makes it all the better! 

Day 5 tomorrow ... hopefully we can pull something fantastic out the bag as these nails don't seem to stop giving!!

... Australia Day Nails ... Fireworks

Happy Australia Day SMC readers!! Thought I'd share some fireworks today. While it's not something when you think of when you think "Australia" it definitely is if you think Australia Day!! There will be many fireworks going off today and Sydney is generally the biggest one.

I was given this tutoria on firework nails [it's located HERE] which is fantastic - problem is that I'm not that fantastic! I really need to invest in a decent striper brush for thin lines but considering what I thought of them last night I think they've really grown on me.

I've used 4 colours from the super fantastic but discontinued China Glaze OMG collection [L8R G8R, TTYL, IDK and 2Nite] and placed it over ever reliable Ulta3 Black Satin.

KABOOM!!!!! A bit of holo is shining through but oddly for Australia Day we are lacking sun and heat. I'm sure it will return soon for us though!

As the public holiday isn't until Monday I'll be continuing on with Aussie nails for 2 more days. Hope to see you stay with me!

... Aussie Nails Monday - Glitter ...

It's Monday again! You serious??? Oh man ... this series is going to really prove how much I don't blog. Hmmmm

Anyway todays ANM is Glitter! And I've had this one sitting in my untrieds for WAY too long. Time to remedy that!!

This is Dollish Polish Dino-mite Yoshi layered on China Glaze L8R G8R. Now I knnow L8R G8R is a holographic polish but I've tried in these pics to just show the colour and not the holo since I'm wanting to showcase the glitters!!

I'm actually quite pleased with how this turned out - I'm not the best with matching colours for layering but this worked for me. Dino-mite Yoshi is full of beautiful greens with white, red and orange there too.

Dino-mite Yoshi doesn't dry super smooth but a few coats of top coat and that problem is all sorted for you! Silky smooth!!

Well loved Yoshi is watching you and saying ADD ME TO YOUR WISHLIST!! He is also proving that he definitely needs time in the washing machine soon!!

** Other Aussie Nail Monday Blogs to Visit **

Lissas Polish Addiction

Nail Gun XS

Marie’s Manicure Madhouse
Tales From The Makeup Bag
Shatter Me Claire
A Polished Prance
Tee Bee’s Nails
The Epitome of Superficiality
Lacquer Dreams
NananaisNails
Enamoured With Enamel
Pretty Polish Please
Adelle1985
Kelly's Kolors
Polished Peripherals

Nicki!!
Every Little Polish
All Things Charmed
Mel My Issta
Walk In My Eyeshadow
JennLojko
The Polish Haven
Nails In The Desert
Erinzi
Strawbrie

... FNUG comparison post ...

Bit of a quick comparison post for you today that I've been trying to put together for a few weeks.

I received my beautiful FNUG holos from Harlow & Co and I was asked about comparisons! So here goes ...

ALL SWATCHES ARE 3 COATS ON CLEAR SWATCH STICKS. NO BASE OR TOP COAT.

First up is the silver which is called Psychedelic and I've picked out 5 holo silvers to compare this with

Left to Right ... Gosh Holographic, FNUG Psychedlic, Gosh Holographic Hero, NfuOh 61 and Jade Psicodelica

I couldn't find my MUS holo which is disappointing but as you can see the FNUG is snug between the 2 versions of GOSH Holographic. Like GOSH and NfuOh you need to apply carefully or you will get drag and bald spots. Very beautiful though!! I've been told that the KOH silver holographic is more brighter but I don't have that polish *sad*

I don't have many green holographics *sad* I'm taking it as a sign I need more!!!  Fantastica slots in on the "Wheel of Holo" in between Glitter Gal Green [or Glossy Moss if you have the large bottle] and China Glaze L8R G8R

Left to Right ... Glitter Gal Green, FNUG Fantastica, China Glaze L8R G8R

The FNUG is definitely like it's silver brother and applies a lot more dense than polishes like Glitter Gal. While I don't have Ozotic green I do have the Chemistry equivalent as it's not as holo as the Glitter Gal so I haven't shown it here.

Left to Right ... Chemistry 515, Layla Ocean Rush, FNUG Futuristica, NfuOh 65

The FNUG is definitely the same shade as the NfuOh but with more holo and less patchy bald spots! The poor Layla just gets left behind ... awwww.

For all of these FNUG polishes you will need some sort of Aqua Base or there will be issues! You've been warned!!

I hope that helps people out. I'm happy to do more holo comparisons if I have them in my collection but I've picked out the few from the "ring of holo" which are the most similar in colour and holo rainbow!

... Silver Holo Comparisons ...

I've got a bit of a different post today. I was involved in a conversation regarding basecoats for holographic polishes and which is best.  I've only got 2 out of the many that are out there but hey - gotta start somewhere!

So here is NfuOh Aqua Base and the LA Colors Hardener/Strengthener that I was lucky enough to receive in a swap recently and that I've heard it been raved about being awesome under holos.

I've dug out my stash of silver holos to compare it against as I'm sure all polishes have different formulas to compare. Hopefully this way we'll be able to see some difference!

To play with today I have NfuOh 61,  China Glaze OMG, Glitter Gal Silver, Ozotic 509 and my latest beauty Make Up Store Greta. If you click to make this photo larger you'll notice the Ozotic and Glitter Gal are more prone to holo without direct sunlight shining on the bottles. Oooh pretty!

All photos are of 3 coats of each colour with no colour underneath. Just the bases. I'll start with the Aqua Base ... and apologise for the gross thumb if it appears in any shots [I got into a fight with the garden!]

And cos I'm silly and didn't photo those silver polishes in the correct order here we go again so you know
Thumb - Glitter Gal, then left to right Ozotic, NfuOh, Make Up Store, China Glaze

Indoors under artificial light

Outdoors in natural sunlight

Now for the LA Colors Hardener/Strengthener. Again the order of polishes are Thumb - Glitter Gal, then left to right Ozotic, NfuOh, Make Up Store, China Glaze

Outdoors in natural sunlight

** Final Verdict **

You can see for yourself in the photos if you decide there is any difference between bases. Up close - honestly I didn't notice any difference on the polishes except with NfuOh using the LA Colors base which got a bit of a powdery look and feel to it.

In regards to the actual polishes the Ozotic and Glitter Gal show up the holo fantastically even in little light but they are super sheer compared to the other 3. They are also 100% smooth when applied which the other 3 don't seem to have.

The NfuOh and Make Up Store polishes are definitely more silver than the other 3 and under sunlight show the holo in all it's glory but both polishes are frankly a pain in the butt to work with regardless of which of these 2 bases you choose. They both show bald spots, they both don't like having too much or too little polish on your brush and they both like to make life difficult. The results are definitely worth it but the effort required means that I definitely won't be using it frequently. They also don't like to be super holo unless you are out in full sun.

And the China Glaze just sits right between these 2 groups. It's not sheer and not picky but it's definitely lovable in it's own right.

Hopefully tomorrow the sun will be out again and I'll give you the same polishes with a regular base coat so you can see if these base coats make any difference whatsoever.

... It's all in a name & NOTD ...

I seem to have offended someone lately with this so I'll come clean. Personally I don't see the big deal - as a name is a name but I don't want anyone feeling unloved that they didn't know and I don't want anymore hurt feelings.

For those of you who don't know technically my name isn't "Claire" - It's not the name written on my birth certificate and really it's more of an alias. A portion of people in my real life that I have met in the past few years call me Claire which is a really long story that I don't have time to type up but it started with someone believing my name was Claire and calling me that constantly. Dunno where it came from but it became more of a humourous point of my life than an annoying point - my husband and I get a huge laugh from it and I seriously don't mind being called Claire - she seems to have a lot of fun!

I'm a big believer that if you tell someone that "they don't look like a *name goes here*" then the reason is simple ... you know someone with the same name and that the 2 people don't look alike. I struggled in high school reading a book about a character named "Homer" as all I could think of was Homer Simpson [doh!] ... so I must look like a Claire!

When I started getting back into polish I had a dream about a blog and I was going to call it "Shatter me Claire" - I don't often remember dreams so it was a weird occasion for me but I took my own advice and here we are today.

So ... there you go. Feel free to call me Claire still ... or you can go to Sarah Claire which is what I'm on Facebook as these days. Honestly I'm not fussed but I don't want anyone else to feel upset over it.

And with that out of the way .... here are my nails of the day.

This is Finger Paints Add & Abstract with China Glaze Fairy Dust over the top ... pretty. The sun is out today so holo away my beauty! I've already done a swatch of Add & Abstract in the past but I'll do a full one on Fairy Dust soon!

Have a good one *heads out into the sunshine*

... China Glaze - Passion in the Pacific ...

China Glaze - Passion in the Pacific

Brought in a BlogSale

I brought Passion in the Pacific on a blog sale back when I was still super dooper new at blogging from the lovely Flossy Locks [who I wish would come back soon!]

Anyway this is a lovely teal polish and I've used 3 coats as it was slightly opaque. It's got a lovely shimmer  throughout aswell and honestly it's got to be bordering on being a metallic. Gorgeous. No bumps or streaks but I had a slight issue with drying time which I think it's cos the 2 times I've used it I've been in a huge rush - ugh.

** Final Verdict **
It's a gorgeous colour and easy to wear and it matches a lot of my clothes! Fantastic! Also I thought I'd stamp one nail for some punch and to spice this up a bit! I've used Konad black polish on Bundle Monster plate BM205. Love this design!

... Purple Holo Week ... China Glaze - LOL

China Glaze - LOL

Gifted from ReecesPeeces [check out her blog! *hint hint*]

As the sun is set to be out this week I should take advantage of it so I'm going to compare the purple holos I have in my collection to see how similar they are ... or if it's just all in my mind!!

I'm not patient enough to do a stack of swatches in a day and I do like to get some wear out of what's on my fingertips so you'll have to just deal with holo goodness all week!

First up is China Glaze LOL which I'm ever so grateful that Reece told me that I needed and sent over!!! It's awesome. As far as I'm aware if you are desperate for this you'll pretty much have to hit eBay.

So LOL is a fantastic purple full of lovely holographic goodness. I've had zero problems with LOL although I've read of numerous others having issues with cuticle drag. I've had zero bubbles or streaks or other unwantedness. This is 2 coats of LOL with no top coat. I've generally had a good run in the past of being chip free for a few days without a top coat.

[how it looks inside ... I think it's a pretty purple regardless of the holo - I'd wear this! Just minus the dodgy cleanup work ]

[ Fun in the sun! ]

** Final Verdict **
I think it's a great coloured purple, the holographic definitely makes this polish stand out and I've had great runs with it in regards to longlife and chip resistant. How will it stack up against another purple holo? We'll find out tomorrow!