LBD Spring Collection 2017 - Creamsicle

Happy Saturday!

The last polish in the LBD Spring Collection is available.  This peachy pink iridescent polish will make you crave the orange and cream Creamsicles  from the ice cream truck.  Yum.  The formula is semi-sheer and will require 2 or more coats to be opaque.  You can find Creamsicle in the online store here.

This summer, we're taking a little break from production...maybe.  With prom and graduation looming, and getting my son set up for college, and .... ok, my head is starting to spin.  Yeah, looks like a short break is in order.  But there are a few things you can still look forward to this summer.  Two new products will be launching early July - a sweet scented cuticle oil, and an emollient cuticle and nail treatment.  Both are currently in production and will be ready for you in the shop.  Also, we have a limited edition fun glitter/base duo that's perfect for the summer. 

Follow Little Black Dress on Facebook for new product availability. 

April's Fool - New Spring Color By LBD Nail Lacquer

Hi loves,

I missed you guys madly, but much of my time lately, has been taken up with planning and mixing  colors for the new spring season.  Although this winter was unusually mild for my area, I think the seasonal moodiness bug hit me pretty hard this year.  And now that we can safely say that the frigid winter weather is gone for good, my winter blahs are scampering away with the breeze.  I'm relieved to shed my boots and winter paraphernalia in exchange for sleeveless tops, thinner fabrics and open shoes. I feel like my whole body is breathing a sigh of relief.  I wanted my spring collection, this year, to reflect the new, crisp, clean freshness of spring.  And nothing does that better than soft pastels.  The first in my collection is April's Fool, a bright orange shimmer polish that flashes fuchsia in the light.  This color is currently available in the LBD shop and you can find it here.

I have several colors trickling out this month so keep a watch out for new LBD pastels with an iridescent sheen.

Ciao Bellas!



Serenity And A Splash Of Orange

Hi Ladies, 

A little peace is not too much to ask for is it?  I don't think it is.  So grab it when you can. That's what I did with this manicure.  I used a serene blue polish by Little Black Dress called Serenity Pantone 2016, and added a marble accent on my ring finger using a few other colors by Little Black Dress.  

These are the polishes used for the accent nail. 

Ciao for now. 

Bright Colors With A Chevron Pattern

Hello friends,

A few months ago I bought chevron patterned tape just to try it out.  I'm not fond of the pattern, but the whole chevron thing is pretty popular right now. I used a few bright colors since fall is soon upon us and I want to hold onto the warm weather just a little longer.  I'm a July baby, so me + hot weather = happiness and bliss.
Ciao for now!

New Collection by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer is...Dazzling

Hi Ladies,
I have a terrific new collection to show you by Little Black Dress Nail Lacquer.  The collection is called Dazzlers, a collection of eight super glitter polishes. Perfect for the pretty princess in you. The polishes in the photo above are (from left to right),

Shimmering Silver White
Exciting Gold
Tantalizing Tangerine
Captivating Crimson
Smashing Grape
Alluring Azure
Tranquil Teal
Enticing Emerald

Try them out.
Ciao Bellas!

Back To Fashion For Inspiration...Where's My Muse?

Hi friends,
It's been a super busy summer for me.  I can't tell you how many times I've tried to sit down and prepare a post just to find out (at the last minute) that my oldest has a basketball game/practice , or my youngest needs a ride across town to hang out with his friends.  And when I finally get settled in to do a manicure, I run into painters block. Color minus the creativity. Let's face it, that's probably not what you're here to see. I can't even decide on a simple stamp to use.  I've got nothing ladies. I'm drawing a blank here. Zero, nada, nani mo, nichego, niente, rien. Or in the words of my childhood friends,  not a doggone thing. So what do you do when your brain and all your creative energies have gone on vacation?  I pull inspiration from any place I can, that's what I do.  After a recent shopping trip (much needed retail therapy), I used colors from a new outfit for my muse.  Peach is a popular color this year, so I pulled out a peachy polish, a coordinating plum and a splash of gold. The design didn't come out quite like I planned, so I threw on a clear holographic topcoat because nothing solves a problem like holo or glitter (or both in this case).  And voila! A light, summery peachy mani.

Either I keep shopping for clothes and bust my budget, or I do what I did last year and flip through magazines and surf the net for drool-worthy furniture and room decor that I can't afford.  Now that's inspiration! So you might be in store for a few upholstery recreations. Odd, I know. But it works. Go with it.

Help me out. Tell me what you want to see.  Drop me a comment below. Until next time,
Ciao for now!

To My Jackson/Caldwell Family

I'm jumping up and down, waving my hands frantically in the air, hoping my family will catch this post. AUNTIES, UNCLES, COUSINS, THIS IS FOR YOU.
It's been a long, long, long, looooong...long long time since I've seen you guys, (holding my head down in shame).  But, if all goes as planned, I'll see you soon.

My boys and I are traveling to my family reunion next month and I simply can't wait!  It's probably been more than 5 years since I've seen them (yeah, shame isn't it?), and soooo much changes in 5 years.  I'm looking forward to catching up and making plans to stay in touch. Hopefully, I can convince them to hold the next reunion closer my way (hint hint).

Today I chose to do an orange (our color this year) and green family tree design

We'll have a great time and then I'm going to write about it. You've been warned.
Ciao for now.

Family Reunion Orange

Didn't Quite Cut The Mustard... Or Maybe It Did

Really?!?

Hi friends,



Can you see where I was going with this?  How was this supposed to work? What was I thinking?  Turned out more mustard than fuchsia. Looks like I didn't quite cut the mustard (excuse the pun, still coming down from yesterday's pun-capade).



You know how sometimes you want to match your nail design to your outfit?  But somehow The Order Of Nail Art Designs (not to be confused with The Order of Water Buffalos) doesn't grant you permission.  So you're left with a nice manicure that has no resemblance to your outfit. What do you do? Change your outfit? Right, like you're going to take that wedding gown back hours before you say "I do". Or in my case, go find a mustard color outfit (which I don't think I own).
Nope, you just gotta go with it. Nobody but you guys know that I screwed up.



I started out with good intentions.  A fuchsia base color, then a little purple glitter polish, orange glitter polish, a touch of yellow cream polish, and a smidgen of holo... now I see where I went wrong. Ok, so poor choice of colors. I should have actually looked at the skirt rather than paint by memory. Orange, yellow? Where did those come from?


The pattern was all wrong too. It should have had a more southwestern look, not the swirly spot on Jupiter. I didn't think this out, did I? (rhetorical question, don't answer that)
Big fail...but it looks nice if you don't consider what I was actually going for.


I have to try this again, wish me luck.
Ciao for now.



Peachy leftover from Too Faced Peachy Palette

Hi ladies,
Yesterday I threw a curve ball and posted about the new Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette. Sorry, had to do it, and I just might do it again.  So tell me what you think about that. Do you want to see a little face paint tossed in with the nail paint?



Today, I'm feeling just peachy (peach pun). I promised a nail design, and today I'm gonna deliver. I used Is Mai Tai Crooked? (fab name), from the O.P.I Spring 2015 Hawaii Collection, and a bit of Skylark by Sinful Colors for my ring fingers.


You guys know how much I love MdU, so I used their Orange and Geranium for the peaches. The colors all work great together.  Luckily for you, I don't have a lot of peach or orange polishes in my arsenal, and I'd and run into a pitfall (last pun, I promise) if I wanted to do a similar look. Just letting you know that in case it was a little fuzzy (I had to go there).  Boy am I corny today, (at least I moved on to vegetables). Maybe tomorrow I'll do a celery green or eggplant purple. How about a tomato red...but, isn't tomato a fruit?


Catch you guys later, and of course,
Ciao for now.

Orly's New 2016 Summer Collection: Pacific Coast Highway

Hello Ladies,
Today, I have another new summer collection for you. This one is by Orly, and I think it's a winner. The Pacific Coast Highway Collection includes six vibrant pastels that are all truly perfect for the summer.

Road Trippin is a bright yellow cream, Summer Sunset is a soft shimmery orange. Put The Top Down is a soft pink cream. Scenic Route is a basic lavender cream, Life's A Beach is an orange red cream, and last, Paradise Cove is a fuchsia shimmer.  A few are described as neons, but I don't think I'd describe them as such (maybe Road Trippin).
All six colors are also available in mini's.

If you pick up any of these, let me know how you like them. Till next time, Ciao for now.

Peach And Teal Yin Yang

Hello friends,
Great day today. I'm in a peachy mood, so I went for peach mani with my beloved glitter.  I had to free-hand the yin yang thingy. I think those remedial kindergarten art classes are paying off. I advanced to squiggly lines pretty fast.

Ciao for now!

Bottles And Bottles of Polish

Hello friends,
Do you ever feel compelled to use something just because you have it and don't want it to go to waste? You paid your hard earned money and now you're obligated to use it even though you don't really want it anymore? Sometimes I give away those unwanted purchases, but other times, I grudgingly use them. For this manicure, I decided to use a stamping plate that I bought months ago, maybe even a year ago, and I never used it. When I found it among my stash of plates, the guilt got to me so I had to use it. Even if it's just this one time (and believe me, it will be). I had already applied a beautiful glittery tangerine polish (the glitter doesn't show up so great here, unfortunately). And out of guilt, I completely ruined a perfectly good manicure. Of course it came off the second after I took the pics. As a matter of fact, I ddn't even give it a chance to dry.

Next time, I won't be guilted!
Ciao bellas.

31 Day Challenge: Day 20 Water Marble

#31DC2015 Water Marble

Hi friends, last night I worked on a water marble mani.   Like yesterday's galaxy design, this technique is relatively new for me. It took me several attempts, but this last one most resembled a true water marble. Many thanks goes out to Colette of My Simple Little Pleasures who I thought was the Queen of Water Marble. But after actually trying it myself, I upgrade her title to the Goddess of Water Marble. Her technique is flawless, her instructions are point on, and her designs are attractive and creative. Colette, you're a genius.

Here's what I used.

Crushed Candy by Maybelline
Eternal Oceans by Cover Girl
Sulfur Blaze by Cover Girl
G-Go Mango by Cover Girl

#31dc2015 Water Marble

The challenge for day 21 is inspired by a color.
Ciao for now.

31 Day Challenge: Day 2: Orange Nails

#31DC2015 Day 2 Orange nails

31 DC Day 2: Orange Nails

Glad to see you're back for day 2. I had fun with this one. I haven't done a gradient in some time. I missed all the prep work and sponging and clean up that goes into it. You might think I'm being sarcastic, but actually, you do kinda miss the fuss after a while. I guess water marbling is the same way. A lot of work and fuss. But when it's all done and you paint on that last clear coat of Seche Vite...priceless!

I chose three soft colors to create a muted gradient background and stamped a bright orange over it.
Here's what I used.

I've been very impressed with SinfulColors polishes lately. You can't beat the price, the formulas are creamy and consistent. Never runny or streaky. They all seem to apply evenly and smoothly. Best of all they're very reasonably priced. Did I say that already?

Are you ready for day 3? It's yellow nails day! I recently mixed my very own yellow polish. I can't wait to use it for the challenge. Till tomorrow.

Ciao for now.

Orange Mandala Manicure

We're wrapping up the first week of school and I must admit that things haven't gotten easier yet. I say "yet" because I'm positively anticipating a great school year. We just need to settle into our routine. I'll probably need to limit my posts to 3 times a week, but let's just see how things go.

Today, I proudly present to you a mandala manicure.  Mandala means "sacred circle" in Sanskrit. Drawing mandalas are often used in a therapeutic sense to soothe the soul and also as a creative outlet to tap into that wealth of creative ideas in our heads. By the time you're finished drawing and coloring a mandala, you should have a masterpiece and find yourself in a Zen state (theoretically). I didn't use quite the same technique on my nails, but I still finished feeling peaceful and satisfied with my miniature works of art. 

After my last top coat was dry I found a picture on the internet that reminded me of my orange mandala (I think it might be a decorative window or lamp).

I loved the outcome and I plan to do a similar manicure in the future.  Do you want to see another mandala manicure? 

China Glaze Sun of a Peach and Flying South Review

Have you tried those fuzzy, furry nail polishes?  Today I did for the first time after finding a bottle of China Glazes Flying South among my CG polishes.  I have no idea how it got there, but I decided to give it a try. I figured it would require a colored base coat, so I chose Sun of a Peach since the peachy orange color seemed to work well with the orange sawdust (that's what it looked like to me).  Overall, I was disappointed with the process, but the result wasn't too bad.  I started with two coats of the orange base color. Sun of a Peach was watery and streaky.  It pooled and was difficult to work with. The good thing about it was that it dried quickly. I give this one two thumb nails down.  The application was difficult and although the color was nice, it wasn't worth the effort it took to apply.

Next I applied a few coats of orange furry sawdust (Flying South) which started to morph into a mangy rat right before my eyes.  It was like when Ron turned his pet rat into a furry cup with a tail in the Harry Potter movie. I started to feel a little disgusted. I think that the fuzzy polishes just don't go over well with me.  Maybe if it were blue or something that might remind me of a soft, warm bathrobe rather than a sick rabid rodent I could appreciate the concept.  Overall, this was one of my least appealing manicures. I couldn't wait to snap the pictures and get that stuff off my nails.  All ten are currently recuperating from the horrors and look forward to returning to the field as soon as possible. In the mean time, I will work on removing the entire experience from my memory.

What do you think of fuzzy polishes? Can you stomach them or do they give you the creepy crawlies?
Ciao for now.

O.P.I. Paints review

It seems that everyone is jumping on the blendable nail polish band wagon. First, O.P.I. came out with their Color Paints collection, then Sephora with Formula X Infinite Ombre limited edition set.  Now, Morgan Taylor has Laquer Chrome Collection. What's next, China Glaze Silver Chromatic Backdrop Collection?


What's similar about these sets?  They're all two-step processes that start with a silver color base coat followed by one or more sheer polishes.

I purchased a mini set of O.P.I. Color Paints because I'm not so excited about the polishes.  I didn't want to commit to full size bottles.  The concept is nice, but I didn't look forward to testing them out.  But, test them I did, because I wanted to give you guys, my wonderful readers, a bit of information about them.  The O.P.I. Color Paints set has a silver base color called Silver Canvas Undercoat.  Then there are 5 color polishes-- Primarily Yellow, Chromatic Orange, Pen & Pink, Purple Perspective and Turquoise Aesthetic (what, no Green Screen?).

It started off simple enough.  The silver applied smoothly, and looked nice enough to wear on its own. Then I continued to make two failed attempts at creating colorful designs before I was satisfied with a wearable manicure.  I would like to show you the fails....no, I really don't want to show the fails. As a matter of fact, I didn't bother to take a picture of the second one.  But I can reveal my final attempt.  I was satisfied only after I stamped over the polishes with Konad Blue Pearl (I think that's the name).

I plan to continue to use the polishes, but probably as a single color over chrome and a simple stripe or two.  Then I'll throw a bunch of glitter over the whole thing and you won't see any of it anyway.  Glitter covers a multitude of ...errors

Unfortunately, I'll have to work with the multi-colored paint over chrome design concept one more time.  I accidentally purchased the Sephora Formula X Infinite Ombre set.  I placed a ridiculously low bid on EBay assuming that I wouldn't win, and by fluke, I won the bid.  So to be fair, I have to review it as well.  However, after Formula X I'm done with the base chrome concept and Morgan Taylors Chrome Collection won't be crossing my threshold.  Sorry Morgan.