Connecting the Dots

Sep

13
Recently, I purchased a few Lynnderella polishes.  I totally get what all the hype is about.  I couldn’t wait to try Connect the Dots, but deciding on a polish worthy enough to lay it over presented a challenge.  I really wanted a Khaki colored polish as the base, but came up short when searching my stash.  I ended up with Essie’s Chinchilly, which was more gray than I wanted but I still think the finished look is pretty sweet.

2 Coats of Chinchilly, 1 Coat of Connect the Dots

2 Coats of Chinchilly, 1 Coat of Connect the Dots.

What do you think?  Do you have any Lynnderella polishes?  If so, what are your favorites?

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Rescue Beauty Lounge Firebirds Collection: Pizzicato

Sep

11
My new Rescue Beauties arrived while I was on vacation and I couldn’t wait to try out Pizzicato.  I was really surprised by this one.  I was expecting a white polish with a hint of pink.  On me, it’s definitely a more pale lavendar polish.  Completely unexpected, but pretty nonetheless. 

3 Coats

3 Coats

 I hope to post the rest of the Firebirds Collection this week.

Posted in Fall 2011, Lavender, Pink, Rescue Beauty Lounge, White | Leave a comment

Essie Coat Azure

Mar

26

Hello!

Despite the fact that it’s cold and bleak here and there’s a chance of snow in the forecast, my nails are ready for the spring.  Today’s manicure is Essie’s Coat Azure from the French Affair collection.

2 coats with topcoat

It’s pretty enough, but I’m a bit disappointed in this one.  I was hoping it would be a tad bit more muted.  The shimmer is quite lovely though.

What do you think of Coat Azure?  Did you pick up any colors from the French Affair collection?

Posted in Blue, Essie, Shimmer, Spring 2011 | Leave a comment

Some Recent NOTDs

Mar

20

Hello! It’s been a while since I posted. Computer issues and all that fun stuff…I’m hoping to get back to more regular postings. Let’s start with a few of my most recent manicures:

Revlon Powder Puff with OPI Mad as a Hatter Accent

 I recently received a longtime lemming, Mad as a Hatter, in a swap from a lovely lady over at Makeup Alley.  I’m so in love with this polish that I didn’t want to “waste” it on a full manicure (how silly is that???), so I opted for an accent nail.  I paired it with Revlon Powder Puff, which I adore.  This is FOUR coats of Powderpuff.  This sucker is sheer and doesn’t want to dry, but it’s worth it in the end :-)

This picture doesn’t do Zoya’s Gemma justice.  It’s a dusty sage green with beautiful flashes of blue.  This was my St. Patrick’s Day mani.  I especially like how it looks with one of my favorite rings:

This weekend I finally got around to playing with the new China Glaze Crackles.  I started with a base of Orly Lemonade and added China Glaze Crushed Concrete.  I wasn’t loving the color combination, so I added the Crushed Candy.  Originally, I tried to add Lightening Bolt to the yellow and gray, but I can’t get that one to crack for some reason!  I have this really cool pair of yellow, white, and gray Puma’s I was trying to match – but it wasn’t meant to be!

Are you crazy for crackle?  What’s your favorite color combination so far?

Posted in China Glaze, Crackle, Glitter, Green, OPI, Revlon, Shimmer, White, Zoya | 1 Comment

OPI Burlesque

Nov

10

Hello!  I finally got around to swatching my Burlesque polishes from OPI’s latest collection.  I got all of the glitters and three of the non-glitters.  As excited as I was for these new glitters, they didn’t totally wow me on the nail.  They are shown here with three coats,  but at least four would have been required for me to achieve opacity.  Let’s see the swatches:

OPI Glow Up Already, 3 Coats, Flash

Glow Up Already:  greenish gold overall with pink, purple, orange and green glitter.

OPI Sparkle-Icious, 3 Coats, Flash

Sparkle-Icious:  gold, purple and blue glitter.

OPI Simmer & Shimmer, 3 Coats, Flash

Simmer & Shimmer:  predominantly blue glitter with pink, purple, red, gold, and light green glitter.

OPI Bring on the Bling, 3 Coats, Flash

Bring on the Bling:  predominantly golden copper glitter with pink, green, and orange glitter.

OPI Extra-Va-Vaganza, 3 Coats, Flash

Extra-Va-Vaganza:  predominantly burnt orange glitter with lots of pink, gold, green, and silver glitter.

OPI Show it and Glow it, 3 Coats, Flash

Show it and Glow it:   predominantly grape purple glitter with pink, light green,silver, and gold glitter.

OPI Ali's Big Break, 2 Coats, Direct Sun

Ali’s Big Break:  red with a pink base with pink and red glassy flecks.

OPI Let Me Entertain You, 2 Coats, Direct Sun

Let Me Entertain You:  magenta with rich fuchsia glassy flecks

OPI Tease-y Does It, 2 Coats, Direct Sun

Tease-y Does It:  A plum-ish brown base with red/orange shimmer.  I would almost consider this a “root-beer” color.

Tease-y Does It is definitely my favorite in this collection.  What’s yours?

Posted in Fall 2010, Glitter, OPI, Shimmer | Tagged | 4 Comments

Orly Cosmic FX Collection

Oct

18

Monday again…grrrr.  Today I finally have for you Orly’s Cosmic FX Collection.  I’ve had these polishes forever, but got bombarded by all of the other new releases.  I started to skip a post on these polishes since they have been out for a while, but they are just too good to ignore!  The collection is made up of six eye-catching shades that will get you some strange looks if you wear them to the office (I speak from experience).

Orly Galaxy Girl, 2 Coats, Outdoors

Galaxy Girl is a dark vampy purple/maroon with tiny specks of color.  I definitely saw some blue flecks in there, making this color very unique in my collection.  I passed on MAC’s Formiddable from the recent Venomous Villians collection since it’s been described as a dead on dupe for Galaxy Girl. 

Orly Halley's Comet, 2 Coats, Outdoors

Halley’s Comet is a beautiful aqua/teal with blue and green flecks.  I had a hard time photographing this one- it’s definitely more teal than it comes across in this picture.  The only problem with Halley’s Comet is that it is not unique in any way.  It’s already been done twice by both OPI (Catch Me in Your Net) and Zoya (Charla).

Orly It's Not Rocket Science, 3 Coats, Outdoors

It’s Not Rocket Science is an olive green beauty.  I wasn’t expecting to like this color but I really liked how it looked it on me.  I was feeling extra crazy and recently tried it under Glow Up Already from the OPI Burlesque collection, I wish I had snapped a photo of it because it looked great!

Orly Lunar Eclipse, 2 Coats, Outdoors

Lunar Eclipse is a bold cobalt blue with prominent fuschia glitter.  This was kind of “eh” for me.

Orly Out of this World, 2 Coats, Outdoors

Out of this World is a deep eggplant with lighter purple flecks.  It gets another “eh” from me.

Orly Space Cadet, 2 Coats, Outdoors

Space Cadet is the standout here, and the first one to fly off the shelves and e-shelves when it was released this summer.  It’s impossible to describe this color.  It has a green base that changes to gold, purple, even blue depending on how the light catches it.  MAC’s Mean and Green is said to be a dead on dupe for Space Cadet.

I am really into this collection.  The only negative I experienced was removal.  These monsters stain!  Wear a good base coat with these and have some patience!

What do you think of the Cosmic FX Collection?  Did you pick any of these up?  Have you braved wearing these colors to work?

Posted in Blue, Eggplant, Fall 2010, Green, Orly, Purple, Vampy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Drugstore Finds Part II

Oct

12

Hello out there!  I was planning on showing you the polishes from the OPI Burlesque collection today, but I’m having a lot of trouble photographing them.  All of the bling is blowing up my camera!  Instead, I have another “Drugstore Finds” including some of my recent favorites from Milani and Maybelline.

First up are Teddy-Bare and Dress Maker that came out this summer.  These colors are said to be dupes of two very famous Chanel polishes, Particuliere and Jade.  I don’t have either of the Chanels, so I can’t show you a comparison but here are swatches of the Milani:

Milani Teddy-Bare, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Teddy-Bare is a beautiful mushroom taupe creme.  I was on the verge of purchasing Chanel’s Particuliere right before this came out but I’m so glad I waited, this is a great polish.  I’ve always been put off by the ugly bottle design of the Milani polishes so I had never tried them until now.  I was very surprised with how nice the application was on this…I see more Milani in my future!

Milani Dress Maker, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Like many folks, I completely missed out on Chanel Jade.  I have been on a quest for the perfect dupe for a while and I think that Milani Dress Maker finally quenches that lemming.  A little part of me will always want the Chanel, but I can be happy with Dress Maker for now :-)  

Maybelline Gray-T Glamour, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Gray-T Glamour from Maybelline’s Fall Fashion Week line is a medium gray with multi-colored shimmer.  I would have passed on this color had it not been for the lovely micro glitter in this.  It’s a beauty!  The Maybelline formula and I usually do not get along very well, but I had no problem with this one.

What do you think of the brands highlighted in this post?  Do you have Chanel Jade and/or Particuliere?  If so, how do the Milani versions stack up?

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Drugstore Finds Part I

Oct

06

Every now and then I pick up random colors from various drugstore collections and then I don’t really know how to post about them.  So… I’ve decided that once I get a few, I’ll post them together as “Drugstore Finds” and here is my first one!  Today I have for you a couple of Sally Hansens and one Scherer Chameleon.  Let’s talk about Sally first…. 

Sally Hansen Mystic Lilac, 3 Coats, Outdoors

Ahh….Mystic Lilac is finally mine.  After stalking what seems like every drugstore in town, I finally found the elusive Mystic Lilac from the new Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear limited edition color line.  The thing about this LE line is that each drugstore only gets like two of each color, making them not so easy to track down.  It took me a couple of weeks, but I finally found an untouched display at Ulta and scooped up both of the Mystic Lilacs.  I love this color so much that I got a back up.  The color is a pale lavender which I usually don’t go for, but the flecks of green shimmer in this made it very appealing to me.  I was so impressed with how this polish held up.  I wore this for a good five days before it started chipping.  This polish is very sheer, this photo is three thick-ish coats. 

Sally Hansen Concrete, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Concrete is also from the new line of Xtreme Wear collection.  In the bottle, I loved this color but on the nail  it  was just “meh” to me.  It’s a creme taupe/lavender and kind of boring.  I’m sure this is a lovely shade on some folks, but it just didn’t do much for me.  And the name stumped me.  It’s really misleading, this polish has way more of a lavender tint to be called “Concrete” in my opinion.

Sally Hansen Purple Gala, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Purple Gala has been called one of the “must-haves” in this same collection.  It’s a deep purple with gold shimmer.   My camera couldn’t capture the gold flakes properly, but it’s really pretty!

Scherer Chameleon Blue Sky, 2 Coats, Outdoors

In addition to the new Sally Hansens, I also recently picked up Blue Sky from Scherer Chameleon.  I had never tried any polishes from this brand before, so I was apprehensive.  I got this at Rite Aid and didn’t have high expectatiosn for the formula, but this went on great!  Blue Sky is blue, green, or purple depending on how the light catches the nail.  At just a little over $2 a bottle, I consider this one a bargain!

Have you picked any of these up?  If so, what do you think?  What are your favorite drugstore brands/colors right now?

Posted in Blue, Lavender, Purple, Sally Hansen, Shimmer | Tagged | 2 Comments

LES KHAKIS DE CHANEL

Sep

21

 

Chanel has done it again.  The new Les Khakis De Chanel collection, in honor of this year’s Fashion Night Out, recently became available and caused quite the frenzy.  I’m all about military shades so I adore this collection.  Originally, I was drawn only to the green, Khaki Vert, but I ended up really liking them all.  My wallet was hoping that these would be dupes, but I have nothing like them in my collection.  Application was a dream with all of the Khakis, I almost got away with one coat each but I opted for two in the swatches below.

Khaki Brun, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Khaki Brun is a deep olive brown/green creme.  It’s definitely more green in person than it looks in the promo pics.

Khaki Rose, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Khaki Rose is a warm brown creme with pink undertones.  It looks like the color of hot cocoa.

Khaki Vert, 2 Coats, Outdoors

 Khaki Vert is my favorite in this collection.  I am drawn to greens anyway, and this one doesn’t disappoint.  Khaki Vert is a lovely gray/green creme.  A lot of people are calling this a dupe to Essie’s Sew Psyched, but these colors are nothing a like in my opinion.  Sew Psyched has shimmer and has more of a blue tint than Khaki Vert.

What do you think of the Khakis?  Have you picked any of these up or are you holding out for a dupe?

Posted in Brown, Chanel, Fall 2010, Green | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Spotted…Nicole by OPI Gossip Girl Swatches and Review

Sep

03

I did a happy dance in Ulta today when I “spotted” the new Gossip Girl collection from Nicole by OPI.  I’ll admit that the main reason I purchased these polishes is because I am secretly obsessed with the show.  Well, I guess it’s not really a secret anymore … Somewhere deep inside I think that sporting these polishes on my tips will instantly transform me into Leighton Meester.  I’ll let you know how that works out for me.

Scandal, Secrets, & Sparkle is a glittery treat.  If the polish were a character on the show, it would be Serena.  You can’t help noticing this one.  It’s a sheer gray with tons of silver glitter.  It started looking really great on the third coat, but I went for the fourth to achieve the full coverage that I wanted.  I know it’s only September, but I’m already planning on wearing this one on New Year’s Eve.

 Too Rich for You is a deep teal blue with a black base.  I picture Blair when I see this color, it’s more classic and deceptive.  This color has great depth and shimmer.  The finish is super shiny, I had a really hard time photographing it due the massive reflection.  This swatch doesn’t do this color justice- it’s much prettier in person.

Party in the Penthouse (love the name) is a navy with a black base.  It has the same shimmer as Too Rich for You.  It’s not the most unique color, but it’s pretty and fits in with the collection nicely.  This one reminds me of Jenny:  pretty and sweet.

I saved the best for last.  Nicole…Spotted! is one big party in a bottle.  I think this color would be Gossip Girl herself with all her secrets ready to be let loose.  This is a very sheer green with lots of gold, green, and blue glitter. 

What do you think of the Gossip Girl collection?  Do you think Nicole…Spotted! is fab?  Do you think the colors capture the spirit of the show?

Posted in Blue, Glitter, Green, Nicole by OPI, Shimmer, Silver, Teal | Tagged , | 3 Comments