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Nail Noir: March 2011

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Color Club: Yachty, Yachty, Yadda. And crack.

It really is addictive. I'm sure everyone is just sick to death of Crackle, but I can't stop. I saw this mani on Kendal's blog and I just had to replicate it. Mine didn't come out as good as hers, but I love the color combination anyhow.

Yachty, Yachty, Yadda was released with the Yacht Club collection a few years ago. Most of the polishes in the collection were winners for me, but this is my favorite. YYY is a bubblegum pink cream. This is two coats, no topcoat:




I then added ChG Broken Hearted (Revlon topcoat on top):



The result was sickeningly sweet looking. I think I should have used a lighter base color. At any rate, I still love the mani, although it's like pink on crack. Literally, I suppose lol.

Formula wise, YYY is pretty great. I have a lot of pink cremes, and this is one of the least streaky and chalky. It evens out nicely on the second coat. It also wears well. Can't beat that for the price.

Happy painting!

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Monday, March 28, 2011

OPI: DS Extravagance

Imagine my surprise when I walked into Ulta during my trip a few weeks back and saw this and several other DS polishes on the shelf. I was really close to buying them all, but at $12.50 a pop, I showed remarkable restraint and only bought one. This has been a lemming of mine for a long time, so I couldn't be happier. Still, I think about the others and wonder what might have been...

Oh well. Love the one you're with, right? :-) You've all seen this before. Unfortunately, I failed to capture the awesomeness of the holo, but trust me, it's amazing in real life. Two coats, no topcoat.





The formula was classic OPI; I had no problems whatsoever. I was so excited about this one that I got back to my hotel room, slapped two coats on top of whatever I was wearing, and proceeded to wear it for the next three days. I couldn't stop staring at my hands.

So, lemming satisfied. It feels pretty darn good.

Happy painting!

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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Essence: Choose Me!

Hey Essence, you don't have to ask me twice. I saw this beauty on the shelf at Ulta and put in right in my basket. Choose Me! is a turquoise shimmery, foil-finished beauty that flashes green and has flecks of silver shimmer. From what I've seen on other blogs, it's a dupe for Zoya Charla, but I don't have that one to compare.

This is two coats, no topcoat:





As you can see, I definitely could have used a third coat, but I didn't mind the VNL here for some reason. The formula was great, especially for a $.99 cent polish. I've been wearing it for three days with no topcoat, and it looks as good as the day I put it on.

Essence, I choose you.

Happy painting!

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Saturday, March 26, 2011

Ulta: For Bitten

For Bitten was released last year with the Glam Goth mini-collection, but I just got my hands on it a few weeks ago. It has a black base with red and gold duochrome shimmer. It's simply gorgeous. Behold, two coats, no topcoat:






This was my first Ulta polish ever, and I was pleased because the formula was on par with my favorite brands. My favorite part about this shade? It doesn't look black indoors. It still has character and depth, no matter the lighting.

Not bad for my first foray into the world of Ultas, right?

Happy painting!

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Friday, March 25, 2011

China Glaze Fault Line...yes, more crack

I took my Wet n Wild mani from yesterday and sprinkled some crack on it [/Dave Chappelle]. I used China Glaze Fault Line* on top, which is the only shimmer in the Crackle collection. It's jewel-tone purple and I think it just might be my favorite. One coat of Fault line over three coats of Wet n Wild Toss Me a LIFESAVERS, with Revlon topcoat on top:

Sunlight:



Shade:



There are several bloggers with great skills when it comes to nail art, and I really admire those ladies. I, however, am not one of them and I think Crackle is the closest I'll get to any kind of decoration. Thankfully, these polishes are foolproof once you get the hang of them. Fault Line is so pretty, and I think the shimmer sets it above the other shades in the collection. The formula on this was fine; not sticky and not too thick.

Happy painting!

*This product was sent to me for review.

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Essence: Underwater...Repost

ETA: Two of my awesome readers brought it to my attention that Underwater looks grey in my pics. I wanted to repost with some indoor pics of this, because I think the sun may have washed out the blue in my sunlight pics. I didn't realize the difference was so pronounced. Here are a couple of indoor pics. Two coats, Revlon topcoat:






Original post:


Today I have Essence Underwater, not to be confused with...Essence Underwater. Nihrida discussed the difference in the two polishes here. Apparently I have the second version.

At any rate, Underwater is simply stunning. It's a dusty blue cream with subtle shimmer. The thing about the shimmer is that when you do see it, it looks like it's glowing from deep below the layers of polish, which is exactly how light looks under water. It's pretty damn cool. It didn't even need the shimmer to be beautiful though, because the base is dusty and sexy. Can you tell I love this polish? I don't have anything else like it.

The best part to me is that it only cost $.99 at Ulta. I got this and several others when I was in Cincinatti. You have to love cheap polishes that deliver like this. Two coats, Revlon topcoat.




I didn't capture the shimmer very well, but you can see it a little here:



Application on this was just fine. It's very nicely pigmented and probably could have been a one-coater if I had better skills.


And just because, this is my daughter's NOTD. One coat of China Glaze Classic Camel with two coats of Fairy Dust on top.



Happy painting!

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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Wet n Wild Sweet Spot Collection: Toss Me a LIFESAVERS

Wet n Wild has a new (?) collection out called Sweet Spot. Nouveau Cheap has pics of the display. I came across these at a RiteAid, and the only one that stood out to me was Toss Me a LIFESAVERS, a bright lime green with pretty shimmer. This is three coats, Revlon topcoat on top:

Sunlight:




Shade:



The formula was not good. It was sticky and thick, and I had cuticle drag. It's nicely pigmented and should have been a two-coater, but because of streaks, I needed a third coat for evenness.

It sucks, because I love this shade so much. It's very spring-y and it's bright but not neon. That said, I can overlook the formula for $.99. I'm easy like that. :-)

Happy painting!

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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

China Glaze Summer 2011 Island Escape

ESCAPE THIS SUMMER WITH HIGH SHINE AND BRIGHT SHIMMER

China Glaze Introduces Six Sizzling Shimmers and Cremes

Los Angeles, CA – (October 2010): Take an exotic island escape with China Glaze this summer with a tropical, shimmering rainbow of brilliant bright colors! Mix and match these hot hues to add a candy-like pop to that summer manicure and pedicure. Colors in the collection include:

· Papaya Punch: Crème based vivid orange.
· 108 Degrees: Flirtatious berry pink with specks of micro glitter.
· Senorita Bonita: Passionate purple shimmer with pink micro glitter.
· Blue Iguana: Bold and daring sparkly blue.
· Cha Cha Cha: Vivacious shimmer green.
· Electric Pineapple: High intensity crème based lime green.



Escape this summer to a far away place with China Glaze. Vacation in color!

The China Glaze Island Escape collection will be available as open stock colors, 6 piece box collection, 6 piece counter display, 12 piece counter display and 36 piece rack.

China Glaze is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde.

China Glaze nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

China Glaze is a division of American International Industries.


See anything that excites you? I do...a pink and a purple with micro glitter? I'm all over it.

Happy painting!







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Monday, March 21, 2011

Revlon Top Speed: Jaded, and Crackle

Today I have Revlon Top Speed Jaded, which is not to be confused with Revlon Jaded, an old discontinued shade. This version of Jaded is pale mint green with very, very subtle shimmer. I don't even think my camera picked it up. Two coats, no topcoat:




The formula was streaky, but it evened out surprisingly well on the second coat. I really expected the worst with this one, but was pleasantly surprised.

Then I added China Glaze Broken Hearted*, a hot pink creme from the Crackles collection. One coat of Broken Hearted on top of Jaded, no topcoat:






I absolutely love pink and green together. LOVE. I really think I should have been an AKA. Anyway, Broken Hearted is gorgeous. I applied one thick coat and got the results above, but I plan to play around with different methods and see what I can come up with.


Happy painting!


*This product was sent to me for review.

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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Finger Paints: Bada Bing Bada Blue

Hello there! I'm still alive. :-)

I've been in Cincinnati at an academic conference and I was unable to post because the internet at my hotel was pretty janky. The good news is that I hauled while I was there (hello OPI DS Extravagance!), and I came home to see that China Glaze sent me some Crackles, which I'll be posting about soon.

These next several weeks will be pretty busy for me with grad school applications, research papers, the GRE, and preparing for finals, but I'm going to try to post as much as I can.

In the meantime, here is Finger Paints Bada Bing Bada Blue, a lovely frosty blue shimmer. Two coats, no topcoat:





Happy painting!

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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear: Going Green

Going Green is the perfect St. Patrick's Day shade. It has subtle teal shimmer, which adds something to the base color but doesn't overpower it. I got this color during a deal at Rite-Aid, and I'm so glad I did because I don't have a green like this. This is two coats, no topcoat. For some reason, my pics don't show the vividness of this color. It's brighter in real life.





The formula on this was surprisingly good. Sally Hansen's formulas have been very hit or miss for me, but this one applied like butter. I wore this as a full mani for a few days and had no chips, just minimal tipwear. This one is a winner for me.

Happy painting!

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Sunday, March 13, 2011

China Glaze Tronica Collection: Laser Lime

Ok, I confess. I like scattered holo more than linear holo. I know that's not a popular opinion, but it is what it is.

With that out of the way, let me introduce you to my new love: Laser Lime, from the ChG Tronica Collection. I believe this is a limited edition Sally's exclusive, so get them now while you can so that you won't have to pay eBay prices for them one day.

Laser Lime is lime green with subtle rainbow holo. This is two coats with Revlon Colorstay topcoat:

Sunlight:






Shade:



I really hate that I bought this, because now I want them all. I went to Sally's to buy one just to try it out, fully expecting to be disappointed, but I fell in love.

Formula wise, it was a little sticky and goopy, but it wasn't thick and it still applied well. Weird. Like most holos, this dried super quick to a satiny finish, so topcoat is a must if you want shine.

What's a girl to do? I'm running out of storage, plus I'm really cheap and hate to buy things for full price. I could do without the purple and the teal since I have those colors from other collections, but the others are calling me. Decisions, decisions...

What do you think of the Tronica collection so far?

Happy painting!

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Saturday, March 12, 2011

Franken: Teal We Meet Again

I just kind of threw this together last night because I was feeling frustrated. Have you ever looked at your stash and thought, "I don't want to wear any of these"? Well, that was me last night. So I pulled out a half empty bottle of Color Club Naughtycal Navy and started adding stuff to it. I added ChG fairy Dust, Maybelline Going Green, Wet 'N Wild Hallucinate, and Misa Indescribable, and this is what I got. Two coats, Seche Vite on top:



Sunlight:





It's a beautiful sunny day here so I plan to clean my house. Woo hoo! Well, at least my nails will be pretty while I do it. :-)

Happy painting!

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Friday, March 11, 2011

Purple mini-spam

I love purple and I'm pretty sure that's the most abundant color in my stash. Today I have three of them to show you.

NYX Girls Fierce Purple. The name is entirely appropriate because this dusty purple creme is fierce, chic, and gorgeous. I'd love to see this compared to Parlez-Vous OPI?, but sadly, I don't have that one. My pic doesn't do it justice, but here it is anyway. I color corrected to get to the right shade so this is accurate. Two coats, no topcoat:



Next is Kleancolor Neon Purple. This one is a midtoned purple with silver shimmer, and it's pretty unique. I don't have anything like it and I don't think I've seen anything like it. It's so pretty, but I don't think I'd describe it as a neon. Two coats, no topcoat:





Finally, OPI Can You Dig It? from the Psychedelic Summer collection. This one is a warm purple creme. Two coats, no topcoat:



Formula-wise, OPI was typical in that it applied smoothly and evenly with great pigmentation. No surprises there.

I was rather suprised at the formulas on the other two. Both Neon Purple and Fierce Purple applied well and were nicely pigmented. I'm falling more and more in love with cheapies as the days go by.

Happy painting!

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Black Beauties

Today I have two black-based polishes: Wet 'N Wild Blackmail and NYX Girls Robotic. Both of these polishes have a black base with beautiful shimmer/glitter.

First up is Blackmail. The base contains blue and bronze glitter, and possibly pink and a few other colors that only flash occasionally. Nail pics are two coats, no topcoat.








Next up is NYX Girls Robotic. This one contains turquoise shimmer. It actually flashes green in the bottle, but it doesn't translate to the nail. I was really surprised by the depth of this polish. Nail pics are three coats, no topcoat.









This one reminds me of Cult Nails Living Water, only not as pretty.

Formula-wise, Blackmail really surprised me. It went on smoothly and was opaque in two coats. The only problem I had was with the brush. This was my first experience with the short bottles and the short, stubby brush. I'm sorry, but some things in life just should not be short and stubby. *Ahem* The other drawback is that this polish dries to a bumpy finish, so topcoat is a must.

Robotic wasn't as easy to work with. It was watery and needed three coats for opacity. One positive is that it dries to a very glossy finish.

Overall, I love them both and I especially love the prices.

Happy painting!

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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Cover Girl: Purplexed

Purplexed is a pretty cool duochrome. The base is a purple shimmer, and it flashes green and amber. Sad to say, but of all the purple duochromes in all the world, this has to be my least favorite. This is four coats, no topcoat.







Sunlight:




The formula was ok, but this is really, really sheer. That's not even why it's my least favorite, though. The purple is just so very meh. It's not deep or vivid or vibrant. It's just boring and washed out. Don't get me wrong, the duochrome effect is nice, but I can't get past the dull color to care. On someone else, this might be a winner, but I don't like at all on me.

Happy painting!

P.S. Don't forget to enter my giveaway for the chance to win some cool polishes, including a hard to find OPI!

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Tuesday, March 8, 2011

OPI: Catherine the Grape

Today I have a classic. Catherine the Grape, released with the OPI Russian collection, is a smoky purple with subtle bronze shimmer. This is one of my absolute favorite purples, and I have a lot of purples. There's just something about it...the depth, richness, color, shimmer...and it all comes together to make one fabulous and distinct shade. Hey OPI? Release more shades like this. Thanks.

Two coats, no topcoat.



Look at the shimmer. Isn't it beautiful?



The formula was perfect and CtG always wears well on me with only minor tip wear after a week. I should probably get a backup of this.

Happy painting!

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