Saturday, October 31, 2009

Hi!

Hey all,

Sorry again for the MIA-ness. I haven't posted because 1. my camera's been in my car, and I can't seem to remember to take it out and 2. this job hunt is really taking the wind out of my sails. Not only do I feel like I'm under a microscope all the time, but I'm about sick of interview-safe colors. How many times can one wear Tickle My Francey and not scream? :/

Anyway, we had a good time at the beach, though the trips there and back were nightmares. On the way down, we had a flat. We knew we were just borrowing time with our then-current tires, but we hit a bit of uneven road getting off an exit, and that coupled with the hot and thin tire, let to a disaster. We managed to call AAA and have them come put on the donut and we were thankfully just about 20 minutes away from the Sam's in Spartanburg, SC. It could have been much worse, but we didn't get to Myrtle Beach until 11p. :S And on the way back, we had to meander through the mountains of NC, as there was a huge rock slide on I-40.

Once I get my camera out of the car, I'll show you all some cute pics of my kiddies at the beach. Even though it's not NP related, I just want to show off my spawn. :D

As for the job hunt... Argh!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so over this shit. I interviewed at a place yesterday, where I'd love to work. It's a small law firm, and I think I'd fit right in. But, I don't feel confident about it. My interview was rushed because they were so busy, and they didn't even ask me a lot of questions. I know when I was called to scheduled to interview, I was told I was the first resume out of a 100 that they pulled out, but who knows. Oh well. I should know something soon, one way or another.

I think it this one doesn't pan out, I'm taking a few weeks off from the job hunt. I feel my self esteem slowly being picked away.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

KOTD: OPI Holiday Glow w/ ChG Delight and Emotion

I don't think I ever told you girls what my wonderful husband did last week...

As he's been unemployed, he's used this time to do a few things that he wasn't able to get to when he had a job. One of those things was cleaning out all his old geek junk from my IL's attic. We're talking a crap ton of Magic cards, RPG books, anime books/videos... you name it. And since we have no room in our house to store his geeky past, he took the stuff to sell at a used bookstore. He made $60, and then he said I could use it to buy nail polish, as he knew I wanted some more appropriate colors to wear to interviews.

So last week, I placed a TD order. Mostly with OPI Suedes, Holidays, and work safe colors. One of those I ordered was OPI Holiday Glow. I put it on last night. Here's a pic...



As you can tell, I did a konad, but more on that in a minute... As for Holiday Glow. There's a reason the initials are HG. LOL. I don't know what exactly this would be Holy Grail for, but whatever it is... this fits the bill. It's a hard color to describe, but I'll do my best. It's a deep burgundy/brown base with tons of gold, pink, and burgundy shimmer. It looks like glitter, but it's not at all bumpy. This is 2 coats, as the first one is a little thin. It also took 2 coats of TC to bring out the shine.

HG is from OPI's Holiday 2009 Wishes collection. I got 2 other colors from this collection, Merry Midnight and All A-bordeaux the Sled. Both of these look amazing as well. But at first glance, it looks like HG may be my favorite. I got mine from TD, but 8ty8 has them as well.

As for the konad, my plate collection is lacking in anything fall related. As I didn't want to do another falling leaves mani, I just chose flowers and butterflies. Zzzzzzzzzzzz, I know, but I think the colors look great over HG. I used Delight and Emotion to play up the pink and gold in the sparkle.

If you haven't tried any of the Romantiques yet, get a couple... I promise you won't be disappointed, especially if you use them for konadding. You can get them at just about every etailer and on eBay.

That's all for now. We are planning to go the beach this weekend, so you may see nothing from me until Monday. Have a good weekend. :)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

KOTD: Maybelline Majestic Mauve w/ ChG Passion

In my organizer, I keep my OPIs and Misas in the first drawer, my ChGs, Zoyas, and CCs in the second drawer, and everything else is on the bottom. As that drawer is on the floor, it's never properly organized, but more that that... I never use the polishes in that drawer, and that's where I keep my Essies, Maybellines, Orlys, Duris, Lippmanns, etc... . There's some good stuff in that drawer, but I always end up stopping at the OPI or ChG drawer in my search for a polish.

So, last night, I made a concerted effort to use a polish from my forgotten drawer. I decided to use Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds in Majestic Mauve. I topped it w/ a konad in ChG Passion. Plate is m64 (again... yes, I know I use the heck out of that plate, but this is my first time using the abstract lines design). Here's a pic:



First of all, it needs to be mentioned that Majestic Mauve is definitely NOT mauve. The majestic part, I get, but someone at Maybelline was smoking crack to call this mauve. It's more in the wine/burgundy/merlot family. It's loaded with tons of gold and burgundy shimmer. I know it's been compared to the much-sought-after OPI La Boheme. Though, I'm pretty sure La Boheme is a duochrome and there's no duochromeyness at all in MM. But, the color itself is very similar. If you are interested, here's a post on the NB by ohgracie comparing La Boheme to MM.

I think this is a gorgeous fall color. However, it was a bit of a problem child. I had more dings with this polish than I have with almost any other polish, Zoyas excluded. This was 2 coats, though some nails needed another thin coat to be opaque, so more like 2-ish coats. I finally got an even finish with the help of Orly Smudge Fixer, but it was a battle all evening.

This color is kind of rare if you are interested. There is one on eBay right now for around $9 shipped, which I think is a little overpriced for this color. I got mine at the Dollar Tree earlier this year. If you are trying to find this in an effort to squash a La Boheme lemming, my advice is to just go ahead and pick up La Boheme. It looks far more interesting, and it's going for about $15-20 on eBay. Personally, I don't own La Boheme, and it's not a huge lemming of mine, so I'll stick with MM, as it was dirt cheap. Though, now that I've looked at pics of La Boheme on NailGal, maybe I do want it. LOL. :P

As for the konad, you all know how I feel about the Romantiques collection in general, and Passion is no exception. I rarely have mishaps with these polishes. They are just great for the konad. They are like peanut butter and chocolate. Perfect together. I did have some issues with the polish leaving "shadows" on the stamper (and you can see them on my nails), but that was user error, rather than a problem with the polish.

And as I was sitting here typing this, I decided to slap on a coat of Orly Matte Top.



In general, I love Matte Top. I know Essie MAY and ChG's matte TC (can't remember the name right now), get tons of press/reviews, but I love Matte Top. It's great for the money and it's a ginormous bottle. It was $4.50 for .60 oz on VNS. However, I'm not sure if I love it over this color. I had the same issues with it being soft and dentable after I put on the matte top coat, as I did when I initially applied it. And it's still dentable a few hours later. Boo. I prefer it shiny. LOL.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

KOTD: CC Art of Seduction w/ CC Worth the Risque (Holiday Ideas)

Have you ever looked at all the colors in your stash and realized there was nothing you wanted on your nails? That happened to me last night. I went through all 3 of my drawers and couldn't find a single color I wanted to wear. That's when I remembered I had a box from VNS that I still hadn't put into my stash. I'd put it away after I OD'd, so when I opened it up last night, it was like Christmas all over again. LOL.

As I'd thought about creating a series of holiday mani ideas, I figured I'd start with CC Art of Seduction. Here's a pic...






Art of Seduction is part of CC's 2008 Glitter Vixen collection. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a collection of seven, color-specific, mega-glitters. I've reviewed the purple glitter before, but there's also a green, blue, gold, silver, holo, and this red. All the colors in the collection remind me of craft glitter. In fact, when I was putting this one on, I kept thinking that it was like my kids' glitter glue in texture and pigmentation. Each of these is saturated in color. And, except for the holo, unlike the ChG new glitters, there's no other color in these glitters. The red glitter is red, the blue glitter is blue, the green glitter is green, and so on and so forth. This is why it these are so unique to me and why the remind me of craft glitter glue.

The downside to these is that they are really bumpy and they take 2-3 coats to reach opacity. I did 2 on this mani, but it honestly could have used a third. I put 3 coats of TC over it and it helps a lot, but there's still a little bit of texturing to the finish, but since it's a glitter, you can't tell unless you touch it. It doesn't bother me, but if you are bugged by a little bumpiness, these may not be for you. I know it got some mixed reviews when it came out, but I love this collection (it's one of 2 collections of which I own every color).

As for Art of Seduction on it's own, it's got to be the best red glitter I own, and I have several, though I do not have Ruby Pumps (my sister stole it. grrr. :P). There's not much I can say about it, other than to say it looks like I put red craft glitter on my nails (and I know I've mentioned the craft glitter thing several times, but I find it so appropriate, I can't help myself. LOL).

The konad is plate m64, and I used CC Worth the Risque as the design color. This was my first time konadding with both a holo and a CC. WtR is from CC's Femme Fatale collection. I'm used to using my ChG Romantiques, and this was a little thin and the design isn't as bold as I thought it would be, but I think that's due to the formula of the CC rather than the fact it's a holo. I've seen konads done with ChG OMG and they were perfect. That said, I do like this. As much as I wanted a "slap yo mama" holo konad, I really love the subtly of WtR over the shimmery red glitter. I think this would be perfect for a holiday party.



You can get both these colors and their corresponding collections from H2T and VNS. I love CCs. I think they are great for the price.

Friday, October 16, 2009

A few recent N/KOTDs

I've been a posting fool tonight because we never did make it to the beach. It was going to be too cold and rainy, so we decided to scrap it until next week. I don't mind going to the beach when it's cooler, but I don't like it when it's gross. I can do gloomy in Knoxville. LOL.

Anyway, for my last post of the evening, I have a few recent N/KOTDs to show you. These are some that I've had hidden away on my camera for the past week or so.


OPI Glacier Bay Blues



GBB is from OPI's 2004 Fall Canadian collection. In the bottle, it's a pretty, dark blue that looks like it may have some green undertones. True to the name, it looks very watery. And it's one of those rare polishes that surprise you when you get them on the nail. It wasn't just deep blue (the pic is far lighter than it is IRL). It was a dark blue duochrome with a sometimes purple/sometimes green flash. There's also a touch of golden shimmer. I think this color just shot it's way into my top 20. It's seriously one of the best blues I own, and given my penchant for blues in recent months, that's saying something.

It's d/c'd, of course, but you can still find it on eBay and at etailers. I got mine on TD for $4.99. If you love blues and see this one still available, I recommend you pick it up before it's gone for good. It's worth it. :)

Next up...



OPI Rose to the Ovation

Now, I've waxed on poetically about RttO in the past. It, too, is in my top 20. It's from OPI's Holiday 2006 Rockettes collection. I have 4 from this collection and this, by far, is my favorite. As for the color, at first glance, you want to lump it in the OPI INRAW, Bogota Blackberry, Soho Nice to Meet You family. It's when you take a longer look at the color, that you realize that the only thing it has in common with those colors is that they are all in the red family (though SNTMY is, IMO, closer than the other 2). RttO is a gorgeous deep rose shimmer. That's the only way I know how to descibe it. It really is gorgeous and it's one of my go-to colors when I have no clue what else to wear.

It's been d/c'd (sense a theme?) and, as far as I know, no etailers have it. You can still get it on eBay, but the prices are pretty inflated. I managed to snag it for $7, but it looks like the going rate now is $25. I've said in the past that it's worth whatever you are willing to pay for it, but as much as I love it, I have to say that unless you are jonesing for it like crack, it's not unique enough for $25. Plus, eBay scalpers are pissing me off right now. Every time I see Boulder Creek Boutique (there are others, but she, especially, chaps my ass) charging outrageous prices for polishes I want to smack her through the computer (can you tell I'm lemming something really bad and I just can't allow myself pull the trigger on it? pssst... it's OPI Grand Teton Topaz... one day GTT... one day).

Okay, that went off on a tangent. Whoopsie. (blush) If you love it and can't find it, Soho Nice to Meet you is a nice compromise. It doesn't match exactly, as it's got more red in it, but it is close. Of course, it, too, is d/c'd. However, it's much easier to find that RttO. And it's about $6 compared to $25.


Lastly...



ChG Emerald Sparkly with ChG Cherish konad (sorry about the hair. That's really gross, but I wanted you to see the pic)

A few days ago, Scrangie had a post about Depression Awareness Month. Having struggled with depression my entire teen through adult life, and currently dealing with a bout of it due to our job situation, I decide to recognize the month with an Emerald Sparkle/Cherish konad. I used the bow plate (m59) as Konad does not have a ribbon plate.

Emerald Sparkle is a dark green jelly with a crap-ton of green glitter crammed into it. It has been HTF for awhile, as it's a holiday polish, but ChG has re-released it in the China Glaze Loves You Snow Much collection for Holiday 2009. This is one I got off VNS as few months ago, so I don't know if it's the good version or the not-so-good version (I think the good one supposedly has a deeper base), but I love it no matter what.

You can get Cherish online at etailers, and Emerald Sparkle is available at etailers as well, but you can probably find it at Sally's soon, though I haven't seen it at mine yet, due to the re-release.

Okay, that should be it for now. No updates to post on the job front, other than the mention that every job I interview for mentions that they have many applicants to chose from. Nice. The one I interviewed at yesterday, which was $9/hr and no benefits, had 45. FORTY-FIVE. Good thing I don't really want it. Oh well. The right job will come along.

NOTD: Nina Pro Out of the Blue

I posted a pic of this color in my review of Migi Nail Art, but I'll post it again just in case you didn't see the Migi post.



A few months ago, I was jones-ing Chanel Blue Satin pretty hardcore. I kept stalking it on eBay and on Chanel.com, but I never got around to pulling the trigger. I did a web search for dupes and Ballz and Thinner mentioned that Nina Pro Out of the Blue is a good dupe of the Chanel. I picked it up at Sally's for around $3 and finally got around to putting it on last night.


It applied well in 1 coat. I had a bit of texturing on my thumbs, but I blame that one my TC. I don't really like the tiny wand on the Nina Pro brushes, but that's my only application complaint. As for the color, I do like it, but if it is as dupey to the Chanel as it looks in pics, then I'm glad I just spent $3. It's a pretty color. A deep, rich, almost-black navy with a hint of shimmer, and for dirt cheap, I love it. Had I spent almost $30 on it, I would have been a little underwhelmed. It seems that the more I spend on a polish, the more I expect choirs of angels to sing while I'm applying it. It's not as pretty on the nail as it is in the bottle, but for 3 bucks, I'm just fine with it.


Nina Pro is available at Sally Beauty Supply and for the month of October, Nina Pros are $2.99 each. They are normally near the floor, which bugs the crap out of me. They have some really cute colors, so if you are in Sally's and are in the mood for cheap polish, check out the Nina display. I have 2. This one, which I love, and In a Tiff, which I love in the bottle, but not on me.

Migi Nail Art

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Migi Nail Art asking if I'd like to try and review a few samples of their product. As I'm always up to try new things, I said yes! I received the samples a few days ago, and lemme tell you... I think this is a fantastic new product for us amateur nail artists.


As you may have noticed, I love nail art. Up until I became an advanced novice on the konad, I tried striper pens and decals. Decals are okay, but some of them are a PITA to remove from the backing and they are pretty spendy unless you order in bulk from eBay or a company like Cina Pro. And you never know what you are going to get with the eBay items.

Striper pens, however, are the bane of my existence. They are just so hard to use and control, and while I can usually paint a deformed flower on my nail, there's no way I can get salon quality nail art with them, especially with my non-dominant hand.

Here's where I think Migi Nail Art fills the void. It's has a double cap on it so you can use a brush for painting your nails and the pen for drawing designs or creating swirls. There's nothing special about the brush, it's just your everyday nail polish brush (pic below), but the pen is perfect. It's a small point just like you'd see on a gel pen you'd get a Walmart (again, pic below).


brush


pen point

This point allowed me so much control, even with my left hand. I did a simple design today, but in the future, I plan on doing more elaborate designs to try the products to the fullest. I think my next design will be a corset pattern. Here's what I did today...



This is the white Migi Nail Art pen over a base coat of Nina Pro Out of the Blue. As Nina Pro OotB is supposedly a dupe for Chanel Blue Satin, I immediately thought of pearls, due to the Chanel dupey-ness (since this post is a review of Migi Nail Art, I'll save my review of Nina Pro OotB for a post to follow). So I use the white pen to create small dots in random, chain patterns on my nails.

I adore this look. It's fun and was pretty easy to create with the Migi pen. I couldn't see myself being able to do this with a striper pen. I suppose if you had a dotting tool you could, but this was by far easier, IMO. I did have a little bit of streaking when I applied my TC (it doesn't look nearly as bad on the nail as it does in the macro pics. Yikes), but that could just be the fact that I only waited 10 minutes. You may have to give it a bit more time.

Migi Nail Art is available here. They have 5 sets available, in a variety of colors. They are $24.95 a set with each set being 8 colors (4 wands with 2 colors on a wand with screw link in between). I received 4 colors in my sample pack, black, white, red, and gold, and I plan to use them more in the near future.

In short, I whole-heartedly endorse this product. I love them so much, in fact, that I really want to try a few additional colors, and when I have some extra cash, I may pick up a set. If you love nail art like me, I suggest you give this product a try. I think you'll love it, too.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

MIA

Sorry for being MIA. I've been so busy with this job hunt and interviews that I haven't had much time to blog. I have some recent pics I need to post, but I don't know when I'll get to it. We've decided to take a short trip to the beach for the twins' fall break. Tim had some Hilton points we could use, so it's cheap. YAY! We leave tomorrow

I have another job interview tomorrow at 10a and I had one today, so I'm ready to take a break from talking about my strengths and weaknesses. :S LOL. Aaaand, we are leaving for the beach right after I get home, take off my dress clothes and load up the car. Insanity. The plan was to leave earlier, but I got the call for the interview and I didn't want to say "no thanks... can't do it at that time... I'm broke and need a job, but hey... going to the beach". I didn't think that would be good impression.

Well that's all for now. Not much to talk about, but it annoys me when people leave their blogs idle for weeks, even though I realize life gets in the way. I'll try to take a few moments to update soon. Have a great weekend everyone. :)

Saturday, October 10, 2009

A quick bit of good news...

the place I told you all about a couple of days ago asked me to come in for an interview. Right now, I'm not really nervous because I feel like I have nothing to lose, but I'm sure come Monday, I'll be ready to puke. :S

I haven't looked for a job since 2003, and I haven't started a new job since 1999 (I briefly looked for something else after I graduated while still at my former employer). I think part of me has a little trepidation at the thought of getting a new job. Frankly, I enjoy not working. I like not having to answer to someone. I like not being under deadlines. However, I do miss having a sense of accomplishment and, ultimately, a paycheck, so in that regard, I'm kind of hoping I'm the right fit.

Tomorrow, I have to go to the mall and get 1-2 outfits to interview in. I haven't been employed since 2007 and unfortunately, the 20 lbs I've gained make any old clothes I may have had, impossible to wear. :( Plus, my old office was pretty casual, and since I don't wear dressy clothes to church as I'm always in a choir robe, my interview choices are kind of slim pickins'. We don't really have the money for new clothes, but I suppose you have to spend money to make money. Thank goodness, for credit cards and a 30% coupon at Lane Bryant.

Also, I do have one problem that I'd like some feedback on. I'm kind of perplexed about my np options for my interview. I've already chosen a color, and I'm wearing it now, but I hope it's not too dark. I tried a pale, neutral last night (OPI Skinny Dip'n in Lake Michigan) and it was dreadful. My skin is so pale that most light colors look like utter crap on me. I don't have many in my collection anyway, so I had to go w/ something darker. I wanted to chose something that would give me a little boost of confidence. I chose OPI Rose to the Ovation. I don't have a pic right now, but it's a rosier version of OPI I'm Not Really a Waitress. I'll take a pic later Sunday so you all can see it. Do you think this will be okay? I can change it if need be, but I think it will be okay, but then again, I've been out of the workforce for 2.5 yrs and even when I was there, my office was okay w/ anything.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Essie Joins the Fight Against Breast Cancer

I received this yesterday from Essie's PR Department:


ESSIE COSMETICS SAYS ‘YES WE CAN!’ TO WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST BREAST CANCER
Introducing the Limited Edition Polish

‘Yes We Can, Pink!’Wear pink this October…on your fingers and toes in an effort to raise breast cancer awareness. To join in the fight against the powerful disease, essie cosmetics has created Yes We Can, Pink!, a new nail color, for which a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women affected by the disease.

“There’s no better way to empower women than to make them feel beautiful,” says Essie Weingarten, founder and president, Essie Cosmetics. “Yes We Can, Pink! is inspired by the soft, pale pink color associated with breast cancer awareness and will help to remind those wearing it that there is hope.”

To commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, 10% of the proceeds from essie’s limited edition polish, Yes We Can, Pink! will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer in a collaborative effort to raise interest, awareness and funds for women coping with the disease.

Living Beyond Breast Cancer is dedicated to giving women the information and education they need to live as long as possible with the best quality of life. The organization offers specialized programs and services to women affected by the disease as well as their family members, friends and healthcare providers.

Yes We Can, Pink! is available at
http://www.essie.com/ and fine spas, salons and beauty stores nationwide beginning in October 2009. SRP $8.00 USD.


I don't have pictures of this myself, but I did happen to find swatches on Mary's blog.

It's a nice idea, and I do applaud Essie for contributing to LBBC, but come on... do we need another sheer pink, especially from Essie? Most of the women I know who are currently fighting breast cancer or who have fought breast cancer, and especially those who succumbed to the disease were not "pale pink women". They are fighting or have fought breast cancer with every fiber in their being. They are bold, bright, "hot pink women". I realize that pale, soft pink has become synonymous with the Susan G. Komen foundation and the fight for breast cancer in general, but it's also associated with shyness and meekness, IMO, and when you are fighting for your life, you are neither of those things. I read that pink was chosen as the color for breast cancer because it represents femininity at a time when a person dealing with this disease feels their least feminine. I get all that, and I think it's a wonderful idea, and I'm definitely NOT disparaging companies for creating pink products in an order to help breast cancer research. What I do have a (small) issue with is why everything has to be pale pink. Why not bold, hot pink, ala Essie Pink Parka? For me, bright pink is far more empowering than soft pink. And as much as I want to support breast cancer research, since I have yet to see a nail polish created specifically for the cause that interests me, I will support the cause in other ways.

I hope my little soapbox rant did offend anyone, because I do understand the idea behind the color and I have no problem with companies creating products to help the cause, I just wish they put a little more thought into it that producing yet another pale pink.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

KOTD: ChG Cosmic/Fairy Dust with ChG Adore

Goodness... where has the week gone. I haven't been satisfied with a mani in days, so I haven't gotten around to posting anything. However, I finally managed to do one I'm proud of....

This is ChG Cosmic with a coat of Fairy Dust over top. Then I added a simple konad design in ChG Adore.






super close up of sparklies...


To start, I wasn't sure about Cosmic. It was horribly chunky after I applied it. Like Deborah Lippmann created it, chunky. Also, the gorgeous holo and silver glitter that was magnificent in the bottle, just didn't translate to the nail. It was there, but it kind of fell flat because the black base was so dark. The good thing was that it was opaque in one coat. I did a couple of spot touch ups on a few nails, so a few places were 2-ish coats, but for the most part, it was one. Unfortunately, that was the best thing about Cosmic itself. It's a great concept, but it just doesn't work with Cosmic alone.

But... don't give it up on it just yet. If you have ChG Fairy Dust, it's the perfect thing to put over Cosmic. Fairy Dust is a silver, holo shimmer top coat. I haven't been a huge fan of it before now, but over Cosmic, it's magic It basically brings it to life. You may be able to simply put FD over a black polish and get the same results, but I doubt it. There's something about the holo shimmer over the silver and holo glitter that is amazing. I know I said WnW FM Black Magic was going to be my go-to party mani, but this one may just take its spot.

And, because my NP ADD is always in full force, I added a konad. Design is in ChG Adore and plate is m8.

Also, this may be NP blasphemy, but I am not a huge fan of holos. I like some subtle OPI DS, like Fantasy and Sensation, but I gave my Exclusive away because the holo was too much. I've also been reluctant to use FD because I didn't like the look it gave in low light or shade. It just looked like flat grey dots. However, for some reason, even in the shade, this mani is amazing. It doesn't glitter like it would in full sun, but there's something so pretty about the grey dots over the black.

If you are interested in these polishes, Cosmic is from the new glitterpolooza of 50 new glitters that ChG has out now. Fairy Dust is part of the regular line up, I think I either got mine at Sally's or at TD. Lastly, Adore is from the Romantique Collection and I got mine at VNS.

Finally, I wanted to mention this here because I know a few of you have been keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers. I did get a bite on one of my resumes. It's for an Office Manager position with a local records company. I'm not counting my chickens yet because according to the person hiring, there are many resumes they have to chose from, but it's something. Until now, it felt like my resumes were going into a black hole. Still nothing for Tim, but if I get a job, he's seriously considering changing careers either becoming a math teacher or a CPA. Thanks again for your thoughts/prayers, I really appreciate them. :)

Friday, October 2, 2009

KOTD: OPI Pamploma Purple w/ ChG Harmony and Devotion



Quick and dirty post. I swear, I can't handle a non-konadded mani, so I did this while the kidlets were napping. It's OPI Pamploma Purple and ChG Harmony and Devotion. Plate is m40, which is a little troublesome because the designs are so intricate. All in all, I like this one, though it did take while to do.

A Couple Previous KOTDs, a Current NOTD and a Score!

I've been having some issues with my present nail/glue combo lasting for more than a day, so I have a couple KOTDs to show, both of which were removed before they'd even been on 24 hrs.

The first KOTD was achieved using Nina Pro In A Tiff, konad plate m64 and a combination of colors which included Misa Chocolate Icing, ChG Adore and Passion. I also matted it with Orly Matte Top. I swear I've become addicted to matting lately.


I loved this look on the nail, but once you saw the whole package with my hands and skin tone, it just looked odd. I was prepared to leave it on for a few days, but due to my aforementioned issues, it was lifting by that evening.

In A Tiff is a soft Tiffany-esque blue that is very similar to For Audrey. Unfortunately, there is too much light green in it for it work w/ my skin. Chocolate Icing is a rich metallic brown in the bottle, but on the nail, it looked like a brick red. Though, I bet w/ more coats, it would be bottle color. Adore is a metallic blue and Passion is a metallic gold.

Nina Pro is available at Sally's. Adore and Passion are from the Romantiques collection and though I have no idea what collection Chocolate Icing is from, it is available at TD. In a Tiff applied okay. This is 2 coats. It was a little thin, so it was a tad difficult to control.

This second KOTD is OPI Music Hall Curtain Call with plate m20 and ChG Passion, Cherish, and Poetic (I think... for some reason, my brain is shot today). I also used Matte Top.


Yes, another "falling leaves" konad. I loved the first one so much that I had to try it with another color combination and I may have to try it yet again, so if you get tired of the leaves, I apologize in advance. I loved this one as well, and MHCC actually worked with my skin because there is so much pink in it. Unfortunately, it was lifting up as well, so I had to remove it. I also had other issues (with both of these, in fact... but more on that in a bit).

MHCC is from OPI's Holiday 2006 Rockettes collection. It's a gorgeous pink-copper-orange-gold metallic. It kind of reminds me of Man of La Mancha, if MoLM had been a foil-ly metallic and not a duochrome. Shiny, it's a hard color to describe, but matted, it becomes a rusty orange with tons of pink undertones. That's why it worked with my skin. I have 4 from this collection and each one is a amazing. I got mine on eBay for ~$7, and I think at this point, it's only available at eBay or in a dusty. This is 2 coats.

Lastly, 2 of my local Krogers are closing to consolidate into one big Kroger. I'm a little miffed about them closing my favorite Kroger, but since they are marking down all cosmetics to clear them out, I'd dealing. Last night, my sister and I happened to go to the other Kroger that is closing (I've already shopped the one near me 3-4x). And lo and behold, they had an OPI Espana display on the top shelf. WHA??? They were marked down to $3.99. There were only 4 left, but I snatched them up. Then some older woman proceeded to stalk me for 10 minutes seeing if I'd put them up. No way, lady... these were mine. I got Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, Suzi Skiies the Pyrenees, No Spain No Gain, and Pamploma Purple (my current NOTD). I was so excited I couldn't pass them up, despite my no buy.

Finally, here's a pic of Pamploma Purple. No flash, so you can get a true color representation.



I apologize for the glue around my cuticles. I've since cleaned it off. As for the color, It's an amazing plum-my purple with very fine and sparse purple shimmer. In fact, you'd think this was a creme until you got right on it and held your hand at just the right angle. The shimmer is not noticeable in the bottle. This is 2 coats and it applied like a dream. However, I did have an issue with it bubbling on 2 nails on my right hand.

Also, as I mentioned this earlier in this post, I wanted to tell you all of an issue I'm having with Orly Matte Top. Lately, it's taking forever to dry and it's making the polish very soft in the process, so I'm getting tons of dings. I think the problem is that I'm applying it over set, but not fully cured nail polish. I don't have this problem when I apply it over NP that is 1-2 days old.

Not sure if I'll be around much this w/e as I'm planning on finishing the murals in my kids' rooms. Hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend.