Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light

This is 2 coats of Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light topped with one coat of Sally Hansen Insta-Dri topcoat.

I had been lemming this polish since it was released.  Then I read reviews that the formula was problematic, so I opted to get Ray of Light's sister polish, Sweet Dreams, instead.  However, I couldn't kill the lemming.  So, when Ray of Light became available on Apothica.com, I snatched it up.

In the bottle, it is so, so pretty.  It's a deep, indigo jelly-ish creme loaded with multi-chrome flakies.  On the nail, however, it was a little disappointing.  It was thick, and yet runny all at the same time.  It also didn't want to self-level (as you can see on my ring finger).  Additionally, it dried a bit muddy, so you must use a topcoat, and I probably would use two coats of topcoat.  

All that said, It's still beautiful, so I am happy that I finally got my hands on it.  Just know that if you are lemming it, too, it's not the easiest polish to work with.  If you love the look of the multi-chrome flakies from Deborah Lippmann, I would first recommend picking up Sweet Dreams (because it's fantastic).  Also, please keep in mind that Deborah Lippmann's information states that this polish, as well as Sweet Dreams, have 3-D holographic flakies.  These flakies are not holographic, they are multichrome.  

Ray of Light is available through various online outlets, including Apothica.com.  Retail price is $18 a bottle.

Ray of Light was purchased by me from Apothica.com.  I used a gift card that I receive though my sponsorship agreement with Apothica.  The above links in this post link to a previous post on this blog, as well as to this product on Apothica's website and are not affiliate links.

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams

Several days ago, I posted that I had become with obsessed with Deborah Lippmann Ray of Light.  Because of this obsession, I looked for any and all swatches of Ray of Light I could find and during said search, I learned that Ray of Light had a pink sister, Sweet Dreams.  Once I saw pics of it, I had to have it.  You mean mylar flakies in a hot pink jelly?  Okay... NEED.  LOL.  

Anyway, despite my lemmings, I'd been hemming and hawing on purchasing both Ray of Light and Sweet Dreams mainly because of availability.  Deborah Lippmann's site had both, but I didn't want to spend the amount to get the free shipping, so I had to find another source.  Turns out, HSN had Sweet Dreams, but not Ray of Light (it had gone out of stock).  But I still couldn't pull the trigger.  That was until I tweeted asking if I should get it or not.  Once Deborah Lippmann tweeted me back saying "I say YES" (!), I decided it had to be mine.  :)

I ordered it from HSN on 4/27/2012 and I just got it today.  Pretty good turn-around time (not like Zappos, but nothing is), but what sucks is that the bottle was completely broken.  And I really don't think it happened in shipment.  I've ordered Lippmanns from numerous locations and I've never received a broken bottle.  It looks like this one was dropped.  :(

Thankfully, HSN has online chat, so I was able to immediately chat with a representative.  If you are hesitating ordering from HSN, don't.  No questions asked I got a new bottle shipped out to me.  Their customer service was amazing (and customer service is one of my hot buttons).  That made me very happy, but I was also bummed because I had a bottle of pretty polish that I couldn't use and couldn't swatch.  It made my polish-loving heart very sad.  See...

Well, I decided to take a closer look at the broken bottle and I realized that if I was careful, I could open it and use it.  And that's what I did...

This is 3 coats of Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams with Nubar Diamont top coat.  I applied the top coat simply to add shine.  It wasn't bumpy at all.  

I knew I would love this polish and lemme tell you, I wasn't wrong.  It's amazing.  It's a bright, medium-toned, strawberry pink jelly loaded with duo-chrome mylar flakies, that don't get lost in the base color.  I needed all three coats to reach full opacity, but you are going to want those coats to achieve a layered affect with the flakies.  I know, I'm usually about fewer coats, but it dried quickly and the formula is very easy to work with.  

I am so happy I got this, even if I had to deal with a small issue (I do plan on decanting what's in the broken bottle into an old topcoat bottle).  And of course, now I can't get the Marilyn Manson version of "Sweet Dreams" out of my head (and I'm sure that wasn't Deborah's inspiration. LOL), but that's one of the reasons I bought it <blush> so that's okay.  :P

Sweet Dreams is currently available at Deborah Lippmann's website, as well as Nordstrom.com (they must have gotten it after I ordered from HSN).  I got mine from HSN.com, where it still available for $16, rather than the $18 elsewhere.

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Deborah Lippmann I Know What Boys Like with KleanColor Chunky Purple Holo

Today is Day 27 in my "30 Days of Blues".  If you remember me lamenting over Julep Taylor, you may know that I was trying to find my perfect periwinkle blue nail polish.  I thought that Taylor was much too purple, so after I removed it, I started searching for just the right shade.  And I think I may have found it in I Know What Boys Like...

It is just the perfect dusty shade of periwinkle.  Unfortunately, I had topcoat bubbles (which make me stabby), so I had to slap some glitter on it to mask them.  I chose KleanColor Chunky Purple Holo, which is a clear, light purple base loaded with multi-chrome glitter (it's not a holo).  

This 3 coats of I Know What Boys Like, and 2 coats of Chunky Purple Holo.  Best part?  I know have  the song by The Waitresses running though my head.  :P  And now you may have it, too.  LOL.

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Lapis Amethyst

First off, I want to that you all so much for responding in my last post, emailing me, and participating with me in my "30 Days of Blues".  I appreciate it more than you know.

Today, for my "30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness", I have for you Sally Hansen Lapis Amethyst...

Lapis Amethyst is an old Sally Hansen Nail Prisms.  It's a light shimmery turquoise with a purple shift.  I got it and a bunch more on eBay last year when I went on a gluttonous buying spree.  I had purchased Turquoise Opal and I added this one to my cart to justify the shipping (don't we all do that.  LOL).  

I didn't actually mean for this to be my blue polish of the day.  I had simply swatched it on one nail to see the duochrome flash.  However, it looked so pretty, that I decided to simply do more coats and make it my blue nail of the day.  Unfortunately, because it's a gazillion years old, it's thin, stinks to high heaven, and took a hundred coats to reach any sort of opacity (in actuality, it was like 6 thin coats).  And, due to the number of coats, the pretty purple flash all but goes away.  I also found that the flash also goes away when you layer it over another blue.  So, in my experience, there's really no way to keep the duochrome flash and have it be opaque.  Like I said, it's pretty, but not one of the Nail Prisms I would seek out, like Turquoise Opal.  

Thank you so much for reading.  If there is any blue polish in particular you would like to see during my "30 Days of Blues", please let me know and if I have it, I will be glad to add it to my list.  Just let me know in this post or you can email me your suggestions to megan@apolishproblem.com.  

Today's Nails - Zoya Lolly

This manicure was inspired by a comment in one of my recent posts.  Diana suggested topping a hot pink with gold glitter.  I thought that was a perfect idea, though, just like all my ideas of late, it didn't work out exactly as planned.

I applied a version of this manicure last night using Illamasqua Collide and Lippmann Boom Boom Pow.  Unfortunately, my bad luck with Collide continues and I could not get it to set.  It was still wet when I was ready to go to sleep, so rather than deal with sheet marks, I removed it.

Today, I wanted to reapply the look, but I was still wary of Collide.  I tried to find another hot pink, Julep Samantha, but it seems to be missing at the moment, so I went with Zoya Lolly, from their 2011 Mod Matte collection.  But the base color alone didn't quite work for me (it's not as neon as Collide), so I added 2 thin coats of Klean Color Chunky Candy Holo (bottle pic).  Chunky Candy Holo is such a unique glitter top coat.    It is small mutli-chrome glitter that shift from pink to orange to gold in a bright pink sheer base.  I then added a coat of my favorite glitter top coat, Lippmann Boom Boom Pow and topped the whole thing with Nubar Diamont.

Zoya Lolly is available from Zoya.com (and currently they have a B3G3 promotion with code SPRING3).

Yesterday's Nails - Zoya Ki

Okay, so calling this one "Yesterday's Nails" is a bit of a misnomer, as it only lasted about 30 minutes, but I wanted to show it to you nonetheless.  In some regards, Zoya is one of the most tempermental formulas, IMO.  I love the colors, but you have to really know what base/top coats work with Zoya and your body chemistry and Nubar Diamont, Zoya Ki, and my chemistry did not play nice with this one.  It was still gooey after 30 minutes, so I gave up and took it off. 

Again, I'm trying to use some older polishes in my NOTDs, and I've had this one for awhile.  IMO, it is quite similar, IMO, to Zoya Adina, and I have to say that I think I actually prefer Adina.  However, that said, it is a fabulous color.  One that I would like to try again with the right combination of basecoat and topcoat.  It is a beautiful smoky purple shimmer that shifts to green.  The color shift was hard to get with my camera, but you can somewhat see it on the second picture.  Normally, green-shifting polishes don't look all that great on me, but this one looked better than most. 

The formula is thin and I had to use 3 coats to reach full opacity. 

Hope you all don't mind the watermark on my photos.  I know I've never used a watermark before, but I had to edit out a cut on my cuticle (trust me, you didn't want to see that), so I figured I'd play around with a watermark.  I actually like it. 



Yesterday's Nails: Crazy Navy

I wanted to preface this by saying that I am not normally one to show a gazillion pictures of the same manicure, but for this one, I felt that several pictures were necessary to show just how pretty this was.  This is 2 coats of OPI Russian Navy and 1 coat of Klean Color Chunky Holo Bluebell...

I had been wanting to dig Russian Navy out of the depths of my storage container for a few days.  Russian Navy is one of those colors that it took me several uses to like it.  When I first got it, right after the OPI Russia collection came out, I loved it in the bottle, but hated it on the nail.  At the time, I had acrylics, and I thought it just was too much on the long nails.  However, once I tried it on shorter nails, I liked it much more.  Unfortunately, right after I applied my manicure, I got tip wear (grrr), so I decided to apply something over top.  My first thought was to do glitter tips and then I saw Klean Color Chunky Holo Bluebell in my glitter/holo drawer.  I adore these Klean Color Chunky Holos.  Bluebell is a slightly blue base with random-sized multi-chrome (green, gold, red) glitter.  I think this is a fabulous combo.

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms Turquoise Opal

I waffled on posting this all day.  Thing is, it took this about 2a, after taking a sleeping pill, so my cuticles look awful.  I'd been swatching Zoya's summer collection and I must have been high when I removed the last one.  However... this color is too amazing to not post it.  So, my apologies in advance for my bad cuticles and for any lemmings this may have created.

This is one coat of Sally Hansen Turquoise Opal over 2 coats of Illamasqua Boosh.

Remember all my whining about wanting an oilslick polish.  Well girls, this *almost* kills the lemming.  I still want something a bit more pastel, but this is so gorgeous that I may forget about the oilslick.  LOL.

Then, just a little bit ago, I got a little creative.  I was getting ready to take this off, so I figured I'd play with it. This is ChG Crushed Candy over my original mani.  I used a swirl/circular motion.  I also topped it with another coat of Turquoise Opal and then TC.

Unfortunately, Turquoise Opal is HTF and you have to resort to eBay.  I hate to say it because scalpers make me stabby, but if you can afford this... you need it.

These were all purchased by me.

A few OPI Designer Series Swatches

Like the rest of the nail polish world, I've recently found myself lemming holo (and duo/multi chromes, but that's another post) polishes like nobody's bidnez.  With OPI Designer Series polishes being the main objects of my affection.  :)  

What's funny is when I first started reading nail blogs, I picked up a few holos and just didn't like them (*gasp*).  I even had OPI Exclusive and gifted away to my sister (*gasp* again), though she said doesn't use it and I can have it back.  Nowadays, I can't get enough of them.  But (and this is a big but), they can't be sparse scattered holos.  I recently saw ChG Tronica at Sally's and the holo was so scattered and so hidden that I immediately put them down.  I like a holo, that even in low light, you can tell what it is.  That's what I love about the older OPI Designer Series polishes.

Here are 2 of the old DS holos I picked up last week...

Chiffon - rose pink holo.  I loved this one since the moment I saw a swatch of it, which was probably a year ago.  Unfortunately, even back then, it was already d/c'd and being sold at ridiculously jacked up prices on eBay.  So I passed.  I picked up OPI DS Opulence in hopes that it would be a good substitute, but unfortunately, it wasn't as bright as I wanted.  So I continued to lem Chiffon.  I was finally going to pull the trigger on eBay, and then I found it for $8 on Amazon (unfortunately, they've since sold out :( ).  Unfortunately, I think the pink may be a tad too warm for my skintone, but I think it's still a beautiful polish.  The formula was thin, but that's okay, because you want it to be buildable.  Pic is 4 coats.

Desire - Smoky, golden holo.  This one is such an unusual shade.  At some point last year, TransDesign happened to put a bunch of older Designer Series polishes on their site.  Maybe they found a box hidden in a corner.  Dunno?  Anyway, I'd waffled on this one a few times.  I obsessively looked at Scrangie's picture (which is amazing, btw) and read as many reviews as I could find, and when I finally decided that YES, I wanted it... it'd sold out.  :(  I was bummed, as the only other place I could find it was jacked up on eBay.  I'd do a search for it ever-so-often, and I finally found this one, about a week ago, at Beauty Clutch.  It was retail ($12.50), but I'd pay retail over jacked-up, eBay prices anyday.  When I first put this one on, I was a little disappointed.  It was more golden than I'd seen in pics.  Then I started adding on the coats.  With each subsequent coat, the base color deepened.  By 4 coats, it was a beautiful smoky, blackened gold.   I seriously think this is tying OPI MPJ holo as my favorite polish of all time.  Sigh.

In addition to holos, it seems that OPI, especially recently, is using their Designer Series line to showcase duochrome-y shimmers, like this one...

Magic - royal blue shimmer with purple/pink duochrome shimmer.  I knew I would love this one as soon as I saw it in the bottle.  The royal blue is so pretty.  I kept thinking "this is what I wanted ChG Dorothy Who to look like".  It's so amazing.  Formula was perfect.  Pic is 2 coats.  This one is a new release (came out end of last year), so it's easily available.  I got mine on Amazon for $4+ shipping.

Hope you guys like these.  I'm still lemming on OPI DS polishes (Illuminate and Coronation to name 2), but they are going to have to wait awhile, taxes are looming.  :\

Adoree Polishes

Recently, the great folks at Esther's Nail Center sent me 5 Adoree polishes to swatch and review.

Unlike usual, I applied all these polishes over a sticky basecoat (Amour).  Some were thin so it made everything flow better.

Also, as Esther's lists Adoree by number first, I've included that with each review.

166 Deep Purple - Tyrian purple shimmer with red and blue shimmer particles.  This is a deep, rich, and regal vampy purple shimmer.  When I first saw it in the bottle, I thought I wasn't going to like it, as I saw silver ribbons.  And silver ribbons usually equate to frosty mess, but I was pleasantly surprised.  There is a bit of frosty sheen to the finish, but it's not brush-stroke-y and it's not unflattering.  This was one of the thicker formulas that I tried.  Pic is 2 coats.

216 Fruit Shake - Pale milky peach with silver microshimmer.  Okay, when I say "microshimmer", I mean microshimmer.  The shimmer is definitely there, but because it is so fine, it tends to sit on top of the polish, giving the finish a slight pearl effect.  It's not a pearl polish, but it does have a bit of a pearly sheen.  I think this is a beautiful color, although it doesn't really work with my pink skin.  I think it would look fabulous in the summer with tanned skin.  It reminds me of a peach milkshake.  The formula was pretty thin, but it was manageable.  Pic is 3 coats.

191 Harbor Brown - Medium-toned brown frost.  In the bottle, I thought this was going to more of a muted chrome, but once I put it on, it was full-on frost.  The shade is pretty... a slightly warm, pink-based brown, but I didn't really care for the finish.  I went very slow and was careful with my strokes, but you can still see strokes, which is just the nature of the frosty beast.  The formula was nice.  2 coats.

165 Ivory Tusk - Golden ivory shimmer.  This is another one I think would perfect on darker or tanned skin.  It's sheer so it would either need to be worn as-such or be used as a top coat.  I think this would look great over red or deep purple.  3 coats.

Tahitian Pearl - Grey-green/purple duochrome.  Unlike the other polishes in this post, Tahitian Pearl is LE.  Also, it doesn't have an item #.  It's the first polish listed in their Adoree selection.  If you love anything duochrome-y, you are going to LOVE this one.  The green/purple flash on this is gorgeous.  The catch?  Of course there had to be a catch... it's extremely thin.  Like if-the-color-wasn't-so-amazing-I-wouldn't-fool-with-it thin.  This picture is 5 coats.  I would normally never recommend a 5-coat polish, but the coats on this were very thin and it dried quickly.  After I applied the last coat, I added a coat of SV and within minutes it was dry.  So, while it is many coats, it's also not out-of-the-question.  It's so pretty, I say it's my favorite of the 5 despite the thinness.  It does look nice layered, but that has a tendency to change it from a duochrome to a shimmer.

In the US, Adoree is exclusively available at Esther's Nail Supply (at least I think it's exclusive).  I haven't seen it elsewhere online and I'm not sure if it's sold in B&M supply stores.  Adoree retails for $6 each and Esther's offers free shipping over $89 (they carry CND Shellac and a bunch of other supplies as well).

These were sent to me for review

OPI Katy Perry Collection

Almost a month after I brought you my first post on OPI's new crackle topcoat, Black Shatter, I'm finally able to review the complete Katy Perry collection.  FYI, as each polish has 2 looks, one without the Black Shatter and one with it, I've put the "without" picture above my description and the "with" picture below it.  Also, all pictures of Black Shatter, save for The One that Got Away + Black Shatter have a top coat of Seche Vite.

Last Friday Night - Blue, green, and holo glitter in a watery, pale blue, clear base.  This glitter is very pretty, but unlike Teenage Dream, I wasn't a fan of it alone.  It would look great as a layering polish or under Black Shatter (below).  It seemed rather washed out by its lonesome, though.  2 coats.

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Not Like the Movies - Grey/pink/green/purple/kitchen sink multichrome frost with microglitter shimmer.  This color is amazing.  Normally, grey-based duo/multichromes don't really do much for me.  They have a tendency to give me corpse hands.  Plus, while I love them in the bottle, they kind of disappoint on the nail (I fully realize this is not a normal sentiment)  In fact, I blog-sold Lippmann Wicked Game for that exact reason. Yet, Not Like the Movies was a total win.  The best thing about it is the twinkle of the microglitter.  Unlike other frost + glitter combos (i.e. Color Club Ms. Hautie and, to a lesser extent, Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast), the glitter doesn't get lost in this one.  It's as beautiful in the bottle as it is on the nail.  I also happens to look fantastic with Black Shatter (below).  The only downside to this polish is the thinness of the formula.  It takes 4 coats to reach total opacity.  Pic is 4 coats.

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Teenage Dream - Pale pink and holo glitter in a slightly-pink tinted clear base.  This is a total princess polish. Seriously.  It was like a cupcake exploded on my nails.  And I mean that in a good way.  :)  The holo glitter in this look like little disco balls.  There is something both edgy and yet very ethereal about this polish.  Of the 2 glitters, this is my favorite.  I love the juxtoposition between the princessness of Teenage Dream and the badass look of Black Shatter (below).  2 coats.  

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The One that Got Away - Bright magenta-red foily metallic.  Like OMB! from the Justin Beiber collection, this one really reminded me of the 6 metallics from OPI's Holiday 2010 Burlesque collection.  The only difference being that The One that Got Away has microglitter hidden in the shimmer.  Also, if you look at this in the bottle you see a faint golden shift.  Sadly, this does not translate to the nail.  But, it's a gorgeous color, nonetheless.  Like all the polishes from the Katy Perry collection, it is a bit thin, but nothing unworkable.  3 coats.

I apologize for the craptastic picture of The One that Got Away with Black Shatter.  I messed up my middle finger (word to the wise, 2 coats of Black Shatter = Bad).  Plus, I forgot to add the topcoat (but atleast you can see what it looks like matte).  I think this is my least favorite with the Black Shatter topper, but it's still a nice contrast.

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All in all, I think this is a nice collaboration with Katy Perry.  It seems very reflective of her personal style... girly with an edge.  I didn't like the thinness of all the colors.  I mean, it was doable, it's just I'm a 2-coat-girl, and each of these were 3+.  Again, not a problem... just not my preference.  My favorites were Teenage Dream (big surprise) and Not Like the Movies, but they are all pretty colors.

My biggest frustration?  Black Shatter.  Now, I've used it in my previous sneak peek of Not Like the Movies and in part one of the Serena Williams collection and had little problem, but I swear, this time around, it drove me a little nuts.  It's very different than other crackle topcoats I've tried.  You have to make sure you have not too little and yet, not too much on your brush.  You also have to move quickly.  It's less forgiving than other crackle topcoats, IMO.  It's not a bad thing, and I'm by no means saying not to get it, as it does get better with practice, but there is a bit of a learning curve in using Black Shatter.  At least there was for me.  Of course, that could be user error.  :P

OPI Katy Perry collection is out now.  It has become a bit scarce at e-tailers, though I've heard it's now at Ulta.  Also, I did see it on Amazon.  As far as I know, no word yet on if it will be restocked or if shipments are one and done.

OPI retails for $8.50.

These were sent to me for review

Quick Look at OPI Black Shatter

I was all set to review the Katy Perry collection and Black Shatter, only to discover that my camera battery was on it's final moments.  But I wanted to give you all a sneak peek, nonetheless.  :)

This is 1 coat of OPI Black Shatter over 4 coats of OPI Not Like the Movies (full review on both coming soon).  I then topped it w/ 2 coats of Seche Vite.

Omigosh.  I thought I was in love with Not Like the Movies on it's own.  Then I added Black Shatter and decided this was the coolest thing ever.  :D 



Zoya Valerie

Yesterday, when I posted my Zoya Valerie/ OPI Tease-y Does It comparison, I meant to include this picture as well, as I think Valerie is far to pretty to be simply part of a comp post.  LOL.  Valerie is a beautiful browned-plum shimmer with golden/purple (slightly) duochrome shimmer particles.  This polish is amazing and is another one in a string of successful deep purples from Zoya this year (Julieanne and Mimi being the other two).  Pic is 2 coats and there were no formula issues.

Zoya Valerie is available at Zoya's website and at various online boutiques.  FYI... don't forget that Zoya is offering 3 free polishes on 1/3/11 as they reached their goal of 20,000 FB followers!  Woohoo.

Zoya Valerie was purchased by me.

A few Deborah Lippmann swatches

So lately, I've found myself gravitating towards Deborah Lippmann's polishes.  I recently picked up a few from Apothica.com...

Call Me Irresponsible - Red-purple jelly.  This one looks like grape candy.  I was unable to get full opacity at 3 coats, though, but that's a jelly for you.  Also, the formula wanted to drag, so I had to wait between coats.

It's Raining Men - Bright red creme.  This one came out at the same time as Call Me Irresponsible, and while that polish is a true jelly, It's Raining Men can be described as "jelly-ish".  It was opaque in ONE coat (though I did 2), but there was a squishy-ness to it that you don't get with a regular creme.  Formula was flawless.

Ruby Red Slippers - Black jelly base with red square and hexagonal glitter.  This one is in the same vein as China Glaze Lubu Heels, RBL Black Russian, and Color Club Red Velvet, but this one takes it to an entirely new level.  It's insanely pretty, hence my tweet about stopping my swatchathon and applying it as a full mani.  That said, this is 3 coats and as you can tell, it's crazy bumpy.  Seriously, after 2 coats of TC, my nails still looked like little relief maps.  A third coat of TC fixed the bumpiness, but also left the polish gooey.  I think my problem however, was in my TC (Nubar Diamont).  Next time I use this, I'm using a thicker quick-dry (i.e. Seche Vite).  

Wicked Game - silvery purple-green duochrome metallic.  Okay, I'll admit it.  I picked this one up because it was named after the Chris Isaak song from my youth.  I love that song.  Almost 20 years later and it's still gives me chills (because of all the haunting emotion he stuffs in it).  Unfortunately, of the 4 I picked up, this one was the one that disappointed me.  I've seen pictures of it looking amazing on girls with actual pigment in their skin.  It just didn't work with me.  It washed me out and I washed it out.  Beautiful polish with a nice formula, but it and Megan don't play nice.  :(  3 coats.

I've also purchased a bottle of Boom Boom Pow (again because of the title) which I will swatch as soon as it gets here, and based upon my love of Ruby Red Slippers, I'm thinking about picking up Bad Romance and, if can find it outside of the boxed set, Razzle Dazzle.

Deborah Lippmann polishes are in the $16+ range (more for glitters) and are available at www.deborahlippmann.com and online beauty boutiques like www.apothica.com.

These polishes were purchased by me using a GC from Apothica.com

RBL Sale Haul

Okay, so three polishes don't exactly constitute a haul, but that's what I picked up at this last 1/2-off sale (as opposed to the 10 polishes I got in the 2009 sale.  See, I'm learning restraint.  :P).

You've already seen my pics of RBL Ani, so here are the other 2 polishes I picked up, Scrangie and Smitten...

Scrangie - Blue/green/purple multichrome shimmer.  RBL Scrangie is one of those polishes that I resisted for months.  It always looked pretty in pictures, but there was something about it that just didn't grab me.  And unfortunately for RBLs, with an $18 price-tag... grabbing is something that needs to occur.  But I'd read that this was one polish that had to be seen in person to be completely appreciated.  As, I had heard that SH Grape Going was a dupe, I thought I'd save myself some cash and see if I liked it.  I really didn't like Grape Going, so I figured I was going to have to bite the bullet and pick RBL Scrangie up for myself or just decide I was never going to get it.  When it became permanently OOS, earlier in the year, I figured I was out of luck.  But then Ji brought it back, along with No More War.  And yet, I still hesitated.  Finally, when the news of the 1/2-off sale broke, I once and for all decided that if Scrangie was still in stock, I was going to pick it up.  I finally put it on this morning and... *sigh*.  I have no idea why I waited.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  As you all know, the blogger Scrangie envisioned this polish to look like the wing of a beetle, and that is a dead on description.  My swatch above does it no justice, so don't let that sway you one way or the other, but if you are still waffling on this color... take it from another I'm-on-the-fence-about-RBL-Scrangie-er and pick this one up.  It's gorgeous and unique and totally shimmery and you won't be disappointed.  3 coats.

Smitten - Tea rose pink creme.  Rose pink in one of those lemmings I never even knew I had until I was browsing on the NB one day.  Someone asked for the perfect rose-pink and after I checked all those suggested, I still didn't find one that looked like the "rose pink" in my head.  So in browsing RBL swatches one day, I came upon Smitten, and well... I was just that.  The swatches were beautiful, but in actuality, the color is so much more.  I know Ji describes it as a "light lilac pink", but I get no purple tones in this.  To me, it's a perfect rose pink, with just a teensy hint of brown.  I love it.  3 coats.

RBL polishes are available at www.rescuebeauty.com as well as online beauty boutiques like Beauty Sak.

I purchased these polishes myself during RBL's sale

OPI Burlesque Shimmers

Better late than never... here are the shimmers from OPI's Holiday 2010 collection, inspired by the movie Burlesque.

Ali's Big Break - bright pinkish-red jelly with golden and red shimmer.  This is one almost exactly the color of candy apples, though it seems a tad pinker.  The irregular shimmer is large and, due to the jelly base, it doesn't get lost.  I found myself moving my fingers all around and staring at my nails.  3 coats.

Let Me Entertain You - Bright fuchsia with golden and pink shimmer.  Like Ali's Big Break, this one has the same golden shimmer.  However, in Let Me Entertain You, because it's not a jelly, it gives the polish more of a metallic finish.  3 coats.

Rising Star - Coppery-gold metallic.  One of the more metallic colors in the collection.  At first, I thought it might be dupey to OPI Bling Dynasty, but I was wrong.  Rising Star is definitely more of a copper-gold, and doesn't have the pink and green shimmer of Bling Dynasty.  Like all golds, I loved this one in the bottle, loved the color as I was applying it, but didn't really like it with my pink skin.  2 coats.

Take the Stage - Rusty copper metallic.  Like Rising Star, this one is of the more metallic colors.  This one also has a fair amount of pink it it, as it looks like a happy marriage between a rose-gold and a reddish-copper.  3 coats.

Tease-y Does It - Smoky plummy-brown shimmer with dark pink and golden shimmer particles.  Unlike Let Me Entertain You, the shimmer in this one is very fine.  I also find that it as a tendency to get lost in the base, unless you are in direct light.  In the bottle, this one looks like it would a duochrome, but sadly, that doesn't translate to the nail.  I know this is a favorite of many nail bloggers and MUA members, and I really tried to like it, but there is something about it that makes me not love it.  3 coats.

The Show Must Go On - Deep orange-pink/golden-slightly-coppery duochrome metallic.  This one is most like Rising Star and Take the Stage in finish, with the only difference being the duochrome.  Supposedly, it's similar to MAC Bad Fairy, but evidentially they aren't dupes.  I wasn't able to snag Bad Fairy, as I was on vacation, but after seeing swatches, I think I prefer The Show Must Go On.  I wore it as a full mani and couldn't stop staring at my hands.  It's probably my favorite of this part of the collection.  3 coats.  

I know much of the buzz surrounding this collection was focused on the glitters, and yes, they are beautiful, but this part of the collection is no less awesome.  For me, The Show Must Go On, Ali's Big Break, and Let Me Entertain You were real stand-outs, though I fully admit I'm probably broken for not liking Tease-y Does It.  As for the formula, you'll notice that most of these were 3 coats.  As someone that loves 2-coaters, polishes that require 3 coats to reach opacity make me a little nervous.  That said, the formula on these was as such that 3 coats was not a problem, and you will probably want to do 3 coats in order to reach full depth of color and shimmer.  

This collection is now available at salons, brick and mortar beauty supply shops, and online e-tailers.  OPI retails for $8.50.  

Hopefully, I will have the glitter part of the collection up for you within the next few days.  

These were sent to me for review.

Milani Totally Cool

I'd heard great things about Milani Totally Cool.  So, I figured, as long as I was spending 5 bucks on shipping anyway (for Dress Maker), I might as well pick up this one as well.  Turns out, my little add-on was my favorite of the 2 Milanis I ordered.

It's a dark, grape-purple jelly base loaded with pink/gold duochrome shimmer.  Though it's a jelly-ish base, I was able to reach opacity in 3 coats (the shimmer helped). 

NOTD: OPI Russian Navy Matte/ OPI Merry Midnight

Unlike the rest of the NP-loving community, I'd yet to try flakies. I had looked at a couple Nfu-Ohs, and then decided against them. I felt the price was just too much. Plus, 51 is always OOS.

So, when OPI released 2 flakies in this year's holiday collection, I immediately took notice. Unfortunately, one of the 2 they released, Shim-merry Chic (the golden one) had this vomit-ty look to it, so I decided against it. I waffled on Merry Midnight because I'd read a iffy review on it, though for the life of me, I can't remember where. I decided to go for it, however, because it just looked so unique. Whenever Suzi decides to go out of her norm (read reds), the color is usually fab. Usually. Sometimes, it can go very, very wrong.

Thankfully, Merry Midnight was not one of those times. It's a deep purple base, loaded with duochrome magenta flakies and what looks like blue, purple, and green (maybe? I can't tell if the green is really green or just the light hitting the blue) fine glitter.

Gasp. This is absolutely amazing. What I like about this polish is that the flakies are much, much smaller than the flakies I've seen in the Nfu-Ohs, Sinful, and NYX flakies; though it all fairness, I don't have those to compare. They don't look like big chunks on your nails, which is a BIG plus for me.

As for application, I had read that MM can be a bit thin, and I was afraid it would be lighter on the nail than in the bottle, so I decided to layer it over a coat of OPI Russian Navy Matte, to get a deep purple color and to help with the multiple coats issue.

I'd mentioned the other day that I yet to use my RN-M. I'd bought it on a whim about a month after the first wave of OPI Mattes came out. I think I'd seen Scrangie's pic of it, fell in love with her swatches, and pulled the trigger on it, before thinking it through. Honestly, I don't really like the full-on matte look. I love the satin finish my Orly Matte Top gives me, and I really love the OPI Suedes, but I don't like my nails looking like chalkboards, which is what happens with the OPI Mattes.

So, my RN-M, and my LaPH-M have just been sadly gathering dust in their drawer. I had no plans on using either of them. Then I had the bright idea, that they would be perfect for layering. They dry super quick and the color is very saturated. Perfect, IMO, as a base. I could have gone with a regular navy (i.e. CC Naughty-cal Navy or ChG Calypso Blue), but again, I didn't want to have to deal with the drying time on the bottom coat.

For those that are interested, I did take a pic of RN-M on it's own, just so you could see it.

It's a pretty, if boring, navy, but I don't really like the finish. It's also very unforgiving. I use glue-ons, so thankfully, I don't have to deal with ridges in my nails, but you can see every time where I didn't put the polish on perfectly straight or it got a little lumpy. There was no fixing those mistakes, either, as it dries in 1-2 minutes. I just can't see me using this on it's own in the future. Maybe, I'll use it with a konad and then top it with a coat of Matte Top, but it just doesn't ring any bells for me. I'm planning on layering it with the original RN, as I wasn't a fan of the O-RN due to the green base. In swatching, it looks like using the RN-M neutralizes the green.

But to get off my tangent, I then used 2 coats of Merry Midnight and a coat of my current quick-dry TC, Beauty Secrets Top Coat. Like I said earlier, I adore this color. It's different which is something most nail polish companies are lacking. Granted, it's not brand new territory, but it is new for OPI (US), and that's something I can appreciate. Let's hope it's a trend that continues into Spring 2010. Not just for OPI, but for Essie and Orly as well (ChG, CC, and Misa seem like the are on the forefront of interesting and different colors).

RN-M and MM are both available at e-tailers and on eBay. I'm not sure of the availability of RN-M in beauty supply stores as it came out in the summer, though they still should have it, but MM should definitely be there as it's a brand new release.

Hope you guys love this one as much as I do. It's a fab color for the holidays. I can't wait to try it layered over other colors as well. I've heard it looks great over a red creme.

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.