Minnie Mouse Nails

Right before I was getting ready to remove Zoya Layla, I decided to play around with stamping and nail art (this has become a common occurrence for me).  This design was created using the polka-dot stamp from BundleMonster plate BM19.  I used Konad Special Polish in white for the dots.  I then added a black french and a silver glitter, using a glitter striper to hide any unevenness in my line.  To create the black french, I first stamped a french design on my nail using BundleMonster plate B39 and Konad Special Polish in Black.  I then filled in the design of the french, making it solid, using Color Club Where's the Soiree.  It's not a traditional way to create a french, but so much easier than freehanding or using french guides.  

I really wasn't even thinking of Minnie Mouse when I came up with the design.  However, once I completed it, I looked down and that's the first thing that popped in my head.  I think this design is so cute and if I wasn't ready to remove Layla, I probably would have kept it on my nails.

Deborah Lippmann Some Enchanted Evening

Some Enchanted Evening is the second polish I received in my GMA Steals and Deals order.  I'd been lemming this one since it came out a few years ago, but I never got around to paying full-price for it, despite my love of Deborah Lippmann's hex glitter polishes.  Once I saw it at half-price, however, I had to make it mine.  :)

Deborah Lippmann's website describes this one as being a salmon pink glitter, but in my opinion, it's not exactly salmon.  When I think of "salmon pink", I think of a color that leans a bit more orange than this glitter.  To me, this is a true rose-pink glitter.  I knew I wanted this polish based on swatches, but in person, it is it even prettier than it looks online.  It is so light and pretty and girly that I wanted to pair it with a base equally as pretty.  As I was still feeling inspired by yesterday's sponged gradient post, I decided to give that same application a try for today's manicure.

For the base, I used 3 coats of Color Club Coastal Creme, a true cream creme polish, and I sponged Jessica Cosmetics Flirtation over top.  To create the gradient, I used a plastic sheet (a sheet protector -BIG thank to the Nailsaurus for that fantastic idea - and a round makeup sponge).  First, I mixed Coastal Cream and Flirtation on my plastic sheet and then applied that over my nail using the sponge.  I then sponged only Flirtation on the tips of my nails, making sure to apply it a little thicker as I got to my tips (hence, the gradient).  Once it was dried and sealed with topcoat, I then applied one coat of Some Enchanted Evening and another coat of topcoat.

This one is super pretty in real life, and I'm a little afraid it's just not translating well in pictures.   Nonetheless, I think I may be addicted to sponged gradients.  It's the new glitter tips.  LOL.  :P

If you are interested in any of the polishes used for this manicure, you can purchase Some Enchanted Evening at just about any website that sells Deborah Lippmann polishes.  Retail is $18.  Jessica Flirtation is now available on Jessica's website for $7.50.  Coastal Creme came out several years ago with Color Club's Yacht Club collection and it appears to now be discontinued.  However, you can still find it online in the $4-6 range.

I purchased Some Enchanted Evening through GMA's Steals and Deals event.  Jessica Flirtation was sent to me for review.  Coastal Creme was also purchased by me.  The above links are not affiliate links.

30 Days of Blues for Autism Awareness - Blue Glitter Layering

Sorry I'm so late on this one for today.  I've actually done 3-4 blue manicures over the course of 24 hours and I haven't been satisfied with any of them.  This one was the last one, so I figured I might as well take pictures of it.  LOL.

Sorry for not putting the color information on the picture this time.  I tried, but by the time I listed all of the colors I used, it took up the entire picture.  Also, I asked my husband and he said this was blue, so I went with it, even though I may actually be in greenville.  :P

For this manicure, I layered a bunch of different blue and blue/green glitters.  In order, I used...

3 coats of Color Club Sexy Siren

1 coat of Color Club Untamed Luxury

1 coat of Color Club Sexy Siren

1 coat of KleanColor Chunky Holo Glitter Teal

1 coat of Nubar Dewdrop

I also used a coat of CND Stickey as my base coat and a coat of Diamont TC.  Unfortunately, even after hours, I could still peel it off.  It wasn't gooey and it probably could have stayed for a little longer, but it felt thick on my nails (probably because I used 95 coats :P) and as I wasn't in love with it... it had to go.

Still, I love the concept of glitter layering, even if this one was a bit of a fail.  You can come up with so many combinations.

Thank you again for reading my "30 Days of Blues" posts for Autism Awareness month.  If you are a participating blogger or if you know of a blog that is participating, please let me know by replying in this post or by shooting me an email to megan@apolishproblem.com.

Today's Nails - Glitter Layering

As you all probably know by now, I am currently in a glitter-obsessed phase.  I can't seem to wear anything on my nails that isn't covered in glitter in one way or another.  Today's manicure is no exception.  If you are anything like me, you may think about possible manicure ideas before going to sleep.  Sad, but I guess that's goes with the territory.  Well, this idea came to me last night, as I was falling asleep.

This is actually a combination of 5 polishes, but it's not as involved as you'd think.  Here are the polishes I used...

1. Color Club Bewitching (my go-to black creme)

2. OPI Your Royal Shineness (a bright silver)

3. OPI Paris Couture for Sure (a holo top coat) - this is the bottle pic

4. OPI Crown Me Already! (a silver glitter top coat with large, mirror-finish hex glitter)

5. OPI Gettin' Miss Piggy With It (a mostly red glitter top coat with a little bit of silver glitter in the mix)

I started with a base coat of Bewitching.  I then added a thin coat of Your Royal Shineness and a thin coat of Paris Couture for Sure.  I then added another thin layer of Your Royal Shineness and Paris Couture for Sure.  So there are 2 coats of each but they are layered.  I then added a coat of Crown Me Already! and Gettin' Miss Piggy With It, and sealed the whole thing in with Diamont.  Sounds like a ton of coats, right?  Well all in all, it was 8 including topcoat, but being that I used extremely thin coats of each one, with the exception of Bewitching, which was just a normal coat, they were almost like half-coats.  I used dry drops so it was dry within minutes.  It only took me about 30 minutes, too.    

Maybe tomorrow, I should step away from the glitter.  

Color Club Enchanted Holiday Mini Set

I'd been holding off posting about this one because I thought I'd get around to showing you a nail art look using the included decals and the accompanying rhinestones, by Art Club.  Unfortunately, I just didn't around to it, and I wanted to post this collection while I still had it as a giveaway (but more on that in a bit).

Also, I feel a bit out of sorts today, so I wasn't as gabby as I usually am.  :P

Enchanted Holiday - Dense pale-to-medium-toned gold glitter in a clear base.  I was expecting this one to be like the gold glitter in the CC Glitter Vixen collection, but it's actually a bit lighter, and much smoother in formula.  It seems a little similar to Nubar's Gold Glitter, though that one is a bit brighter, I think.  Pic is 2 coats.  

Magic Elf - Dark lime green foil with golden shimmer.  This one is crazy pretty, and definitely the most unique in the collection.  2 coats.  

Snowflakes - icy white iridescent glitter in a milky, clear base.  This one is pretty, but looks like the CC Japanese Glitters or the white glitter from the Pardon My French collection.  2 coat.s

Wish List Red - Red glitter in red jellyish base.  This one is your typical, red glitter.  I struggled a bit with formula, so I had to go slow and be patient.  It seemed a bit gritty, but nothing TC couldn't handle.

Like I mentioned above, this set also comes with coordinating decals, and CC's sister company, Art Club, has an adorable rhinestone set to go with this one (pics to come soon).

This set is available at e-tailers, and I am offering this set as part of my Holiday Giveaway #3.

This was sent to me for review.  The set offered in my giveaway is a brand-new set purchased by me.

Color Club Partners with Amethyst Jeans

I just got this press release from Color Club and thought I'd pass it along. :)

Here's the text as it's a bit hard to read in the pic...

Enter to win on of 20 holiday totes given away over the next five weeks!

You and your BFF will each receive an Amethyst Jeans tote filled with a pair

of Amethyst Jeans, shimmery lip glosses and a holiday set nail polish set from

Color Club and a shampoo and conditioner set from Totally Texty!

Contest runs from November 29th through December 31st, 2010. Go to http://

www.facebook.com/amethystjeans to enter! Happy Holidays!

Color Club Bewitching Mini Set

For Halloween, Color Club is offering an adorable mini set.  This set has some really great colors...

Bewitching - super dark black.  This one is awesome. It's deep, rich, and opaque in one coat.  It dries to a vinyl or "rubbery" finish, so if you want it super shiny, just at some TC. I know the general consensus in the nail polish world is that, for the money, WnW Black Creme is the best black on the market.  Personally, I can't stand it.  I find the formula to be runny and the brush to be a horrible mop.  In fact, I am still trying to find my holy grail black creme.  In my Sephora haul last week, I happened to order a bottle of Illamasqua Boosh (which I am expecting to be amazing), but if you are opposed to the hefty price tag, and find yourself in my same where-is-my-hg-black boat, check this one out.  I'm not sure if CC offers a non-Halloween-themed, non-mini dupe to this color, but, IMO, this polish alone makes this mini set worth the price of admission.  

Charmed I'm Sure - deep tyrian purple with purple, blue, and pink-red shimmer particles.  This one is similar to CC Electronica, though they aren't dupes, yet a normal person would probably be happy with either/or.  Charmed I'm Sure was opaque in 2 coats, whereas it takes 3 coats for Electronica.  Electronica is also a tad lighter with a tad less shimmer.  My picture is a bit bluer than IRL.

Hocus Pocus - Holo glitter.  I have an addiction to holo top coats, and I prefer the ones that, with enough coats, can be worn on their own.  CC Magic Attraction and OPI Paris Couture for Sure are my top 2, and I think I prefer this one to Magic Attraction.    They are very close, but the glitter in Hocus Pocus is much finer in texture than Magic Attraction, which is a bit like craft glitter.  This is 3 coats, and I did have a bit of free-edge drag due to the thickness of the glitter, but that can be combated with a sticky base coat and allowing the coats to dry in-between.

Spellbound - Neon orange.  Normally, I steer clear of oranges.  They never seem to look right with my skintone.  However, this one has enough red in it to make it work for me.  It's very bright, and as it's a neon, it dries matte.  This is a perfect Halloween polish and I plan on wearing it on Halloween (along with the below products).  Pic is 3 thin coats to try to hide VNLs (as you'll notice, I wasn't totally successful).

This set also comes with the below decals (be sure to enlarge pic to see the detail, they all have colored gems).

Also, if you are really interested in Halloween nail art, Color Club's sister company, Art Club, has a companion gem set.

This has black, pearl, orange, and silver rhinestones, as well as black and orange seed pearls.

The mini set is available at TD, VNS, and H2T, and the Art Club set is available at VNS.

These were sent to me for review.

Color Club Edie

A few weeks ago, I received this press release from Color Club regarding Victoria Justice wearing Edie at her Body by Milk shoot...

Victoria Justice and Color Club’s Edie!

Victoria Justice wears Color Club shade Edie in October Body By Milk campaign!

Check it out! http://www.bodybymilk.com/quince click on Victoria & Stylists video then click on Gorgeous Nails to view!

Color Club Professional Nail Lacquers are ‘All about Color’! Our professional formula is the 3 FREE: DBP, formaldehyde and toluene FREE plus chip resistant, long-wearing and high-gloss with great coverage and always in demand! 

images provided by Color Club's PR

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My first thought was "who is Victoria Justice?" (a quick Wikipedia search informed me she was a Nickelodeon star), but my second thought was "that color looks interesting".  I was already planning a haul from TD, so on a whim, I added it to the order and I was more-than-pleasantly surprised...

I love this color.  In a collection of over 500 polishes, this one is definitely unique.  Yes, it's a more-green-than-blue neon turquoise, along the lines of say China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise, but there is an inherent minty-ness to Edie that makes it stand out.  I'm not talking about pale mint here, I'm talking about the kind of mint brought to mind when one thinks about spearmint gum, or wintergreen lifesavers.  I swear, just by looking at this color, I get that cool, refreshing, tingly, minty sensation in my nose.  As it's a neon, it does dry a bit matte, but all that is fixed (if one so desires) with a coat of TC.  Pic is 2 coats.

Edie is available wherever Color Club products are sold.  I got mine at TD, but you can also find them at H2T and VNS.  They are almost always under $3 when purchased from e-tailers.

Color Club Untamed Luxury Pt. 2 - Indulgence

Here's the second half of Color Club's new fall collection, Untamed Luxury.  If you'd like to read about part 1, Diamond, click here.

 Jewel of a Girl - Deep brown-red shimmer with same-tone micro-shimmer.  Pic is 2 coats.  Formula is great.

Nothing but Truffle - Dark brown shimmer base with gold and orange micro-shimmer.  Gorgeous brown.  Beautiful for fall.  2 coats.  Great formula.

Ready to Royal - Very dark purple creme with a jelly-ish finish.  Reminds me of Blackberry jam.  You don't see many vampy colors with a jelly finish.  2 coats.  Formula was okay, you need to be aware of the amount on your brush and the amount you are applying to the nail.

Positively Posh - Medium-toned greyed-brown.  Formula was a little thin, though it was opaque in 3 coats.

Pretty in Platinum - Pale grey-white pearl.  This is the exact color of pale grey pearls.  The finish is satin so it really does remind me of pearls.  I applied this one over a sticky base coat, and I still got brushstrokes.  Be sure to go in the same direction and let coats dry in-between. Formula was thick and runny at the same time, though I think this is so beautiful, it may be worth the issues.  Pic is 2 coats.

Soft as Cashmere - Medium-toned putty.  In the bottle, I thought this would be more grey, but on the nail, a lot of green came out.  It's very pretty and in the "greige" family (like Positively Posh).  Formula was similar to PP.  Pic is 3 coats.

Wild Orchid - ?.  LOL.  Is it purple?  Is it grey?  This is the one that caused me the most problems in describing it.  If I had to come up with something, I'd say it's a very greyed-out lavender (maybe I'll come up with a new word... gravender.  :P) with tons of pastel (pale pink, pale green, pale blue) shimmer particles.  It's absolutely gorgeous and my favorite of the collection.  It's beautiful in the bottle, but truly comes to life on the nail.  Formula was a bit thin, that's my only issue.  It's totally worth it though. Pic is 3 coats.

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All in all, I like this part of the collection.  It seems a bit more cohesive then Diamond, with everything thing in the grey, brown, purple family.  As they say on Project Runway, it tells a color story.  LOL.  I'm in swoony love with Wild Orchid.  Can't describe it worth a darn, but I still love it.  Color Club available at various online etailers (like TD and VNS) and is in the $3 range.

These were sent to me for review


FYI - the roundup will post tomorrow!

Color Club Covered In Diamonds over Black

Yesterday, I posted my review of Color Club's Untamed Luxury collection for fall 2010.  In my post, I showed you Covered in Diamonds over my natural nails.  It's pretty, but IMO, to fully appreciate this polish you have to see it over black.

Doesn't it look like stained glass?

This is 2 thick coats of Covered in Diamonds over one coat of WNW Black Creme (I don't own a Color Club solid black polish).  I also applied a top coat to help even out the polish.  Up front, I want to mention that this is not a practical application.  I did it thickly so you all could see the beauty of Covered in Diamonds over a dark base.  That said, you can definitely acheive this look if you have a bit of patience.  If I wanted to apply this to actually wear it as a full mani, I would allow the black to dry completely and then thinly apply 2 coats of Covered in Diamonds, allowing each coat to dry in between (you could maybe even do a third if you did it thinly allowing for drying time).  I would then apply one coat of TC once both coats of the Covered in Diamonds has dried.  Because of the thickness of this polish and the chunkiness of the flakies, it's important that you let everything dry in-between or you'd be left with a gooey mess.  You'll also want to be a bit more careful than I was in making sure that you don't have any of the flakies hanging over your free edge or on your cuticle. 

So this look may take a bit more time, but the end result will make it all worth it.  It's totally unique.

Covered in Diamonds was sent to me for review.

Color Club Untamed Luxury Part 1 (Diamond)

Okay, normally, I don't like to split up collections, but Untamed Luxury is so large, at 14 polishes, that I am breaking it up based upon Color Club's own division in the collection... the Diamond polishes and then the Indulgence polishes (which will be up soon).

I was really excited about this portion of the collection because Color Club does amazing glitters, and the glitters and glitter-variants in this collection (mostly) did not disappoint.

De-Luxe-Cious - Blue-grey foil with holo glitter.  Reminded me of a more-pigmented and foil-y version of the Color Club Japanese glitters from last year.  I think this is a very pretty, definitely unique, though you will have to use probably 2 coats of TC in order to even it out.  The formula was a little thick.  Pic is 3 coats, and due to the thickness of the formula, I had drag on my 2nd and 3rd coat.  To combat the drag, you would just need to wait a bit longer in between coats.

Ms. Hautie - Gunmetal grey satin finish polish with rainbow holo glitter and copper micro-glitter.  In the bottle, the copper glitter gives it a slight duochrome effect, and this one was probably my favorite of the collection.  In the bottle.  On the nail, it was a bit disappointing, though I am reserving final judgement until after I put a TC on it, wear it as a full mani, and see it in sunlight.  For me, with the copper glitter, this one had the same concept as Barielle Falling Star*  (which is a slate blue with larger copper glitter dispersed throughout), though they are not at all similar in finish or color.  This one was a bit better in formulation than De-Luxe-Cious, but there was still the risk of drag.  Pic is 2 coats.

Red Velvet - Jelly black base with red glitter. If Ms. Hautie was my favorite in the bottle, then Red Velvet would be my favorite on the nail.  If you like the concept of China Glaze Lubu Heels or OPI Midnight in Moscow, but were disappointed in the end result, then you will LOVE Red Velvet.  For me, I found the glitter in Lubu Heels to be too dark to stand out and Midnight in Moscow was too muddy.  Red Velvet is neither of those things.  Because of the jelly base, the red glitter was able to be suspended in the base and become more pronounced with following coats (though you won't need many).  Also, unlike OPI Midnight in Moscow, this one does not look brown from a distance.  It is definitely a black with red glitter.  It's crazy awesome and I can't wait to wear it as a full mani.  You will need a coat of TC, probably 2 coats to even out the finish, but that's pretty commonplace for glitters.  Pic is 2 coats and the formula is fantastic!

Untamed Luxury - Turquoise blue jelly base with blue and green glitter.  Now, I've never been there, but something tells me, if you could take the Caribbean Sea and turn it into a glittery nail polish, it would be this polish.  In tone, it's very similar to Zoya Charla and her dopplegangers (okay so OPI Catch Me in Your Net and Orly Halley's Comet aren't evil, but they are triplets with Charla and I just wanted to use the word doppleganger.  LOL), but it's not similar in finish.  Charla, et al, are glass-flecked foils, whereas Untamed Luxury is a straight up glitter polish.  They aren't dupes at all and if you love blue-greens and green-blues, you need this one.  The finish on this one reminds me of the Color Club Holiday glitters from last year.  Formula was great, but as it's a glitter, it has the tendency to do the free-edge-glitter-drag (as I call it), but if you go slow and take a little time between coats, you'll be fine.  Pic is 3 coats.

Resort to Red - Burgundy red pearl finish with red and pink micro-shimmer.  What can I say?  It's pretty, but it's also pretty common.  The pink and red mico-shimmer make it a bit unique, but you don't notice the shimmer unless you really study this polish.  That said, I think this would be a great polish for the holidays. Because of the pearly finish, this one did have a tendency to show brushstrokes, so you'll have to watch your strokes.  Formula was fine, though, and pic is 2 coats.

Snakeskin - Grey-based olive satiny foil with a golden shimmer.  In the bottle, this one looks like the olive/golden version of Ms. Hautie.  Yet, while Ms. Hautie disappointed on the nail, Snakeskin did not.  It has a similar finish to Ms. Hautie, in that it dries to a satiny finish (though not nearly as matte as Ms. Hautie).  In the bottle, there was a grey/olive duochrome thing going on that didn't quite translate to the nail.  It's a gorgeous color and if you love muted olive shimmers (the one coming to mind is OPI At Your Quebec and Call, though I don't have it to compare), you are going to love this one.  Like Resort to Red, it was apt to show brushstrokes, but given the foil finish, the stroke marks actually looked good with Snakeskin.  Formula was great.  Pic is 2 coats.

Covered in Diamonds - Clear top coat with large-sized, rainbow holo flakies.  In other swatches of this top coat and in Color Club's own PR pics, I wasn't really drawn to this polish.  For me, it looked a little odd, like someone had just crumpled up cellophane on their nails.  However, in person, this is a totally different story.  I can see how this color would transform any color into a completely different polish (tomorrow, I will have a pic of this over black.  AMAZING).   If you like flakies, and layering top coats, then you definitely have to check out Covered in Diamonds.  Pic is 2 coats, and, due to the slight thickness of the formula and the big flakies, I would wait a few minutes between coats so you don't get free-edge drag. 

All in all, I love this portion of the Untamed Luxury collection.  Resort to Red was a bit ho-hum and Ms. Hautie was a bit of a miss on the nail, but I still feel Color Club did an awesome job.  Red Velvet, Untamed Luxury, and Snakeskin are worth the price of admission alone.  This collection is available at both TD and VNS and color club is usually in the under-$3-range.

These were sent to me for review

EDITED: To change this from Wishing on a Star (which I think is a black with silver glitter by Misa)

Color Club Untamed Luxury (press release)

I just realized that I'd meant to post these a few days ago, but my brain is swiss cheese, and I forgot.  LOL.

Top picture is the glitters and the bottom picture is the non-glitters.


Untamed Luxury!

Color Club pushes the limits of All-Out Glamour with Untamed Luxury. Rich colors meet superb quality for long-wearing Haute style!

Untamed Luxury is more then one collection of luxe colors it’s two collections; the Indulgence Collection and the Diamond Collection!

The ‘Indulgence Collection’ includes Pretty in Platinum, Wild Orchid, Positively Posh, Soft as Cashmere, Nothing by Truffle, Jewel of a Girl and Ready to Royal. The ‘Diamond Collection’ includes De-Luxe-Icious, Miss Hautee, Red Velvet, Untamed Luxury, Resort to Red, Snakeskin and Covered in Diamonds. ‘Covered in Diamonds’ is our luxury topcoat to give each shade a unique abstract design and ‘Covered in Diamonds’ flare!

Color Club intensely fashionable professional nail color that’s ‘All About Color’! Our high-quality formula is Formaldehyde, Toluene, DBP FREE and always in demand!

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I am pretty excited for this collection.  I love Color Club.  They have amazing colors and their collections are very affordable.  Plus, they make great glitters, so I'm sure the glitter half of this collection is gonna ROCK!

Color Club Pardon My French Collection Part 2

Yesterday, I posted part 1 of this collection (the cremes), so for today, here are the glitters.  As these are all very similar in formula and application, so rather than doing a full review of each color under the picture, I'm going to post individual pics and review them altogether.

Turn the Other Chic- pale orange glitter

Si Vous Please! - icy white/pale blue glitter

Hot Couture - pale pink glitter

All three of these are 2 coats and there were no application issues.  These were very much like CC's Japanese glitters, and aside from Turn the Other Chic (ew), I liked them.  Like the Japanese glitters, these have holo glitters.  TtOC made my nails look stained.  It it was more of a sherbet orange than an yellow/apricot orange, I think it would have been a beautiful polish.  The other 2 are very pretty and I think would look amazing over a French manicure, something I plan to do in the near future.

Again, like I mentioned yesterday, I hope this helps some of you.  I'd seen this collection for sale at various etailer sites, but I knew nothing about it.  Unlike Rebel Debutante, which was released around the same time, this one got very little press and blogger reviews.  I know Siobhan at the Nailphile did a review of these, but that's the only one I remember seeing.  Though, there may be a few more since I last googled this collection.

If you happen to find this collection at Ross, like I did, I think it may be worthwhile picking up.  Sure, it's not a spectacular collection, but I feel Meet Me at Your Chateau alone is worth the price of admission, and the pink cremes and the two, non orange glitters are pretty and are okay addittions to my collections.  However, the two oranges are just a waste, IMO.  I realize that CC tends to do 6-7 polish collections, but I really don't see how those 2 polishes would work for the vast majority of people.  Perhaps, 2 purples (and creme and a glitter) would have been a better addition to the collection.

Color Club Pardon My French Collection Part 1

I picked up this collection at Ross about 6 weeks ago.  I had the text of a post all typed out and then I went back to review my pictures and they were all so bad, I couldn't post them.  I figured if I wanted to do this collection any sort of justice, I'll have to wait until my nubbins grew out a little more and until I had a bit more time in which to swatch, take pics, review, and post.

This is a confusing collection, in that the name is misleading.  Given the name "Pardon my French", you may assume it was a collection of polishes to be used for French manicures.  Um... not so much.  LOL.  It's a collection of 2 opaques (well one opaque and one almost-opaque, 2 semi-sheers, and 3 glitters).  Truth be told, I didn't really like the look of this collection when I got, but 1. I wanted Take Me to Your Chateau, so I figured for a few bucks more, I could review the entire collection and 2. I think part of me just bought it because I actually found a CC collection at Ross... something that'd been eluding me for months.  Unfortunately, my opinion hasn't changed all that much, save for 2-3 polishes.  I haven't seen much press on this collection, aside from a couple blog reviews, so I hope this will help someone that sees it on an etailer's website and wonders what it's all about (just like I did). 

Today, I'm going to show you the cremes and tomorrow will be the glitters.  I suppose this collection was meant for layering, but I don't really like layering with CC's holo glitters (for some odd reason), so unless someone posts a request for me to layer 2 particular polishes, I'm going to not layer these.

Okay... without much further adieu (ha.French.ha), here are the cremes....

Oh Naturale. Let me go on and start with my least favorite first.  Oh Naturale is a pale, sheer, orange-y peach.  It almost looks like a dreamsicle orange, but there is a bit too much yellow in it to be that shade.  It almost reminds me of the color of apricots.  I really don't like this color.  I think on my skintone, it's extremely unflattering.  Perhaps if you have a tan or a darker, less pink, skintone, you may be able to make it work.  However, it's very streaky.  This is 2 coats and you can still see big streaks.  Hovever, I wanted to try and do this color some justice and see if additional coats would help.  Below is 5 COATS and it's still not fully opaque and even in application. 

Sorry girls, I think this one is a pass.

Pardon My French.  This one is a pale milky pink and is pretty in theory. I have no problem with sheers, but it was way streaky, just like Oh Naturale.  I was able to combat the streaky-ness some what by using thin coats, but they were still there.  However, I do like the color, so if you use a base coat and are careful to let coats dry in-between, you may be able to get this one to work for you in 2-3 coats.  Pic is 2 thin coats.

I Believe in Amour.  This one is a pale, dusty rose, with a milky quality, like Pardon My French.  It's a beautiful color, but it was still streaky and not opaque at 2 coats.  Although, I love this one so much, I tried it with a base coat and gave it 3 coats and a bit more time and I think it's very doable (pic below).  I plan on using this one as a full mani in the future.

I saved the best creme, and in IMO, the best in the collection, for last...

Take Me to Your Chateau.  This is an amazing pale blue.  It's opaque in 2 coats and very pigmented for a pastel.  In the pic, it looks like it may lean a bit turquoise, or green, but that's not the case.  It's a straight-up pale blue  This was 2 coats, though it was almost opaque in one.  If you been looking for a perfect pale blue, definitely pick this one up.  I plan on having a pale blue comp post w/in the next few days. 

All in all, I found myself torn on these polishes.  I love, love, love Take Me to Your Chateau.  I also like the colors of I Believe in Amour and Pardon My French, but the formula requires patience and time and it's not effortless like TMtYC.  As for Oh Naturale... for me, it's a pass.  I really don't see how it could work for anyone given the streaky-ness, but if you love the color, you may be able to make it work with a good sticky base coat and time between (thin) coats.  Also, aside from TMtYC, these required thin coats.  If I put too much on my brush, it was very globby and hard to keep it from pooling on the nail.

Tomorrow, I will post the glitters in this collection, so stay tuned.  :)

KOTD: CC Fashion Addict with ChG Grape Pop and Migi White

I've actually had naked nails now for about 3 days, so it was nice to get back to polishing them.  I'm letting my nails be sans polish more and more lately, so I'm hoping this isn't becoming a bad habit.  I've been dealing with some personal crap (church crap, not relationship crap) lately, and it's really taken the wind out of my sails.  Plus, several weeks ago, my laptop migrated from the kitchen table to the living room.  I need to stick it back on the kitchen table because it's so much easier to polish my nails and then immediately do an update.

Anyway, this is CC Fashion Addict with ChG Grape Pop and Migi Nail Art White.  Plate is m57, and I did a layered design with the zebra pattern and then the accompanying flower.  I've recently discovered a love for holo polishes, as shown by my recent obsession and acquisition of holo OPI MPJ.  I've had a few holos in the past, most notably OPI Exclusive, but I ended up giving most of them away, as I didn't like them.  Yep.  I have up Exclusive.  I'm a dumbass, though I just gave it to my sister, so I can get it back if I need to.  However, lately, I've been loving all things holo.  Don't know why.  Probably the same reason I've been gravitating more towards cremes than shimmers.

Fashion Addict is from CC's 2009 Catwalk Queen collection.  It's a light lavender holo, that reminds me very much of CC Worth the Risque, only a very light purple rather than silver.  I decided to pair it up with ChG Grape Pop, from the U&A collection, in a zebra pattern and then an accent flower in Migi Nail Art white.

I love this one.  It makes me happy, and goodness knows... I can use some happy right now (I'm not trying to be vague.  In fact, I don't mind spilling my guts on what's been going on, I'm just tired right now and don't feel like writing a (longer) novel).

BTW, yesterday was my 10w anniversary of getting rid of the glue ons.  My nails still aren't 100%, and I'm still getting breaks because they are so thin in places, but I think they look pretty dang good.  :)

KOTD: CC Worth the Risque w/ ChG Heli-Yum

This post may not be coherent.  LOL.  I'm getting ready to go to bed, but I wanted to post this one while it was on my mind.

Have you ever had a mani that you didn't want to take off for fear that the next one you put on wouldn't measure up?  Well that's how I feel about this one.  I have a few requests to swatch, so I plan on taking this off on Tuesday morning, but I'm going to miss this one.

I know a few people had wondered how the Up and Away collection worked with the konad system.  I've used 2 of them for stamping and they are great.  I especially love this over Worth the Risque.  WtR is an amazing polish.  It was perfect in one coat, but I added a second just to deepen the color.

Heli-Yum worked so well with WtR.  It really brought out the pink in the holo.  The plate is m64.

Another Layering Experiment... OPI La Paz-tively Hot Matte with CC Strawberry Candle

In my previous post, I mentioned trying La Paz-tively Hot Matte and loving it on it's own.  If I hadn't been trying another layering experiment using my matte collection as bases, I would have probably left it as is. 

I'd previously used RN Matte as a base for Merry Midnight, so I figured I'd try the same with LPH Matte.  I had swatched with Merry Midnight and I liked the results, but I wanted to try it with one of my LE CC Japanese Glitters (which unfortunately, I didn't love on their own).  After comparing the bases, it looked like Strawberry Candle was the closest match.

I did one coat of the OPI and one coat of Strawberry Candle.  Here's the result:

I couldn't get the sparkle to show through true-to-life in the picture, but I think you can get the idea.  I liked the CC LE glitters on their own, but the felt a little sheer to me.  Layering it allowed the sparkle to really shine through without having to apply multiple coats. 

As for the CC itself, Strawberry Candle is a strawberry pink base with tons of fine multi-color (pink, blue, green, purple) and holo glitter.  The glitter looks to be different sizes, but I'm a horrible judge at that, so don't hold me to it.

The konad is Special Polish in White and plate m55.  Sorry for it being upside down, but I totally forgot to flip the pic before I uploaded it. 

The LE glitters are still available at VNS, and perhaps H2T (I think I've seen them there in the past, but I didn't check before I posted).

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.