Polish or Perish

Golden Toes!

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's that time again...to show you what's on my feet! (Without showing you my feet...)

They look kind of crazy on my hands (read: yellow and icky) but on my toes they are golden and glorious!

Index & middle: Orly Glitz & Glamour

Ring & pinky: SpaRitual Reflection

Gold is by far my favourite colour for my toes (closely followed by navy). In winter especially, I love removing my socks and boots to find sparkly gold tootsies! It's a little surprise for me at the end of the day.

What is your favourite colour for toes?

kittytokaren

Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

(2 coats)

I've worn this as a mani twice now. Once last year and once this year. I've been bored both times. Goodbye MMUtM.

Nails Inc The Donmar Collection

2011-11-27T06:55:00.000-08:00

I approached the new Nails Inc flakey duos with some hesitation. On one hand, FLAKIES. On the same hand, Sephora VIB status (time runnin' out to qualify for the next year). And on the other hand, however: the cost. And besides, I already have plenty of flakies and I have plenty of vampy colors. So I picked up two of the three sets and turned out really liking one of them (and feeling extremely meh about the other one). This one is the one I liked. Or rather, LOVED.

Nails Inc The Donmar Collection (Donmar over Chelsea)

It took four coats of Donmar but lookit all the flakies! Bronze, green, blue, gold... all at once, one at a time, all over the place. So damn good. I'm pretty sure I have an NFU.oh that's very similar but the execution of this one is just gorgeous.

Closeup of gorgeousness (i.e. Donmar over Chelsea)

Nails Inc Chelsea on its own

It's a bit of a dime a dozen color (and this one costs considerably more dimes than I generally like spending on polishes that I have dupes for). But this is such a lovely deep purple-tinted-brown jelly. Two coats. Marvelous application. Nails Inc seriously knows how to do polishes and I'm so glad they're much easier to get ahold of now that Sephora carries them!

Illamasqua DWS

2011-11-26T04:11:00.000-08:00

The weather here has grim. GRIM. It took me a week to photograph this mani because it's been raining non-stop. Indeed, it is still raining, which is why there are droplets of water on my nails. That's also why there's killer tip wear. I wore this during reading week and since it's been about 2 degrees C since then I've barely been outside. I seriously need a lightbox so that I can photograph manis from the lazy comfort of indoors. Fortunately I've had a massive pile of marking to keep me entertained...sigh...

DWS is what Piff would call a 'palette cleanser' polish. It's a neutral dark ish grey that's perfect in one coat (it's a touch less blue than it appears in the pictures). I love this with a holo silver glitter top coat over, but this time, I went plain and neutral. Who needs glitter when you've got rain?

One final thing I want to mention, since this is an Illamasqua polish: Illamasqua have been enthusiastic supporters of the S.O.P.H.I.E. foundation, an organisation set up by Sylvia Lancaster after her daughter Sophie was kicked to death in Bacup, a town in the north of England. She was picked on for defending her boyfriend, who had been attacked by a gang of thugs for dressing in black (Sophie herself had black and red dreadlocks). Today would have been her 25th birthday. If you feel, as I do, that prejudice has no place in a civilized society, and that something good should come out of tragedy, please do consider donating. Thank you.

"You Love It!" - Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Recently I had the pleasure of staying with the lovely Piff in NYC! It was an amazing time, and she is a kickass friend. Seriously. BUT...

...she did make me wear some polishes I would...*ahem*...not normally wear. You will see the worst of those atrocities from her soon - she really enjoyed seeing me suffer - but she made me promise to wear one polish as my NOTD. Out of the choices she went pretty easy on me, I have to say! This is Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe...

Way less obnoxious on the nail than I thought it would be for such a chunky glitter. I was skeptical (very) but after I put it on, Piff kept informing me "You love it. I see it in your face. You love it." Maybe she got to me? I did feel a little foolish prancing around JFK and going into work the next day with my glitter mani, but I have to say - in the quiet moments when I was alone and not in public, I really liked looking at it. What I like about it is the depth of the base colour so the glitter isn't all -BAM!- at the surface. It's a little more mysterious than that....it reminds me of a mermaid.

Has anyone pushed you out of your polish comfort zone? Did you love/like/hate it?

kittytokaren

Lynnderella Snow Angel

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

(3 coats)

Unlike the others I've tried, this one does not do well at all without a base color. It just looks straight up ugly and weird. This one is also a huge top coat eater. I think this has 4 coats of TC?

Will not be wearing this one again without a base white underneath.

Dior Ebony with Confetti Tazmanian Devil

2011-11-23T13:46:00.000-08:00

Today I am a very sad panda. I've had to cancel my flight back home to New York because I am sick as a dog. It's going to be a lonely Thanksgiving for me... :(

Confetti Tazmanian Devil over Dior Ebony

Trying out my brand new iPhone 4S camera. Not bad in non-well-lit scenarios (and while lying in bed, too dizzy to move)! Super cheerful manicure (three coats of Tasmanian Devil over two coats of Dior Ebony). What is it about glitter that makes life just a tiny bit better?

Another Taupe Love! - Orly Country Club Khaki

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

You know how much I love taupes, and this one is a very welcome addition to my collection! Light, creamy, milky...

Orly Country Club Khaki

I'm discovering that I really really like Orly polishes. The application and wear on this one were both excellent! Taupes are definitely my most-worn colour family, and it's one of the few areas in my stash where my mentality is "the more the merrier"!

What's your favourite polish colour family?

kittytokaren

China Glaze Secret Peri-Winkle

2011-11-20T04:10:00.000-08:00

I wore this to a conference. The conference itself wasn't great - interesting, but basically irrelevant to my research, and absolutely not worth flogging through four countries with the flu for - but I did like my mani. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get a picture of it until it had been on 8 days (and my outgrowth is not pretty) but I did dig up some old pictures from the last time I wore it.

It's a very pretty pale-ish violet-leaning blue. Cream finish, but very slightly sheer, so although two coats gives full coverage, there is VNL in bright light. It's a bit less bight than these pictures suggest. Here's one from the most recent wear that's probably more colour accurate (sorry that it's looking a bit battered, and hi cat!).

Lynnderella Gotta Love Brains

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

This one is my hands down fav except I haven't yet tried Mercurial.

(3 coats)

This is exactly what I wanted Lippmann's Glitter in the Air to be: a little more opaque, a little more glitter.

The greater variety of actual glitter is a major bonus too. Love this. Perfect polish for my birthday (28-booooo)!

Up Close & Lovely - OPI Designer...de Better

2011-11-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

I ended up buying another polish from the OPI Muppets collection - and I'm glad I did! I absolutely adored Warm & Fozzie, and I very much like this one - Designer...de Better (dumb name), but it's not head-over-heels love.

My normal shot holding the bottle didn't really work out, because the polish is so reflective! Here are some other attempts...

A close-up so you can see the orange flecks in the silvery polish...

Designer...de Better is very boring colour from afar, but a very interesting colour up close! (Usually it's the other way around, right?) When you first clap eyes on it, it looks like a normal champagne/beige foil. Snoozeapalooza. But then you squint to get a closer look, as something isn't quite right...this champagne snoozer is actually a silver foil with orange or bronze particles in it - really cool! It's like something special, just for you.

Is there a polish you like better up close?

kittytokaren

Lynnderella Ruby Red Ruby

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Siggghhhhhhh

I tried to ignore Lynn's polishes. I TRIED. But I saw one too many photos of Mercurial and broke down.

I'll be posting up photos of each as I try them.

(4 coats)

I think for now, all the swatch photos you will see of the Lynnderellas will be without a base color. That is typically how I wear my polish (I don't layer, I'm just too lazy) and I think it's a better way to know exactly what a polish looks like.

However, for RRR I will be wearing it over a warm red. The jelly base is quite a cool red/pink and is not flattering on me. Which is why I went 4 coats, I was trying to get the warmer glitter to give me as much coverage as possible. Love the hex/square glitter of this!

Models Own Nude Beige

2011-11-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

What is it with me and nudes lately? Not sure. But I've had this in my drawer for ages and put off wearing it, because I thought the colour would look horrible on me. It's so much darker than my skintone. I even almost gave it away untried.

But after digging it out and gritting my teeth, I actually love this on me. It reminds me of the colour of Irish Cream (not that it takes much for me to think of booze) and it has a slight chocolatey undertone. Application was pretty easy, coverage is great although it does slightly fall prey to being thick but runny. The brush is good though, which helps control. I'm definitely going to use this again - maybe as a pedi?

American Apparel California Trooper

2011-11-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

(2 coats)

When others are turning to browns and bronzes in the Autumn, I turn to putties. They're in season but still work with my skin color.

I love this polish. It applies really well and chipping is not terrible despite the large amount of pigment in the polish.

Mannequin hands: OPI Sand in my Suit

2011-11-11T05:10:00.000-08:00

I felt like a break from all the vamps. Also, truth be told, I was going into a school for a training/shadowing day, and I didn't want to stand out too much. Even despite wearing my best smart clothes, I still got mistaken for one of the students. Still, I know I'll appreciate looking like a teenager when I'm 40...Hopefully...

Anyway, this is OPI Sand in my Suit. I'm usually an NW15 in MAC (although I wear NC15 to cancel redness) and this fits my skintone pretty well. It's fully opaque in two or three coats depending on how careful you are. I'm not sold on the shimmer, though. It's a bit 'frosty granny' - you know, like the pearls that were rife in the early '90s. This last one is probably the most colour accurate - Autumn sunshine tends to make my skintone look a bit less cadaverous.

Please excuse the not-great application, by the way. My lumos topcoat turned to concrete (seriously, I've never seen anything like it) so I had to resort to a very old, almost empty bottle of seche vite. I made a bit (cough) of a mess on some nails.

The Beach in Fall - SpaRitual Driftwood

2011-11-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's just the name, but this colour makes me think of fall - even though it's pale. Looking at it reminds me of those few precious weeks between the end beach season and the beginning of winter. Growing up in Holland this was a really serene time. Tourists would be long gone, and we would all go down to the beach and eat giant bowls of mussels by the sea. I love how the North Sea smells and how the beach feels in this season - especially when it feels like you have it all to yourself.

SpaRitual Driftwood...

A really lovely pale cream colour. Neutral, but not too girly. Soft, but not stark. Will definitely be a staple for me.

kittytokaren

China Glaze Rated Holographic

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

(2 coats)

This applied so nicely but alas the color is a little too close to my skin color it just sort of it blah. Chipped really quick, which isn't a surprise I suppose.

Sally Hansen Nail Effects Ghoulie Girl

2011-11-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

Sally Hansen Nail Effects Ghoulie Girl

I just loved this manicure. I find SH Nail Effects to be relatively easy to apply (and because my nails are so small and short, I can get at least 3 manis out of one pack!) and they have such a great payoff. I had this manicure on for over a week without any of the stickers coming off. I got tons of compliments on it... including one from a woman who worked at my local independent fabric store who thought it was "crackle". (She realized it was ghosts when she looked closer.)

Close up of Ghoulie Girl

I feel so guilty for not posting as much as I did (or, umm, more than once a month?) in the last year or so. Truth is, I had kind of hit a nail polish low point in my life -- I had on so many NOTDs for awhile that I just didn't care for and nothing seemed to make me smile. But I think I'm getting back on track. I haven't been swatching all that much but I have been photographing my NOTDs and several of them have made me very happy (including this one).

In the meanwhile, school is in full swing, both my eyes have been LASIK'ed (and OMG, I CAN SEE), and I'm currently in Seattle for a conference. If nothing goes wrong, I MAY have an article accepted for publication (really crossing my fingers!)... but I'm not sure because who knows what side the editor may come down on with that decision. I've been feeling pretty down about various things in the last few months and the approach of winter does not help. :(

China Glaze Devotion

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

(2 coats)

I prefer Sci-Fi. Devotion is more purple (a preference) but the brushstrokes are unacceptable.

Gold, part II: Boots 17 Black Glitter Crackle

2011-11-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know everyone is sick of crackles. But this might be worth a second look. It's a black shatter topcoat, with little gold glitter particles. I found that you have to give the bottle a good shake, but otherwise it's very easy to apply, the glitter doesn't pool, and it shatters well (albeit in small 'chunks').

I love the finish over Midnight Kiss from yesterday. It makes me think of tapestry. Very textural and pretty. I had a lot of compliments on it today, and it meant I got to crack out my gold glitter pumps, so everyone's a winner.

Gold, part I: CG Midnight Kiss

2011-11-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

I wore this once on my toes last winter with Party Hearty over the top and wasn't that wowed. Looking at it on my nails, I can only ask: HOW?! This polish is a total knock out! It's a slightly silvery, cool gold foil. SO sparkly. SO reflective. Just gorgeous!

It kind of changes colour with the light. Indoors, the creamy, silvery tones come out and it looks like a subtle, pale gold with high shine. I find the pastel tones of very reflective polishes often come out in low light, the same is true for the chromes I've reviewed. In the sun though, it turns into a total bling fest. Kapow!

Smoky & Sultry Blue - OPI Midnight Blue Glitter

2011-11-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

Usually I'm not one for glitter polishes, but this one isn't exactly the glitterbomb that its name promises. Instead it's a sexy, understated, but very special polish that my pictures fail to capture.

OPI Midnight Blue Glitter...

Here I've layered it over Essie Midnight Cami, as on it's own its rather sheer. Even has I hold the bottle in my hand, the colour is very difficult to describe. It seems to be fine round blue glitter (or is it shimmer? ah yes...shitter) as well as even smaller silver glitter in a dark grey-blue jelly base.

Smoky, sultry, and gorgeous. Makes me want to find a reason to break out my long navy blue evening gown...

kittytokaren

China Glaze Agent Lavender

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

(2 coats - first photo is much more color accurate)

So I figure everyone's posting Halloween manis. How 'bout a palate cleanser? Like a plate of crudité on a buffet table full of pastry and fried snacks, you're surprised at how much you're happy to see it.

A bit chalky but applied fairly smoothly and was good in 2.

Brown for Fall - Essie Little Brown Dress

2011-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

A very pretty and shiny classic dark chocolate lacquer...but I'm not sure chocolate brown polish is really my thing.

Essie Little Brown Dress:

What do you think? I think something a little murkier like OPI Get in the Express-o Lane might be more up my alley.

kittytokaren

Nfu Oh 570

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

(3 coats)

This is a streaky mother. I wish it applied like 119. But I like the color very much. It's quite a bit greener on the nail than in the bottle.

Vamps for October: Illamasqua Viridian

2011-10-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, so probably not technically vampy, but a) it's dark, b) I was really sick of burgundy and navy and c) I love it! Viridian is one of my favourite polishes. It's amazing in two coats but can be applied in one, it's hardwearing, shiny, and a stunning colour. I feel badass when I wear this polish.

I think Temptalia described this as a dark teal, and that's probably not far off the mark. Except that overall hue is comprised of a subtle blue/green/black duochrome (trichrome?) shift that brings different facets of the polish out in different light. This looks amazing under flash (although I forgot to bring my flashgun when I took the shots. Oops). I really love this polish, it's in my desert island top ten and is one of the first shades I bought that got me really raving about Illamasqua.

A couple of Owls!

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have a bit of a bird phobia, but these are two owls I can appreciate!

Orly Nite Owl (pointer and middle finger) is a lovely taupe with shimmer - quite similar to Essie Mochachino, but more flattering on me as it seems a little warmer on the nail. Definitely one of those polishes that is appropriate in most situations, but isn't a complete snoozefest. I love having polishes like this in my collection!

L'Oreal Owl's Night (ring and pinky finger) is truly gorgeous . It contains the most beautiful gold shimmer - that is very apparent on the nail - in an olive-y green-brown-grey-something base. It's unique, murky, mysterious, but the gold shimmer is so fantastically vibrant! A winner.

That's all for today - short and sweet! I hope all of you lovely PoP readers are doing well!

kittytokaren

Nfu Oh 119

2011-10-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Over my several month purge effort, I've gotten rid of well over half of my Nfu Ohs. I either had dupes, the formula was deplorable, or I wasn't feeling the color enough to see myself ever wearing it again.

This one was the first in the keep pile. I love an almost black. This is a particularly good one because the base color (which you see in the first coat) is a vibrant cobalt blue. It gives the mani a glow even though the ultimate color is very dark.

(3 coats)

This is three coats but I actually wore it as just two (I sloppily applied a third coat because there was two days wear and I didn't feel like showing off my tip wear). It dried very well (unlike the majority of my Nfu Ohs).

Vamps for October: Essie Lacy not Racy

2011-10-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

I think Kitty2Karen's getting to me. I am becoming an Essie convert.

I've had this and Rock the Croc in my storage for a year or so, and have reached for the latter as a pedi a few times. (Love it!). But I think this might be taking over in the preference stakes, it's gorgeous. Super dark red, that doesn't lean burgundy. It's like a bloody good Shiraz.

Aside from the fact that it's seriously hot, the application was amazing. Three coats, and the Essie brush is so little and perfect that I was able to get away with hardly any clean up. It's so shiny, even before seche vite (but with the magic top coat, I went from bare nails to dry mani in less than half an hour). I still had it on to teach my classes a full week later with barely any tip wear. It's fantastic.

So, as a new Essie fangirl, what else must I have? I just cheated on my no-buy (which has been going really well, thanks to the fact that I'm broke anyway) by ordering Geranium.

So Fall... OPI Warm & Fozzie

2011-10-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favourite season - I love burying my nose in a big fluffy scarf, finally getting to wear my plum lipsticks, how the air can smell crisp and like burning firewood at the same time...even the seasonal coffee flavours...but most of all - the fashion. And that includes polish, of course! OPI Warm & Fozzie is the epitome of fall, and honestly, it has become my new favourite. It's like the wintery sister of my all-time-fav - OPI DS Glow! It's somehow sultrier - more dark and bronze, but has the same kind of vibrance that DS Glow has with flashes of warm gold and twinkles of red. Absolutely gorgeous. Pics can't describe it...

I got so many compliments on this polish - even from polish n00bs. I'm even considering purchasing a back-up! Warm & Fozzie was initially going to be my only purchase from the Muppets collection, but because it's so fabulous I picked up Designer...de Better as well - hopefully it will be another special metallic/foil/amazingjdfla;dsjf for me to fall in love with!

What polish reminds you most of fall?

kittytokaren

China Glaze Ruby Pumps

2011-10-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

(3 coats)

I needed three coats to get it totally even, which meant the mani didn't dry as quickly as I was used to (hence the dents).

I always said this one didn't look good on my complexion. I could use a darker, warmer red, but frankly it doesn't look bad at all. Glad I finally wore this as a mani.

Vamps for October: China Glaze Meteor Shower glitter

2011-10-18T06:28:00.000-07:00

I wanted this polish for the longest time. Glitter, navy blue jelly, and holo goodness was just far too much for me to resist.

But I kind of wish I had. It went on nicely with two coats, but it is SO bumpy. Ridiculously bumpy, even after two coats of seche vite. The holo doesn't come through enough to make it worth the effort, either.

Pretty, but I really wasn't sorry to remove it!

Edit - thanks to the readers who spotted my, er, deliberate error in getting the wrong name!

OPI Black Onyx and another watch...

2011-10-16T07:00:00.000-07:00

I really do have a watch problem. But this one wasn't spendy. I got this in the summer on mega clearance at Macy's (plus another 20% off coupon! POW!). It looked like it was something that someone had returned, as it wasn't a model they were currently selling, and the price tag was just a jankity receipt stapled around the band. I inspected it fully and there were no scratches, so it seemed new. And I love it. And it looks great with a black mani.

OPI Black Onyx is my current favourite black creme. It's darker and inkier than Essie Licorice, and covers more easily. I think all black can look really elegant and classic, especially on shorter nails! Plus I can finally say "yes" when one of my someone invariably asks "is that black nail polish?". I get asked this every time I wear something even semi-dark. Someone even asked me that when I wore Metro Chic once. Umm...what?

What do you think of black nails - stagnant & stuck in the 90s or chic & oh-so modern?

kittytokaren

China Glaze Stroll

2011-10-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

The only one from the 12-piece Retro Diva collection I ever bothered to acquire.

(3 coats)

For me, it's good in two coats. But I wanted it as dark as possible so I went three.

Vamps for October: Ciate Burlesque

2011-10-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

I freaking love this polish. It practically applied itself. The brush was perfection and after two coats of thick, flowing opacity I had hardly any clean up to do. With a coat of Seche Vite it is ridiculously shiny and flawless, and it wore like teflon without chipping at all.

Even better, the colour is totally glorious. It is dark, but never black. Like an Eggplant purple but with a touch more blue. I would wear this polish again and again, and I really enjoyed wearing this mani.

Until, that is, I had a go at water marbling, and covered it in what looked like slug trails. I'm too embarrassed to show you all, but trust me, it was BAD.

A little splurge - Chanel Blue Boy

2011-10-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

6/8 StrangeBeautifuls Volume 3

2011-10-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

I never posted swatches of this volume! Here's 6 of 8. I did some

Sadly I don't remember coats. These are super rough swatches. Sorry!

(UNF this one UNF)

I got a lovely parcel in the post...

2011-10-10T09:58:00.000-07:00

...Thank you, Illamasqua! :)

Well, I've always said good things about their customer service. I once returned a lipstick because I accidentally ordered two of them in one of their 30% off sales. I sent them a cheeky email asking if I could return or preferably exchange it (even though 'being a doofus' isn't one of their grounds for return) thinking they'd maybe grudgingly refund me since it was by then out of sale period, and it's a bit naughty me asking for a product at 30% off when there's no sale on.

But to my surprise, they shipped a replacement colour out via courier at their expense. And sent me an email to ask me which colour I wanted most, and to let me know their stock levels, since I put a random bunch down on the return form. (I felt I was probably taking advantage enough already to start getting picky). They are a really, really nice company.

Which is why it made my day to find that they read Polish or Perish. Hayley, their marketing manager, got in touch to chat about nail polish and take some contact details. And a couple of weeks ago a lovely parcel turned up with two of their new polishes for review, plus a lipgloss in Belladonna. (I mentioned I was really interested in the glosses from the new collection, so I was really touched that they popped one in - it's lovely, by the way!). Yeah, I am a total fangirl.

So these are the two polishes, Kink and Vice:

I wanted to wait a little while before giving a review, because for me the most significant thing about the A/W polishes is their 'rubber' finish, rather than the shades. So I've had Vice on for the last week, and here it is. This colour is lovely, a kind of purplish wine/berry shade, but it's the finish that makes it stand out from other similar polishes. I'd describe it as kind of satin-y. It's not quite as matte as I was expecting, but not fully glossy, either.

I've tended to stay away from matte finish polishes because they chip on me something rotten, so I wore Vice for a full 8 days before writing this (the pictures are from day 3). I have tremendously limited patience so I managed to scracth the finish a little even before it was fully dry (I am spoilt by seche vite). However, that cock up aside, it wore really well. Looking at them a week later, there is one chip (my right middle), a couple of teeny nicks on my thumbs, and a little tip wear. And I've been intentionally bloody hard on my hards this week - I've been washing up, I did gardening, and I've relaid the tiles on my hall floor, all without gloves. My hands feel like catcher's mitts, but the polish still looks very respectable.

(The only odd thing is that black line on my ring finger - I think it's a shed bristle? I've never had one of their brushes shed on me before, so it took me a while to work out what it was!).

Essie Winter 2011 - Part 2

2011-10-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

I showed you the first half of Essie's winter collection, Cocktail Bling, here. I'm excited to show you the rest of the collection today! This is the first time in a looonnnggg time that I've purchased a whole collection - and wanted to keep it all! This will definitely be a workhorse collection for me, not just in winter, but in all seasons.

First up, School of Hard Rocks:

I'm not quite sure how to describe this colour - it's somewhere between a dusty teal and a slate green. Love it. Very wintery and definitely adds a pop of colour, but because of the amount of grey it manages to be a little more subdued and wearable. I think this one will be very popular!

Now, probably my favourite of the collection - Size Matters:

First of all, hilarious name. Love it. It may seem like a boring red, but it is much more than that. I have a hard time with reds. I really do. But this one is more berry than red. (My pics are deceiving on that front...but trust me, it is very berry in real life.) This colour reminds me of Rachel Zoe - on her show she is always wearing a red, burgundy, berry or plum concoction and it always looks great!

Since I loved this one so much, I had to take another pic with my purse...

And lastly, Bobbing for Baubles:

Completely on trend with blues for winter (thanks to the Jeans de Chanel - one of which I will show you very soon!), this has something a little different when compared with other navys in my collection - it's dusty! Yay! I love dirgy grey colours and this is the navy take on that. I think dark blue is one of the most elegant colours on the nails, so expect me to wear this a lot this year.

So that's Essie Winter 2011 - Cocktail Bling! Which ones will you be picking up?

kittytokaren

Vamps for October: Illamasqua Phallic

2011-10-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

10.30am. I walk into my living room with this on my fingers to twirl at my significant other (he gets nail varnish twirls rather than dress twirls. Bit of a raw deal for him, but that's just how I roll).

'That's nice. Beautiful colour.' he says. 'How's the paper going?'

'Well. Really well. Yeah, I've done loads. Obviously.'

'You've just spent an hour and a half painting your nails and messing about on facebook, haven't you?'

'Yes'.

'Have you done any at all? The deadline's today, right?'

'No. Yes. I'll be going now...'

Bloody worth it, though. This is three coats of very sexy blue polish. It's very deep, like a midnight jelly, but with tonnes of purply blue flaky sparkles that peek out in the sunlight. It's all twinkly! Sooo gorgeous. I love it. It's very very pigmented though and my fingers were smurf city when I did clean up! Slightly dreading trying to remove it, I might just leave it on until it falls off.

(I did get the paper finished in the end, by the way. Conference in Vienna, here I come.)

OPI Spark de Triomphe

2011-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

***Update - my Blog Sale has been updated with Fire Sale pricing***

Everything everyone has said about this is true.

(3 coats)

Glorious.

Late Start - Essie Over the Top

2011-10-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

I first bought this over a year ago when Chanel released a bunch of dark polishes with shimmer for Fashion's Night Out 2010. This one reminded me of Chanel Steel in the bottle, so instead of splurging the price of 'ridiculous + ridiculous shipping', I opted for this.

Then, it sat in my collection. Waiting, longing to be worn. And when I finally did...let's just say I owe it an apology.

Essie Over the Top is a charcoal with pearlescent, but never brushstroke-y, multi-coloured shimmer that just GLOWS. I've seen reds that do this, but never something this dark. This is just flat out gorgeous and I can't believe there isn't more hype surrounding it!

I'm sorry Essie Over the Top - you are my new winter staple. I definitely regret not pulling you out last year. Shame on me.

kittytokaren

Vamps for October: OPI tease-y does it

2011-10-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

God, I LOVE October. I can finally wear my (extensive) collection of coats and boots! I'm pulling in teaching money! My supervisor isn't abroad! Life is good. And after ruining my nails decorating I've been taking the opportunity to file them down and pull out the vamps. I don't like wearing dark colours when my nails are long because it makes me feel like a try-hard. But I love them on shorties, and October is the perfect season to start wearing them!

So first up, OPI tease-y does it from Burlesque. I was never really sold on this colour, but everyone went so cuckoo over it that I had to see what all the fuss was about it. I can understand it but I don't fully share it. This is two easy coats, with a finished result that looks like a dark blackberry colour with fuchsia flaky glitter. But I kind of hoped that it would all be a little more...va-va voom than it is. It's pretty, very work appropriate, and subtle. What can I say, I'm bad at subtle! It chipped the next day though, so as much as I liked the respectability of it, chipped dark polish isn't so great.

Nail Shape Experiment Failed

2011-10-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

So I went on vacation to Central Europe for a few weeks. My general rule for vacations is to not wear polish at all. Bring a nail file and some cuticle cream and call it a day. I love nail polish, but not enough to lug around all the equipment and chemicals I need to keep my manis looking presentable.

Still, that means that my nails come home looking worse for wear. Cuticle cream is not enough to protect my forever weak talons from the elements, peeling, my teeth/mouth.

Upon my return home, inspired by

a lady on the subway with THE MOST PERFECT almond shaped nails I have ever seen (so elegant; I swear the look was flawless),
Adele's nude nails at the VMAs, and
the peels going on in the corners of my nails,

I decided to try almond shaped nails.

First came the round phase, which I quite liked. Then, as my nails grew away from the nail bed, I tried ever so slowly to fashion them into a more pointed shape.

This is what they looked like after 3 weeks.

(1 coat Essie Waltz, 1 coat Essie Vanity Fairest)

Yikes. It was even more insanely creepy and weird in person. Turns out, VNL does have the ability to sicken me.

I also hated wearing dark colors with them, drawing attention to these monstrosities. But the nails looked better all hidden away.

(2 coats BBCouture Erotic Night)

My most obvious problem is that my nail beds are too short and flared for this look to work after just one month of trying.

The fact is, I would have needed at least another 3-4 weeks of unbroken nail growth (impossible) to properly pull the look off, and I wasn't willing to deal with the ugly duckling phase in between. Especially since (i) I didn't know if the end result would look good on me and (ii) it would have been impractical anyway, given my keyboard-focused job.

Oh well, back to normal squoval nubs. (And back to regular posting!)

Maybe I'll go oval like K2K. I did quite like it.

Mini Blog Sale

2011-09-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

SOLD OUT

All polishes are 1 mani usage unless as shown or otherwise noted.

Nars Tzigane - $12

Soo Nails S28 - $1
Hema Nail Polish 04 - $1
Catrice I Scream Peach! - $3 SOLD

OPI:
William Tell Me About OPI - $5 SOLD
Ski Teal We Drop - $4 SOLD
Let Them Eat Rice Cake (90% remaining) - $4

BBCouture Kokomo - $4
BBCouture Obsession - $6

Nfu Oh (FYI the colors in this photo are a little too light, darken them all a bit):
NFU553 $7 SOLD
JS26 $7 SOLD
NFU569 $8 SOLD
NFU565 $8
JS42 $5

Cetuem 108 - $4 (75% remains) SOLD

Cetuem 191 - $6 SOLD

Cetuem 216 - $6 SOLD

American Apparel Mannequin - $2 SOLD

Lippmann Glitter in the Air - $15 SOLD

Lippmann Supermodel - $13 (2 mani usage) SOLD

Rescue Beauty Lounge Underwear - $12 SOLD

NARS Midnight Express - $13 SOLD

Chanel Morning Rose - $25 SOLD

Dior Pure Diamonds - $18 SOLD

Lippmann I'm Not Innocent - $11 SOLD

Inglot 852 - $6 SOLD

Models Own Nude Beige - $4 SOLD

Chanel Paradoxal - $18 SOLD

BB Couture Midnight Desire - $5 SOLD
Orly Secret Admirer - $2 SOLD
OPI Planks a Lot - $4 SOLD

Classic vamp - OPI LPAD

2011-09-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

A complete and utter classic for winter...OPI Lincoln Park After Dark.

An impossibly dark and rich purple...reminds me of stumbling into a jazz club after too many drinks - everyone is smoking, everything is hazy, but the music wraps around you like a mink stole and makes you just want to purr...

kittytokaren

China Glaze Ginger

2011-09-28T12:36:00.000-07:00

Things I am a sucker for:

1) Spice colours,

2) Holo glitter.

This is a two in one! I love the colour - it's subtle but striking. There are flecks of silver microglitter that give the polish a bit of dimensionality in sunlight, and the scattered holo really pops in low light. It's pretty sheer so 3-4 coats are needed for opacity, but this lasted through me stripping wallpaper and repainting*, so I'm impressed with the wear.

*I've finally accepted that my 'study' is a total mess. It is, or rather was, basically the least appropriate room to do work in. I tried to de-decorate the room when we moved in by getting shot of the four different kinds of textured wallpaper, but somehow the job never got finished (and nor did the skanky carpet get replaced, or the broken radiator, or the window with the half-inch gaps outside the frame...). So I finally ripped the last of it off, repainted, made curtains, yadda yadda. The best part is that doing all this allowed me to buy a new bookshelf and filing cabinet. So part two of Operation Study involved sorting through six years of non-existent filing, which was three days of hell. But I am DONE, the room is no longer freezing, and I can find my journal print-offs. Result, and totally worth the three broken nails.

Clean Slate - Essie T-Bills Putty

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling in my relationship right now, so I needed a "clean slate" polish. Something neutral that wasn't sugary sweet and pink. Essie T-Bills Putty has rapidly become one of my favourite nudes - I used it previously as the base of my new French mani.

A beautiful neutral creme...just perfect. It is quite similar to my old stand-by - Essie Jazz. It is a bit lighter and a smidge pinker than Jazz, which you can see here:

(L: T-Bills Putty, R: Jazz)

The formula was old-school. Runny, watery, chemical-laden, but buildable. This was 2.5 coats.

Pretty, but not enough to mend a broken heart.

kittytokaren

OPI Funkey Dunkey and Mad as a Hatter

2011-09-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

After my last go at glitter tips, I decided to buy some of those PVC stencil things (off ebay) and try doing it properly. This is the result! The base is funkey dunkey (two coats) with two coats of mad as a hatter and two coats of lumos, to try and smooth out the gritty tide mark where the glitter met the creme. The Alice glitters are my absolute favourites - Burlesque really didn't tickle my pickle in comparison - and I'm terrified of using them up, so I like the fact that I can wear them as tips and not waste them quite so much (since both seem to chip on me when worn as full manis, meaning I usually only get two or three days' wear).

Funkey dunkey is a great 'Cadbury' purple. I just love mad as a hatter - the glitter is so bright and cheerful. Interestingly, I see the purple most in the bottle (it lives with my purple polishes) but wearing it over purple seems to bring the silver out more. I had a hell of a time doing this mani, though. I left the base for a couple of hours before stenciling. I don't know if the base wasn't thoroughly dry, or if the stencils are just vicious, because removing them pulled huge chunks of purple off on about 50% of the nails. Fortunately it's a thick cream so I touched up the bare patches in two coats and was able to cover the join marks with top coat, but it was a total PITA. So next time I will sleep on the base coat and be careful not to stick the stencils too hard.

black nail polish

2011-09-23T12:01:00.001-07:00

black nail polish

Gateway drug - SpaRitual Sacred Ground

2011-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

So this is a bit of a story...

As some of you know, I have a strict "brand rule". I stick to a couple brands that I know work for me and have good lasting power for two primary reasons - a.) it limits my spending and b.) saves me the frustration of trying to get formulas to work for me that just...don't.

I placed an online order a while back and included some polishes a friend wanted - one of them being SpaRitual's Sacred Ground. The company accidentally sent me two of them, so I felt it was destiny for me to try it out...before I gave it away of course.

Lo and behold, I loved it.

(The pictures I took looked so much colourful in Photoshop when I cropped them. Somehow when I put them in here, the depth and beauty of the shimmer was lost. Maybe it will work on some of your monitors and it's just Blogger being weird??)

A gorgeous polish...a gunmetal grey base that seems to have hints of smoky purple and/or green...with warm gold and purple shimmer. Incredible, without being over the top. AND the formula was great. I now count SpaRitual and Orly as "allowed brands"...I wonder if this will be really bad for my wallet?

Have you tried SpaRitual? What do you think?

kittytokaren

China Glaze Starboard

2011-09-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

So, it only took me six months to wear this one. Actually I probably like this more for Autumn than Spring anyway; it has a slightly dusty, warm quality to it that I usually associate with leaves. In the picture it looks a little like Illamasqua Elope and while they're in the same family, this is much more muted and subtle. And only two coats, which is a bonus.

Berry Yoghurt - Essie Neo Whimsical

2011-09-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

Trying to sneak one last summery polish in before I go full-on fall!

Essie Neo Whimsical - it really reminds me of multi-berry yoghurt - my favourite!

This borders on "not really working for my skin tone" as it makes my hands look a bit dirty, but its such a cute little colour, I can forgive it!

Are you ready for fall or still holding onto summer?

kittytokaren

Illamasqua Load

2011-09-16T04:50:00.000-07:00

Load and I have history. The first time I applied this was on the train on the way to a gig (Innerpartysystem's last London show, in case you're interested. Probably not.) In retrospect, I was a little ambitious thinking I could get away with applying a pastel in a moving vehicle. The result was pretty predictable: it went everywhere and I looked like I had advanced stage leprosy. I wore gloves to the gig. So I cursed it, and filed it away in my drawer.

Giving it another go, I think I was much too hasty to dismiss this. Yes, it requires a lot of care to apply. It's thick and a bit gloppy and messy like most pastels, and takes three coats to opacity. It's obvious if the coats don't quite line up, because you get thick, semi-opaque tidemarks around the edges, which irks me a bit. I don't like having to work to get my polish perfect, since it's usually one of my 'kick back with a beer and bad TV*' activities. It also takes a bit of a while to dry.

And yet...I LOVE the colour! And in the pictures, it looks so perfect, so the work is definitely worth it. (Though I say so myself). It's such a gorgeously versatile shade, cream being one of my favourite colours, and it looks lovely on. Definitely worth the extra effort. This even works as a stamping or overlay colour because it's thick, which is unusual for such a pale colour.

As an aside, I can't help being reminded of buttercreme. Honestly, Illamasqua try their hearts out to come up filthy names, and all I can think of is food. Mmm...cake.

*Not so bad, lately - I'm totally hooked on both Forbrydelsen and The Killing and have been watching them simultaneously. Really great, both of them!

Something a little special - OPI Merry Midnight

2011-09-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

With so much hubbub over Orly's release of Fowl Play - a near dupe to OPI Merry Midnight - I thought I'd bust out the original and see how it felt!

This is OPI Merry Midnight over OPI Lincoln Park at Dark - prepare for many pics!

Merry Midnight is a very complex polish full of different colours of glitter and flakies...

...slightly subdued by a dark purple jelly base...

...so you can tell it's special from a distance, but you can really appreciate it up close...

Yikes. And I'll stop after that close-up of my cuticles.

I'm not typically one for glitter + flakies + sparkles + OMG, but I love this. I think that the dark-ish base makes it work for me! I've worn this for several special and fun party occasions, so it has a lot of great memories in it for me as well. I know Merry Midnight is a little hard to find right now, but from what I've seen of Orly Fowl Play it seems like a great substitute. Pick it up if you can!

Do you own either OPI Merry Midnight or Orly Fowl Play? Love/like/hate?

kittytokaren

Glitter french: Butter London Rosie Lee

2011-09-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

This is my first go at a french manicure using something other than freehand. Since Rosie Lee takes three coats to opacity, I felt freehanding it would be a bit ambitious, so I used masking tape. Not ideal, since it gave me straight tips, but it did the job OK. I made a few screw ups when taking off the tape so please excuse the dings, but for a first try I'm pleased! Also, the eagle eyed amongst you may spot that righty makes an appearance in a few of these pictures since I got my technique down by the second hand. Man, it's hard using a DSLR left handed!

This is base coat, one of China Glaze Diva Bride, three of Rosie Lee and topcoat. I think this is a pretty twist on a regular french and I'll be doing it again. The CG is nothing to write home about (it's just a boring my-nails-but-better colour with average ease of application) but the glitter is lovely. I currently have it on my toes and it's very sparkly, very opaque, and a slightly unusual pink in that is has a rosy, champagne quality to it in the sunlight.

Essie It's In the Bag - solo this time!

2011-09-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Previously shown with Mademoiselle on top here.

I just love this one - amazing application.

kittytokaren

Five colours I can't wait to wear for Autumn

2011-09-08T05:35:00.000-07:00

From thumb to pinkie: H&M Envy Me, Illamasqua Scarab, China Glaze First Class Ticket, China Glaze Ick-A-Bod-Y, OPI Ski Teal We Drop

Illamasqua Scarab doesn't look great here, but it is a beautiful polish. This is one coat. It dries without too much lustre, so looks much prettier with a top coat (which I didn't use here) - it's a beautiful browned ruby colour that really glows. Ease of application and opacity is amazing. I love this for fall.

First Class Ticket looks a bit blah in the bottle, but is gorgeous on - the purple really pops, and it's got flashes of silver microglitter. It's a dark blurple but it never looks black. A very glamorous polish.

Ick-a-bod-y is a crazy name for an excellent polish - thick orange glitter in a dark olive jelly base. With three coats the base practically disappears, but this is two over white, so you can just about make out the tone of the jelly. Very chunky so top coat is non-negotiable, but it wears like teflon and looks so spicy and yummy.

Ski teal we drop is one of my favourite teals - and I have a lot. It's dark, very glossy and very sophisticated. This is two coats.

Saving the best 'til last, on my thumb is H&M Envy Me, the perfect ivy green. Two coats to complete opacity, this practically glows. It's similar to Illamasqua Viridian, but less blue and without the duochrome. This is my favourite dark green. I even prefer it to Emerald Sparkle - praise indeed, no?

OPI Red Shatter over OPI Rally Pretty Pink (Serena Williams collex)

2011-09-07T06:57:00.000-07:00

OPI Red Shatter over OPI Rally Pretty Pink

I have been so pleasantly surprised by the gorgeousness of the Serena Williams collection -- I think I may have almost all of them -- but Red Shatter was a disappointment. First of all, Rally Pretty Pink is, as the name suggests, really damn pretty. And Red Shatter kind of is a dull jelly... which just makes the manicure look lifeless. :( I wouldn't hesitate to try out Red Shatter on, say, a white creme but it seems a waste to use it on an interesting shimmery polish.

Anna Sui 504

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

Anna Sui 504

I really wanted to love this polish. I hadn't seen anything else like it: dark auburn jelly with a lot of gold glitter and green iridescent flakies. I mean, what a combination: it's so unusual! Well, I loved the color, I love the gold glitter, the brownish jelly, the typical candy-floral Anna Sui scent (and the cute rose-shaped bottle)... but the flakies were less than fab. Stiffest. flakies. ever. The small flakies were okay but the large pieces didn't spread very well and stuck up in weird angles on my nails. I kept on piling on the layers (I think the above shows four or five?), trying to get more flakies but to no avail.

Surprise! Essie Winter Sneak Peek!

2011-09-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have something really exciting to share with you today! I was lucky enough to get my hands on three out of the six polishes from Essie's upcoming winter offering entitled Cocktail Bling!

Without further ado, the polish the collection is named for - Cocktail Bling:

Alone, it seems like your standard grey...but when you put it next to a more true, neutral grey, you can see that it in fact as purple undertones! My photo doesn't demonstrate it perfectly - purple undertones (they look more blue in the pic) being among those most hard to capture, but the colour is really special and interesting and it feels very wintery to me.

Below is Cocktail Bling with Orly Mirror Mirror on the middle finger:

Next up is Bangle Jangle - a lavender colour that I didn't think really fit into a winter collection. BUT, it seems as though someone at Essie reads my thoughts and/or posts... Remember last winter when I was looking for a wintery lavender/purple? I thought OPI Done Out in Deco was the answer...but it wasn't quite what I wanted. Bangle Jangle is *precisely* what I was looking for last year - a saturated lavender purple with enough grey undertones to keep it cold-weather appropriate and not tropical!

I tried to capture the difference between Bangle Jangle and Done Out in Deco, but again my camera was far too temperamental today for purple. The difference is much more obvious in reality - Done Out in Deco has much stronger pink undertones and is brighter.

OPI Done Out in Deco on the middle finger below:

And finally, a surprise winner of the collection for me - Brooch the Subject. This is a lovely opaque nude polish that I just adore on me (if I do say so myself...*preens*) - it is more flattering in reality than the photo indicates. It is only a bit darker than Essie Jazz, but has much warmer undertones akin to Essie Milky Way. Being super yellow, I think that this really suits me.

The formula on these was lovely - but I am a big fan of the Essie formula in general. I found them all to be nicely opaque without getting chalky and the shine is amazing even sans top coat. I feel so lucky to have these in my collection already! I think they are nice for winter, but are also good transitional colours, i.e. for right now between fall and winter, as well as between winter and spring. I plan on picking up the other three colours in this collection as soon as they are released!

Many thanks to the lovely lady who hooked me up with these! You are simply fabulous.

What do you think of this as a winter collection? Which colours are you looking forward to?

kittytokaren

My favorite manis this summer

2011-09-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thumb = H&M Moody Model (2 coats)

Index = Strangebeautiful Volume 4 (2 coats)

Middle = American Apparel Malibu Green (2 coats)

Ring = China Glaze For Audrey (3 coats)

Essie = Mint Candy Apply (3 coats)

Neither the Strangebeautiful nor the American Apparel actually needed 2 coats.

Thumb = Illamasqua Rampage (3 coats)

Index = H&M Moody Model (2 coats)

Middle = Inglot 710 (2 coats)

Ring = Urban Outfitters Taxi (2 coats)

Pinky = Inglot 806 (3 coats)

Thumb = Essie St. Lucia Lilic

Index = OPI Done Out In Deco

Middle = OPI Do You Lilac It

Ring = Inglot 709

Pinky = Strangebeautiful

Nicole ...Spotted! over Dior Nirvana

2011-09-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

Nicole ...Spotted! over Dior Nirvana

Nicole ...Spotted! (one of the dumber polish names, imo) is multicolored (blue, gold) and multisized glitter (some hex, some micro) suspended in a turquoise jelly. The polish alone is pretty sheer so I layered it over Dior Nirvana, whose color is pretty much a perfect match for the Nicole jelly. It was less sparkly than I expected it to be, leading me to suspect that it might actually be a better layering polish over a contrasting color. Still, it was a nice way to extend my Nirvana manicure for another day before I got bored of it. :)

China Glaze Metallic Muse

2011-09-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

I'm totally late to the party on this one. I think practically everyone here has this polish. But I love it! So glad I added it to my last pre no-buy order. Chromes are my favourite finish and aqua-blue is a very frequent colour in my wardrobe, so this fits right in.

The only issue I have with chromes is that they're such a bugger to clean up - I end up with sparkly bits everywhere. There are a few ridgey bits evident in these pictures, but that's my own fault. My favourite way to apply chromes is to sandwich them with a coat of seche vite, which makes them really smooth (base, two coats polish, SV, polish, SV) and gives amazing wear time - my butter london fairy lights mani (a pink chrome) lasted 9 days with no chips. This one was more like 3 days, but then it's only two coats between lumos base and top coat (neither of which are that great, in my opinion).

Pink Glazed - Essie Mini How High

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've had this polish in my stash for a while, but I've just never reached for it! It's basically the same formula as Essie Mademoiselle - lovely and streak free - but pinker!

Keep in mind though that it is fairly sheer - this was 3 coats. I can see myself wearing this as a base for a delicate sparkly polish. This polish feels sticky sweet and sugary - like pink donut frosting! Mmmm....anyone have a recipe for dairy-free donuts that they are willing to share?

kittytokaren

Dior Porcelain

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

(3 coats)

The formula on this sucks. This reminds me of Chanel's Morning Rose in both color-concept (pink with fine glitter/flakey shimmer - Morning Rose is a darker pink with gold, this has silver shimmer) and formula (sticky, unleveling).

Morning Rose is in my purge pile. I'm still debating on this one. I like this so much more on me.

illamasqua Shrapnel

2011-08-30T05:10:00.000-07:00

Illamasqua shrapnel, one of the colours from the design competition from last winter. This is easily my favourite of the bunch. It's a metallic pink-copper (flinty, you'll love this) with tiny silver microshimmer flecks. It's a very cool toned metallic and definitely unique amongst my collection. It's opaque in one coat, but I refuse to do one coat (what if I come under REALLY BRIGHT LIGHT and I can see VNL if I look very closely?!) so this is two.

The colour is described as 'the colour of a new penny'. Just to be really pedantic I decided to test this claim - think of this as the nail polish Mythbusters. So, 2010 English penny in hand, I can confirm that...it's not the same colour. It's considerably pinker. Still really pretty, though!

Hellpolish - Essie Barbuda Banana

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I don't have many HTF (hard-to-find) polishes in my stash. This one was fairly recently acquired, and I was so excited! I've always wanted a soft yellow, and you know how much I love Essie...so I thought this would be perfect!

Alas...

Looks nice, eh? Lies!! It's a beast!! This is by far the rougest time I've ever had with a polish. I struggled. It was epic. It manages to be runny and streaky, but chalky. Thick and gloopy, but no pigment. Hellpolish. I suppose it is the nature of yellows though right? Even though I had to battle with it, I am still debating keeping it - Essies are so special to me, and I adore the colour so so much. Rumour has it that Essie is coming out with some easter-egg brights for next spring - perhaps my perfect yellow will be in that bunch?

Have you had any experience with pale yellows - good or bad?

kittytokaren

Chanel Peridot

2011-08-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

My new academic year's resolution -- besides to finish my qualifying exams at the end of the Winter 2012 quarter -- is to be more consistent about posting here!

Chanel Peridot

Got lots of compliments on this one. It felt more like a foil to me than a duochrome and oddly enough, the duochrome is more pronounced in the photos than in real life. Still, it was sparkly and bright. A little streaky on the application and you can see some evidence of brushstrokes. Three coats, thinner than I expected though. The photo was taken on the fourth day of wear and, as you can see, it was still chip-free!

Close-up on Peridot

So bright, it burns. :)

I've been up to quite a bit lately. Attended a wedding in Seattle. Saw friends that I haven't seen in a long time (all of whom seem to be in wedding planning mode... so there was a lot of conversation about cakes and caterers, dresses and... more dresses). There are a lot of pregnant women in my life so I'm making quilts, burp cloths and other basic, easy-to-sew baby items. I have also started making quilts for Quilts for Kids, an organization that provides handmade quilts for children in hospitals. I don't get that much time for hobbies and volunteer work, so it's gratifying to be able to kill two birds with one stone on that one. Attempting to make a dress from a 1952 pattern... I suck at sewing darts but now I'm super picky about buying clothes because I'm so aware of how they're made and how they fit. I tried to herd my RAs and got a bit of participant running done in the last two weeks of the summer quarter. I'm doing a little bit of freelance editing for an academic in another country who needs a little help with English and English-language publishing. My own paper just got slung back to me for a second revise/resubmit and I'm writing this post while trying to force myself to read all the comments VERY VERY CAREFULLY so I can see exactly how dumb I am. (Seriously, I can't type numbers. It's a very bad thing to be bad at as a researcher!) I went to the dentist for the first time in three years: I needed two appointments to properly clean my teeth (ugh) and I found out that my previous dentist did a crappy job applying two of my crowns, and thus they need to be replaced (double ugh). Lots of dentist visits. Though I like this dentist and his office a lot: they're the most cheerful bunch of people and all patients get a flower at the end of their appointments. I'm getting LASIK in about a month, so there's been a lot of back and forth to ophthalmologists (and one day I'll spell that correctly on the first try -- I forgot the first 'l' again... at least I got all the 'h's this time). I can't wear glasses because all the glasses I've ever had have given me a splitting headache and my eyes seem to have developed an allergic reaction to all sorts of contact lenses in the past year. It's a sh*tload of money but I'm hopeful that it'll be a good investment. And I'm slogging through a huge backlog of NOTD photos and trying to get some of the summer and fall collections swatched. So I've been busy... and spending more money on fabric than polish lately. A history of cosmetics obsession translates really well to sewing and fabric choices.

Urban Outfitters Barstool

2011-08-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

(3 coats)

SWEET LORD ALMIGHTY this rocks my world. This may not be your taste but it is EXACTLY mine.

Jelly
Light color
Murky
Flattering
Blue

YUUUUUUSSSSSSS. This color reminds me of photos of blue glaciers sitting in ice-y water.

MAC Dry Martini

2011-08-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

Oh, Dry Martini...I wanted to love you. So badly. But three streaky coats later (with evident bald spots), and the beautiful olive green tone of the bottle replaced by duck poo brown on the nail...I don't love you. At all. I've seen this colour look amazing on other people but on my skin all the green just flew right out of it.

I also have issues with MAC's formula - this chipped after two days and could really have done with a fourth coat if I wanted it to be totally even. It's a shame, because I LOVE the MAC brush. It fits my nails perfectly. But the polishes usually wind up being a let down for me.

Are there any brands that just don't work for you?

Trying New Things - Orly Pure Porcelain

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling more adventurous lately - maybe not with colour, but with brands! I recently tried a SpaRitual (long story - you will see it soon!) and loved it. This inspired me to finally break my 'brand rule' and order a polish I have really really wanted for a long time from Orly - Pure Porcelain! (SpaRitual and Orly happen to be sister companies as well, which is neat.)

You're seeing my new, more oval, shape here again! This polish is amazing. It pulls more pink on me than it does on other people, but I just love love love love love love it! The formula is fantastic - not difficult to apply like other pale colours. It's a beautiful combination of white, pink, creme and grey. (Trust me, it looks more dusty when I compare it to my other pale pinks.) One of those perfect "any occasion" polishes and the wear was amazing!! Minimal tip wear and no chips for 5 days! I switched polish after that so no telling how long it would go...

I will *definitely* be trying more from Orly. I'm a huge fan so far! I just wish the bottle was prettier. Oh well, it is very functional.

Any Orly recommendations for me? What are your favourites?

kittytokaren

Dior Timeless Gold & Pure Diamonds

2011-08-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

Timeless Gold

(2 coats)

An extremely cool gold (though the camera makes it more silver-y pewter than it is). Really like it. But it makes me sad because Dior messed with perfection with their new paddle (Sally Hansen mop-style) brushes.

Pure Diamonds

(2 coats - ignore the ding, hasty swatching)

This one has their old brush. It was so perfect. It was like the OPI pro-wide except a little shorter and the bristles seem to be a bit finer. Application is SO nice with this brush. WHY did they have to take it away? :'''''(

This one is going in the swap pile. I don't do layering polishes. For me, adding a shimmery layer to a creme is like Dior switching to the paddle-mop from the old one. Ruining things.

New Shape, "New" French

2011-08-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Very rarely do I change up my nail shape. I'd venture to say never. They pretty much grow "squoval" (except my index fingers...those little rule breakers) and I've stuck with that.

BUT. I got super inspired after seeing this video of Sophy Robson doing Lisa Eldridge's nails - HERE. (P.S. I totally want to be Lisa Eldridge.)

A couple glasses of wine, and I was left with this:

It's a sketchy night shot, but I liked it because it shows the navy tips off better than my day shots do. I used Essie T-Bills Putty for the nude and Essie Midnight Cami for my tips.

Result? I am looovvviiinnngggg not only this manicure, but this nail shape. I can even see myself doing this French again with different colours - Maybe a more pinky base with grey tips? I probably will not stick with the oval shape forever - it will be hard to keep up because my natural nail shape will be fighting me, but I will enjoy it! (You will see the Return of the Squoval soon here on PoP - I have several swatches that I photographed a little while back still waiting to be shared.)

So - I'm nervous to ask - but what do you think?? Do you prefer the oval or the squoval on me? Do you ever switch up your nail shape? Let me know, I'm curious!!

kittytokaren

H&M Blue My Mind

2011-08-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Oh neon blue, my old nemesis. My favourite colour to wear and my least favourite to photograph. This one's worth the effort, though:

Two coats. I've used a topcoat but the polish (surprisingly for a semi-neon) dries glossy in any case. It pools a little at the cuticles because it's a thick creme but the brush makes it very easy to control, I had barely any clean up. H&M polishes are only £2.99 and while the quality isn't the best I've tried (I tend to get wear after 2-3 days), for the price they're pretty unbeatable.

And the colour? Drooooool. Very very bright mid-blue with a hint of violet. It's really gloriously loud and opaque.

(If any of you are into mosaic, there's a bright blue smalti tile that matches this colour. It was my favourite when I was a kid, I used to use it in every craft project going. So I'm pleased to be able to wear that colour on my nails!)

Dior Czarina Gold

2011-08-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

(2 coats)

This is like China Glaze's Ingrid pumped up (and darker, which works better with mah skin). Love it.

OPI Fall 2011: Touring America - I got a little crazy.

2011-08-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

I initially only ordered a couple of polishes from the OPI Touring America collection - and then I saw them in Ulta and picked up a bunch more. I honestly wish I had restrained myself a little more, but at least I can share them with you now! I really wanted to show you the colours as they appear in real life (not lit up by some super bright lamps) so as a consequence some of these come off really dark - which they do in reality!

Uh Oh, Roll Down the Window

I'm really excited to wear this one this fall! My first ever olive green. Super creamy. I think it's one of those ugly-pretty colours and will look really nice with navy!

I Brake For Manicures

This was a lot browner on the nail than I expected - it looks more purple-y in the bottle. Part of me wishes this wasn't so dark because that would let the colour really shine.

Get in the Expresso Lane

I'm not usually the biggest fan of brown nail polish. I like it in swatches, but I never seem to feel excited about wearing it. This changes my mind - it's grey-er and greener than typical chocolate browns - and I like it! I think the camouflage-style undertones give brown a much-needed update.

French Quarter For Your Thoughts

A very welcome addition to my grey collection - lighter than the other true greys I own, I think it's really flattering on - it has a bit of warmth that keeps it harmonious with my yellow skin. It reminds me of elephants.

Road House Blues

Believe it or not, I don't have a true navy blue creme in my collection. The closest thing I have is OPI Sapphire in the Snow, which is much more purple. Again, I wish this was lighter so the beautiful creamy navy with a *hint* of purple could really take center stage.

A-Taupe the Space Needle

Last (and definitely least) is the one I really regret picking up. This just looks like poo on me. Poo. Sigh.

What do you think of OPI's fall offering? I was excited by the prospect of a bunch of dingy, dirty cremes, but I'm a little let down by how some of them are "almost black". I think most of us are over "almost black". I know I'm sick of hearing people ask me "What colour is that? Black?" That being said, I think several of these will become staples in my collection! I'm so looking forward to fall...

kittytokaren

Illamasqua force - a 'WTF?' polish

2011-08-16T05:20:00.000-07:00

(Ho ho ho, a Star Wars joke, bet you didn't see that coming!)

Since we've had a rare few days of sunshine, and since I now have a car, I took the opportunity to go to some of the National Trust properties nearby. They're basically rural stately homes that are preserved by a charity and they're generally speaking lovely - Packwood House, where we went last week, is a favourite. It's a Tudor manor house, originally erected in 1480, which was much restored in the 1920s and 1930s by a chap called Graham Baron Ash, who was a deeply enthusiastic restorer and spent an enormous amount of money doing up this house and others nearby.

Anyway, I promise I am going somewhere with this tangential history lesson. Aside from the fact that it's an interesting and beautiful place to visit, it also has some lovely interiors and a stunning garden. The colours gave me lots of ideas for manicures I wanted to try (nail varnish being my artistic medium, and all...). This is the first 'NT-inspired' manicure - I wanted to take the colours from the French tiling in the bathroom:

I decided my best bet for a match would probably be Illamasqua Force, a dusky mid blue, with white crackle layered over the top. However, I forgot that Force is an...idiosyncratic polish. Basically, it doesn't behave itself. The Swatchaholic has already commented on how it changes colour with Seche Vite. In my experiments today it behaved even more weirdly. Here it is on its own, with no top coat. This is a very colour accurate shot, IMHO. It has an unusual grey-violet undertone to it that makes it unique amongst my (large) collection of blues.

Fugly pic time! This shot shows what happens when you layer white crackle over the top. You can see a) the bits I didn't clean up (intentionally, to show you - sorry for the fug) where white crackle is not on top of Force, and is white; b) where it went over Force and turned pale blue; and c) how they've both deepened considerably to a royal blue/lavender combo with the addition of top coat (Lumos, since you ask). What a weeeeeeird polish.

Here's some proper pictures:

So that...uh...totally didn't work. The final effect is nothing like the tiles! Just to show that CG white crackle doesn't normally change over blue, here it is over Orly La Playa. (I know, I know, claw-hands and an iphone picture, I'm spoiling you today). Force is...odd.

Missha HG R01

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

(2 coats)

The rose scent on this is so impressively strong. I could smell it days later.

Pinky Perplexity - Essie Lion Around

2011-08-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Remember how I went on my Hunt for Red (by) October last year? I may have to consider doing the same thing to find my perfect pink - opaque, not too sugary sweet, but not too fleshy either. This came close, but didn't hit the mark...and it's driving me bananas. (B-A-N-A-N-A-S.) I think the winner might have been Chanel Mistral, but I missed out on that one. :(

Essie Lion Around is from this year's Resort collection, and I wasn't planning on picking it up. I was quite happy with my picks - Da Bush and Your Hut or Mine. However, I was in Ulta one night, and through a complicated issue with returns and coupons, it somehow managed to work out such that they paid me to take it out of the store...yeah...I'm still looking over the receipts on this one. It was the one polish that spoke to me in that 15 seconds I had to decide!

I actually expected to hate the finish of this polish...and I do. But not as much as I thought I would. It isn't apparent in my photo, but there is subtle pearly shimmer in the polish, giving it a satin appearance on the nail. I don't know why, but somehow the combo of that finish and this particular colour makes me feel queasy - like when I think of pork that is a few days expired. The effect isn't as strong as I anticipated though, so that's good.

What I was genuinely surprised by was the colour - it was much peachier on me than I expected! I'm not sure why I thought it would be cooler-toned. I normally like a little peachiness in my pinks - it keeps them from being overly saccharine - but the orange-y yellow tones in this are a little strong and kind of...blends...with my yellow-toned skin a little too well.

In the end I don't totally hate this polish - I appreciate it not as my perfect pink, just for what it is. I like that it's a pink that isn't 4-year-old-with-a-My-Little-Pony pink. (Although MLP is pretty kickass. I had one when I was a kid. I called it "Balls". I kid you not. How my parents kept a straight face I will never know.) However, I don't think I'll be keeping it. I'm trying not to keep polishes I'm not excited to wear!

Any suggestions for my perfect pink? Would you like to see a pink "Hunt"?

kittytokaren

Holy magenta! Illamasqua obsess

2011-08-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

I'm totally going back on my adult aversion to pink, because this is a knock out. It's a good job this polish didn't exist when I was 15 because I had my hair the same colour and would have drained bottle after pricey bottle.

Three coats of opaque, neon blue-pink fabulousness. It's much more purple than barbie pink - more magenta - but it's very bright. I'm guessing it would glow under UV. The neon pigments mean it dries a bit satiny so I have a coat of lumos over the top. Winner in my book.

Lippmann Funky Chunky

2011-08-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

(2 coats)

So... I don't hate this. It reminds me of an 80s purse in black patent faux-snakeskin (with a chain armstrap!). I've never hated this. I've worn it a few times, in fact.

This is a trick to apply and to dry: The glitter sinks so you have to shake it like a polaroid picture in between coats and then you have to sit and let it dry because a top coat would ruin the finish. The whole situation is not ideal. But it's so weird, different, and hated that I have to like it...like an underdog.

Addendum - More Essie Fall 2011

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the additional polish pics from Essie's fall collection that I promised! I ended up picking up two more from the collection - Glamour Purse and Case Study. Et voila!

Glamour Purse

A couple years too late, but I don't care. THE perfect taupe. PERFECT. Probably super close to Chanel Particuliere - I don't have that anymore, but I have Barry M Mushroom and this has a titch more grey to it. Again, my perfect perfect taupe. I am going to hunt down a back-up. Oh and it wore like a champ!

Case Study

For the last couple of years, taupes and neutrals with a hint of purple (like Glamour Purse...ahh it really was born too late...) were all the rage. But now we are seeing rash of camouflage-style green-tinted neutrals come on the market. I'm liking the trend! And I'm liking this polish - it looks much more flattering on me in person than this picture shows. Many, many, many of you have already pointed out that I was wrong about this being a Milky Way dupe. (So many. All over the internet.) I get it. I was wrong, this is much more green. Remind me never to speculate again...

The only polish I haven't picked up from this collection is Very Structured. If you've tried that one or even seen it, let me know what you think!

kittytokaren

P.S. I ended up parting with Lady Like, for those that were curious!

China Glaze 108 Degrees

2011-08-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

You know, I received this from China Glaze in the spring (and wore and photographed it in spring) but it seems much more appropriate to post this in summer, don't you think?

China Glaze 108 Degrees

Hot magenta jelly with either pink or purple shimmer. It is HOT. (The polish, not the weather. At least, not for me.) Still some VNL at three coats, as befits a jelly. :)

Desperately duping graphite

2011-08-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

I have a rule against buying Chanel polishes. I lust after them, I render myself completely broke buying them, I apply them with a frantic anticipation, I am disappointed. This is how it always goes. I adore a luxury purchase as much as the next girl, but every Chanel lacquer I've had has ended up in the swap pile. But Graphite...*sigh*. I adore Graphite. Quite apart from the fact that I'm not supposed to be buying polish at all, never mind Chanel polish, this one has my heart. So I went rummaging through my stash to see if I had anything similar that would prevent me from hitting 'purchase!'.

This is what I turned up: 'Mischa' by Andrea Fullerton, a brand available in Superdrug in the UK. The colour is definitely not a dupe, but it's in the same vein, and a very fine colour in its own right. It's a foil with dominant colours of pewter, violet, and gold. From a distance it looks like a dark grey with warm undertones, and it sparkles nicely in the sun. This is three coats, and longevity has been good (I'm on day four of wear today with no issues, although I will be removing it tonight).

But, I'm not convinced by the brand. The bottles are teeny - 5.5ml - and are priced at £5.50 each. At £1 a ml, these are more expensive than my Illamasquas (£13.50 for 15ml, although I nearly always purchase in a sale, making them more like £10 each). They're not even far off Chanel, which is £17.50 for 13ml. I bought four of these when I first started my internship, and the colours are really gorgeous and unique (I'll swatch some of the others in the coming weeks) but they are expensive given the small quantity you get. Not sure why I'm complaining, given that I rarely dent my big 15ml bottles, but the size of these does feel a bit stingy.

Are you ever put off polish purchases by the quantity you get in a bottle?

So Super Good and Yummy! - OPI Hot & Spicy

2011-08-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Confession: I LOVE Cartman's Jennifer Lopez hand puppet character from South Park. I know all the lines and songs and I think I've seen the episodes starring the lovely Ms. Lopez 20 times. Mildly offensive, yes. I just try to take it out of that context and enjoy it for what it is - a hand puppet wearing a fur coat. This polish reminds me of her.

For those of you who have no idea what the above statement was about, please just ignore and look at the pretty polish!

OPI Hot & Spicy was from the Hong Kong collection, but I only recently acquired it. I've been kind of loving orange polish this summer. (Helloooo Essie Geranium and Meet Me At Sunset!) This is a softer orange though. Not nearly as soft as Essie Cantaloupe, but less deep and red than the others I mentioned.

On my ultra pale skin, this still comes across a little strong, but I quite like it - it's summer after all! I think where this would really be a standout is on someone with more colour to their skin. Like the lovely Piff. (Do you have this one Piffy?) The formula was also excellent, like all of the other Hong Kong polishes I own, so I expected nothing less.

I know orange is trendy right now and I'm in no way original, but have you been wearing orange this summer as well? If not, what would you say is your signature summer colour?

kittytokaren

Many, many pictures of OPI Rally Pretty Pink

2011-08-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the three days I wore this staring at my nails. Staring at them indoors, staring at the outdoors, staring at them during the day, staring at them during the night... and taking photos of most of that process.

OPI Rally Pretty Pink (outdoors in direct sunlight)

(outdoors in indirect sunlight)

(indoors in lightbox)

(indoors, indoor lighting, no flash)

I never thought I'd ever go so nutty over a pink shimmer! But it's so much more than just a pink

shimmer. It's a ton of gold foil (and green shimmer, perhaps?... though that might just be a trick of the light) suspended with a pink-purple jelly that can look like a slightly dusty magenta or a really rich red-leaning purple, depending on light and angle. Three coats -- could've used a fourth because it's jelly and the more you put on, the more shimmer you get! But three coats was sufficient. There was no color that it looked like "most of the time" (hence the many photos in different types of lighting situations). So changeable, so lovely. It sparkles so hard, it burns.

My lame nail art.

2011-08-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I had the urge to engage in some nail art recently. Little nail art. Nail art is usually way, way, way out of my comfort zone, but I felt a burst of creativity! My mani at the time was Essie Geranium (which is actually much more orange-toned that this pic would suggest). I added three little dots of Essie Turquoise & Caicos on each thumb using a bobby pin.

Essie Geranium + Turquoise & Caicos

I thought the result was fairly cute and went well with my turquoise jewelry!

And yes, I took this picture in my car...I wasn't going to share it at first but then I felt like snapping a pic at the wheel. However, I was parked in a parking lot! Don't ogle your nails and drive ladies!

Please don't judge too harshly - nail art is not my thing! Have you tried any nail art lately?

kittytokaren

Dior Nirvana

2011-08-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

Dior Nirvana

Nirvana indeed! A wonderful teal polish that has a very subtle but very real blue shimmer. I'm so glad Dior has started releasing more interesting shades because for awhile there, I was afraid I would have to start to enjoy reds, pinks and beiges in order to ever get a Dior Vernis fix. :P Two coats. Looked great for all four days I wore it.

Closeup of Nirvana

I took maybe two dozen photos with the express goal of trying to capture the shimmer. You can kind of see it in this closeup photo. I didn't even notice the shimmer when I applied it. I only realized it was a shimmer polish when I got out in the sun. (It was a great moment because my first thought was, "Aw, man, did I accidentally get some shimmer polish mixed up with my Diamont again??" (No, I didn't.)

Back in the saddle: OPI bronzed to perfection

2011-07-31T05:21:00.000-07:00

I've not been very enthusiastic about manicuring lately - coming to the end of my secondment, things have been crazy busy, and I've been focussed on trying to deliver the final paper I owe above anything else. My colleagues are throwing me a leaving party next week, and then it's back to the PhD. It will be so strange to return to solo working after three months in an office, and I'm sorry to say I'll really miss it. Still, it's given me things to think about as options when I finally graduate - I've long been harbouring doubts about my ability to be an academic, and the University jobs market here is completely kaput, so it's reassuring to know that I can work in a different environment (and I now have a line on my CV to prove it).

I'm also in celebration mode after finding out I got the teaching I wanted. Three classes of stats in semester one (please, please, oh timetabling Gods, let them be on the same day!) and nothing in semester two, so I can concentrate on kicking this damn t****s - I can't quite bring myself to type it - into shape. And maybe have time for some research consulting on the side.

Anyway, to celebrate having the time and inclination to do my nails, here's an old favourite my boyfriend picked. It's OPI bronzed to perfection from the South Beach collection from a couple of years back. I know it's probably intended to be worn by tanned lovelies and not Casper-types like myself, but to hell with it, I love this colour. It's a deep bronze-tan with little golden orange shimmer flecks. Applies like buttah. Goes with everything. Easy peasy.

Dior Aloha (Electric Tropics, Summer 2011)

2011-07-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Dior Aloha

Ahh. A neon orange creme I can get behind. Neons always screw with my camera so just imagine this photo as being less red and more screamingly neon. Applied gorgeously: it could've been fine in two coats but I did three. As usual for Diors, it dried quickly. I didn't use the topcoat that came in the Electric Tropics set (and honestly, was miffed that I had to pay extra for a topcoat I didn't want) so this was just using Poshe. Photo was taken on Day 3.

Oddly, the bottle was made out of orange-tinted glass. The tint was actually far more muted than the actual shade of the polish, which makes me think that they didn't want it to be so screamingly loud in their displays. (Otherwise, why on earth would you put nail polish into anything but a clear bottle? What's the point?) But it is loud. And I love it.

My Top 5 Summer Pedicures (2011 edition)

2011-07-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

I started a tradition last year of sharing with you my favourite pedicure colours of the summer...without showing you my feet of course! (See Piff's picks from last summer here as well!) In observation of this tradition, here are the top 5 pedicure colours that I've been loving and wearing this summer!

Thumb to pinky:

OPI Gift of Gold

Last winter, I almost always had a gold glitter pedi on my feet. Something about taking my socks and boots over and seeing gold glimmering back at me made me happy. I decided to try it out in summer and well, and my fav gold glitter for the warmer months has been Gift of Gold - for two major reasons. (1) It has fine, fine glitter, which I think looks really great and makes for easier removal, and (2) the tone of the overall polish is much warmer than the other golds I own, which I find very summery.

OPI Cajun Shrimp

A classic OPI, sent to me by the very sweet and amazing ilexica! This is just a punch of colour for the toes that I can't get enough of...and it seems to go with everything.

OPI Done Out in Deco

Before I broke up with RBL, Purple Haze was one of my favourite pedi colours. While DOiD is definitely not a Purple Haze dupe, the idea remains the same. A pastel-ish, but saturated purple on the toes looks great with metallic sandals, but remains feminine and summery without being in-your-face. I might like this better on toes than on tips!

Essie Watermelon

Exactly the colour you think of when you think of watermelon. Such a fun summer colour for tips or toes! It's a perfect hot pink that leans red instead of blue (like Bachelorette Bash), and it's just...cute!

Essie Midnight Cami

One of my all-time favourite pedi shades, and it is actually my current pedicure. Yes, dark is maybe not the way many ladies want to go in summer, but I think it's a really elegant counterpoint to the lighter fabrics and colours women are wearing. It seems to coordinate well with many other polish colours for tips, and the shine is amazing. I adore this.

What are your fav pedi shades for this summer?

kittytokaren

Illamasqua Radium

2011-07-28T06:46:00.000-07:00

I love this polish. Love love love.

Love love love love.

Illamasqua Radium

I wore this for four or so days? I believe this was taken on Day 3: just a bit of tipwear in evidence. It's such a great green polish: it's between lime and grass and is full of yellow and light green shimmer. This was three coats.

Closeup of Radium

So bright, so green! So up my alley. I wore this in May -- yes, it's a very long backlog of NOTDs I've got -- and it was such a great pick-me-up spring color. :)

OPI y'all come back, ya hear

2011-07-27T05:55:00.000-07:00

This was my only purchase from OPI texas. I was swayed by k2k's swatches of houston, we have a purple, into trying the sorbet formula. It does definitely remind me of sorbet - it's juicy and fresh and just sheer without being see-through. A real tangerine dream of a polish.

That said, I just didn't quite fall for it. I guess it's such a summery colour and it's been raining non-stop here, so every time I looked at my nails, they seemed to say 'it's mid-July, and you're stuck in your london office, and it's raining. This is probably all you'll see of sunshine. Sucker!'. I guess we didn't really get on.

Plus it stained really, really badly when I took it off. Two goes with the orly cutique later and they're still yellow.

Have you ever worn a nail polish that felt weirdly inappropriate for your mood?

More polishes for sale!

2011-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

Now that the mystery boxes are all sold -- much quicker than anticipated, yikes y'all are fast! -- I'm now putting up my higher-end and harder-to-find polishes up for sale.

Shipping is $2.50 for the first polish, $0.50 for each additional polish. If you get 6 or more polishes, shipping is a flat rate of $5 (and this will automatically receive Delivery Confirmation). If you get fewer than 6 polishes and want to be able to track your package, it will cost $0.80 extra. Payment will be through PayPal. I am happy to ship internationally but the shipping cost will have to be calculated.

Contact me using the link to the "Contact Us" form above if you want to purchase. If you are confused about how to do that, please comment below with your contact information. Please do not try to reserve polishes through the comments; please only request polishes through email. Thanks! :D

All used 1x unless otherwise indicated. Grey ones are pending/sold and will be made black again if they become available.

Anna Sui - $11 each

606 (orange with gold glitter)

504 (brown jelly with gold microglitter, green glitter and iridescent flakes)

906 (holo square glitter and blue circle glitter)

BB Couture

Hound Dog (80% full) - $4

Kokomo - $7

Moon Over Manhattan (75% full) - $4

Peacock - $7

Tropical Sunset (80% full) - $4

Chanel - $18 each

Particuliere

Miami Peach (w/box)

Ciate - $9 each

Ladylike Luxe

Lemon Sherbert

Mojito

Deborah Lippmann

Happy Birthday - $12

Some Enchanted Evening - $10

Dior Vernis - $15 each

Gris Montaigne (707)

Bleu Poison (900, Poison Blue, w/box)

L'Oreal (Essie North Fork dupes) - $3 each

High Tide

Ocean Breeze

Waters Edge

Nfu.Oh

38 (flakey, 60% full) - $5

50 (flakey, 75% full) - $6

54 (flakey, 75% full) - $6

59 (flakey, 75% full) - $6

555 (creme/jelly, used 1x) - $8

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics - $5 each

A.V.

Perpetual

Beta (NOT $5, posted about this recently, if you want it as a free throw-in, just ask)

Pop Beauty - $5 each

Grass

Mandarin

O'Boy

Yellow

Rescue Beauty Lounge (all w/box)

$14 each

Anne

Catherine

$12 each

Ani

Square Pants

$8 each

Sheer Pink

Sheer Natural

Sally Hansen (Tracey Reese, all 75-80% full) - $3 each

Beet Stain

Fast Forward

Forsythia

Valentino

Other Brands

Cetuem 163 (purple duochrome, used only 1x but the bottle didn't come completely full) - $8

Chinoiserie Plexi (85% full) - $5

Glitter Gal White $5

Inglot XL7, 80% full - $5

Lancome Le 54 - $10

Ozotic Pro 526 (black holo!) - $12

RGB White - $11

Sally Hansen Commander in Chic - $4

TiNS The Happy Milk, 90% full - $15

5 StrangeBeautiful polishes plus the plexiglass case - $20 (without case, $18)

Color Club Wink Wink Twinkle (Starry Temptress, Spring 2011)

2011-07-26T06:39:00.000-07:00

I remember reading somewhere that they had a great experience with these polishes and that they were smooth and easy to apply... and it's entirely possible that they are just better at nail polish than I am but... umm... this wasn't cool. (I mean, neither are my cuticles here but my cuticles didn't make application hard nor made it dry extremely bumpy.)

Either way, not really pleased I bought the entire collection on faith. I should stop doing that.

Color Club Wink Wink Twinkle

As I already mentioned: bumpy, goopy, hard to apply. I'm okay with the dull, non-sparkly glitter. The color is pretty cool, a neon-ish red-leaning purple. But.... yeah, nothing special and I could've skipped it and had no regrets.

Closeup of Wink Wink Twinkle

Cute story about the SO and his trying to engage in the activities I enjoy:

We were in the mall and I had a Groupon to a beauty supply store that I wanted to spend. This store carried most of the Deb Lippmann collection and I was trying to decide between Don't Tell Mama and Wicked Game. Having nothing better to do at the moment, he started pointing to each of the polishes and proclaiming whether he thought they were good or not.

He went down the row and when he got the the fabulous Lippmann glitters, he was like, "Wow, I would put any of these on my toes. Even the pink one [Some Enchanted Evening]. I hate pink but I would wear that pink one on my toes."

And then he got to Bad Romance and was like, "I would wear this on my fingers! Can you get ALL of these?" (He pointed to all the glitters.)

"Uh, honey? I HAVE all of these."

Anyhoo, he's currently walkin' around with Across the Universe on his toes.

He has the most uncanny way of enjoying the MOST EXPENSIVE things. When Bath and Body Works still regularly had their non-holidays Temptations 3-in-1s, he routinely preferred the twice-as-expensive Philosophy 3-in-1s. He likes the LUSH solid shampoos ($10 each) but vastly prefers BIG or Curly Wurly ($22 each). Whenever I give him a few nail polishes to choose from, he picks the most expensive. (I mean, the boy likes his Chanel and Dior. But never Color Club or Milani! Or even OPI! WTF, dude.) And he doesn't know the prices of any of these things.

Lately, he's been using my Dermalogica Microfoliant because he had a ton of peeling skin from sunburn/windburn while going whale watching for four hours without any sunblock. While we were at the beauty supply spending my Groupon, he saw a Dermalogica display and asked, "Hey, is this the stuff I've been using? I like it. Maybe you should get more."

"Did you use it up ALREADY??" I've had it for years and was thinking that if he had used it all up unnecessarily, he was going to foot the bill for the next one.

"No, but maybe you should stock up." So, I went over to the display, picked up a Microfoliant box and showed him the price ($50). He just sort of stared in shock at the pricetag.

My response: "Maybe you'll be more careful about not spilling two teaspoons of it all over the counter next time."

Essie Fall 2011 - Retail Release

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I always eagerly await fall collections, and Essie collections more than is normal! (Gahhh I am such an Essie fangirl!) I stalked my drugstores for the early release of the fall collection, Carry On. Drugstores only get 4 out of the 6 polishes of particular collections (however, they seemed to get all of Brazilliant...) , and they seem to be getting them early, like we witnessed with French Affair. This new Essie distribution system post-L'Oreal takeover is...complicated.

Anyways, after spastically running around town, I managed to grab the following at my Walgreens:

Power Clutch

Already my favourite polish of the fall. No joke. An amazing slightly dusty grey-green that comes out darker and more green on the nail than it looks in the bottle. This to me is the green version of Smokin' Hot - where SH was purple, PC is green. It reminds me of the slate stone my parents have in their house. It's flattering on my pale yellow skin, looks chic and elegant, while remaining modern and a bit edgy. To me, this is perfect. Brava, Essie! (Oh and the formula was TDF!)

Lady Like

In the bottle this reminded me of OPI Steady As She Rose, but once I got it on the nail, the differences were evident. Lady Like is more mauve than SASR - still pink with purple thrown in, but darker and warmer. Cool-toned ladies beware! I'm super yellow-toned, but I still think this polish would work better on someone with darker skin. You know what this is? It's Demure Vixen sans shimmer - almost identical base colour. It kind of makes my hands/fingers look dirty...I'm not sure about this one. I'm going to have to drag it around a while to mull it over.

Carry On

At first I thought this was dumb. Lame. Another dark vampy purple. I was kind of right. This is *extremely* close to last year's OPI William Tell Me About OPI. The OPI is just ever-so-slightly browner and darker. The difference is extremely hard to detect, even with flash photography on a dark background. I like that this polish has some dustiness to it, which makes it difference from my beloved Essie Sole Mate! (Oh, and application was amazing again!) Of the two, I'm keeping the Essie.

L: Essie Carry On; R: OPI William Tell Me About OPI

Without flash:

With flash to see the undertone:

Case Study

Now...I didn't pick this up. Only because I believe I already have it. I haven't been able to directly compare, but I believe that this is just the J. Crew "exclusive" - Milky Way - renamed. And I *love* Milky Way. If I didn't have it, I would have picked this up. Even though I'm pretty sure they are nearly identical, I was tempted to grab it off the shelf just to see.

There will be an addendum to this post at a later date, because I still plan on picking up Glamour Purse (one of the two polishes along with Very Structured - a burnt sienna - that is not being released in the drugstore micro-collection). It looks to be in the delicious taupe-y vein, but lighter than past offerings. In other words, it looks back-up worthy, even from badly Photoshop'd company visuals! Let's hope it lives up to expectations...

Are you hyped for fall yet or still feeling the summer heat?

kittytokaren

China Glaze Fault Lines Crackle over Huemorista Hidden Rainbow

2011-07-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

I wasn't ready to take off my Hidden Rainbow mani so I put ChG Fault Lines over it.

China Glaze Fault Lines over Huemorista Hidden Rainbow

Errr. This was not pretty. Is there a reason this dried so dull and cracked so sadly? C'mon, it was a purple shimmer crackle! That's practically a formula for gorgeous, no? :( This is one thick coat of Fault Lines.

Fault Lines over Hidden Rainbow

Yeah, doesn't look better in closeup... at all. Yuck.

Polishes, get your polishes! So many polishes for sale...

2011-07-23T11:21:00.000-07:00

POTENTIALLY SOLD OUT!

I'm awaiting payment from people for all the boxes but if you want to put yourself on a waitlist (it's much longer for the small boxes than for the big ones), please feel free to email me using the link to the form above! :)

...but today, all of them are in mystery grab-boxes!

(I will have a sale for the ones that I want to sell individually -- most of which are from current collections or high-end or kinda-HTF lines -- but that will come later in the week.)

I didn't realize how many polishes would fit into a medium USPS Priority Mail flat rate box: 75! With cushioning, bubblewrap and everything. So I have for sale TWO medium flat rate boxes that have about 75 polishes each (give or take 3) as well as TWO small flat rate boxes that have 10-13 each. (...man, it takes a long time to pack 170+ nail polishes.)

Brands that are contained in the mystery boxes (though not all boxes contain all brands): OPI, China Glaze, Orly, SpaRitual, Essie, Cover Girl Nail Slicks, LA Colors, KleanColor, QRS, Nubar, Duri, Diamond, Eyeko, Zoya, Misa, Maybelline Colorama, Color Club, Anna Sui, Wet n Wild, Tony & Tina, Milani, LA Girl, Hard Candy, No Miss, Sally Hansen, Nicole, Maybelline, Barielle, NYC, Kanebo, Revlon Street Wear and MORE! A few polishes are down to 50%, about 30-40 of them are down to 70-80%, but the rest of the polishes in these boxes have only been used once or twice. ALL were purchased by me or received in a swap (i.e. none were PR samples). Most of these were purchased at etailer or retail price; some I came across in dollar stores. I tried to make sure that no boxes got all half-used nail polishes, or all drugstore polishes: there is a variety in each box. :)

All the mystery polishes were taken from the pile of nail polishes pictured below. (Oddly, I didn't get any photos of the 2 Nicole, 4 KleanColor, 2 Anna Sui and 3 Sally Hansen polishes... but they are there, I promise!) The photos have been cropped but not reduced in size so they should be clickable if you want to try to make out exactly which polishes I have listed!

Details for the two Medium Mystery Grab-Boxes:

These are going for $101 each (the price includes the $10.95 shipping fee). There are approximately 75 nail polishes in each (give or take a couple).

I do regret not putting a lower price on these but honestly, they're 75 polishes from brands that I generally bought at etailer ($3-4) or retail (up to $8) prices. The cheapest polishes were purchased for $1 (NYC, Wet n Wild, LA Colors, Cover Girl Nail Slicks) and 4 for $1 (Revlon Street Wear, Maybelline Colorama). The majority of them have only been used once. And, as I've said, I've tried to make sure there's a good variety in each box. Minus the shipping, it comes out to around $1.20 a polish. If you are looking to build your stash, this is a great way to go from a modest stash to a stash that makes your friends and family wonder why you need so many nail polishes. ;)

Details for the two Small Mystery Grab-Boxes:

These are going for $16 each (the price includes the $4.95 shipping fee). There are 10-13 polishes per box.

It is a "better" deal in terms of cost per polish BUT it's taken from the remnants after I put together the medium-size mystery grab boxes. There were plenty of OPI, China Glaze, Color Club and drugstore brands left but a lot of the less common brands had already been packed into the bigger boxes. Hence, the lower price per polish for these boxes.

If you are interested in either medium or small size mystery grab-boxes, please contact me using the form at the top of the page. I will be taking PayPal. You can opt to pay me as a "personal gift" (no fees) or if you want to pay the fees, we can do it as a regular buyer-seller transaction (which gives you the option of filing a claim against me if I don't follow through).

The medium boxes are all taped and packed up, waiting for a mailing label and a new home. The small boxes are not yet packed but can be packed in a jiffy! I hope these polishes can find some great new owners.

Huemorista Hidden Rainbow

2011-07-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

Some enterprising nail polish aficionado is selling her own homemade nail polish on etsy! Check out her store, Huemorista. I bought six of her nail polishes (which come in those cute mini bottles) awhile back and have only had a chance to wear one of them so far.

Huemorista Hidden Rainbow

If it were slightly more blue, it would be what I wanted Lippmann Glitter in the Air to be. But as it is, it's a grey-tinged off-white with a lot of glitter of different colors and shapes within. It's just translucent enough that glitter in other layers will show through but not so translucent that the glitter is bright. It's a nice subtle, playful look and I enjoyed it. This was four coats... not because it wasn't opaque but because I wanted more glitter on the nail. :) Alas, it got chippy on me fast. Be sure to shake it up a LOT before using; the tons of glitter settles on the bottom of the bottom.