Lynnderella Ruby Red Ruby

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!

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Vamps for October: Essie Lacy not Racy

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.

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China Glaze Ruby Pumps

(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.

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China Glaze Stroll

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.

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Essie Winter 2011 - Part 2

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

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

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.

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Color Club Fast Woman

(2 coats)

Welp. I found my perfect red jelly. Applies like a dream. Is undeniably red. This was one of the polishes I bought when I started blogging here. I'm always looking for flattering reds and here was a gorgeous one just hanging out.

For those that are wondering, Fast Woman is several of shades lighter than another great red, Essie Clutch Me if You Can. CMiYC is just on the cusp of a Vamp whereas Fast Woman is firmly a vibrant red except in weird blue lighting.

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Hints of Marimekko - Essie Silken Cord

Essie Silken Cord is really from Essie's most recent winter collection, but I see it more as a summer colour.

It's a juicy pop of red-pink with a hint of orange that for some reason reminds me of Marimekko fabrics, which are my absolute favourite. (My baby blanket was even made out of Marimekko!) I love anything Marimekko, and I love this polish! I've been really enjoying brights this summer far more than I usually do. They seem perfectly suited for sitting back with a cocktail and watching some tennis...

kittytokaren

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Zoya Tamsen & Ashley

Sadly swatch pictures (almost universally, including mine) are not accurate on this one. You are better off believing the description on the Zoya site: a "Medium warm brick red with strong orange tones" indeed.





(2 coats)

I bought this instead of Sooki because I was fairly sure Sooki would not look good on me and I am forever in search of a great orange based red.

But this is red, orange and a healthy helping of brown. Sure in bright light it's gorgeous. But really, in most other lights it's just a brick red (I tried to capture it in the last photo but even that is still too red in my view).

If you're still interested well then SLAM it into your checkout cart because the formula is love. Smooth, silky, and you can almost do one thick coat and call it done (instead i did 2 medium coats). No drying issues either (for me).



(3 coats)

I went through my stash and counted. I have 2 berry-red cremes. And this is one of them. And I like it! Very much. (Ladies of Color - if you are having a hard time finding a red that you can pull off, inch over to the berry-reds. They're very flattering.)

But as I purge I have to be strict about formula and 3 coats to get an even finish on what is a standard berry-red creme is....well. I can't go for that, noOOooooo (noo); no can do.

So now I have one berry-red creme in a stash of hundreds. Maybe I'll covet it now, instead of ignoring the poor dear.

read more "Zoya Tamsen & Ashley"

Essie Clutch Me if You Can

(2 coats)

Oh my goodness, is this love. Is this EVER love.

Finally I have a dried blood color. And she is a jelly that applies like a dream. And I got her for $3.

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Zoya Veruschka, Posh, Savita

Veruschka


(2 coats)

Wonderful formula. It's smooth, doesn't dry too quick, and is opaque in two easy coats. Plus a bonus over the first set of mattes from Zoya (Posh, Loredana, Dovima), the brush isn't nearly as floppy so the thicker, matte formula is easier to control.

Posh



(1 coat)

Posh is opaque in 1 coat but I use two. Base coat, 1 coat, slow dry top coat, 1 coat. This is how I get the most longevity.



(2 coats)

Who knew it was possible for a matte to be water-y, thick, and crumbly all at once? The formula on this is atrocious. But the color, oh the color, is glorious. There's something about it matte, the shimmer is captivating. Interestingly, with topcoat, I find the shimmer kind of disappoints; it is a lot less depth-y than you think it would be.

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Nfu Oh Jellies

Here are the other three Nfu Oh jellies I bought.

JS 09


(2 coats)

Color me pleased! Imagine my glee, 2 coats and I'm satisfied with the coverage. What is a pretty pink-leaning coral in the bottle really just pulls pink against my skin but I'm still ok. This one's a keeper!

JS 42


(5 coats)

I had to seriously mess with the photoshop in order to get this one even close to the reality. It is a red leaning brown, not a brown leaning red.

Given that I needed 5 coats to get it to acceptable coverage, I am shocked by how well this dried and without bubbles at that!

JS 04



(4 coats)

People on MUA have responded pretty well to swatches of this one but make no mistake, the formula on this one is a hot mess. Verrrrry gluey and does not level at all.

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k2k goes BRIGHT! - Essie Geranium

I usually reserve brights for my toes - I'm a bit scared to wear them on my tips! What with the unofficial start of summer (Memorial Day weekend), I was suddenly in the mood to have some colour to pop against my almost-always-neutral outfits!

So I chose Essie Geranium, a super award-winning polish that I picked up at Ulta for a buck a long time ago when I was visiting my mother. (Her Ulta always has the most random/wonderful things on sale.) This is a polish I lovelovelove on my toes, but it's never ventured onto my tips.

Until now...

I received *so many* compliments on this mani it was ridiculous! I guess because it was more noticeable? I wore this with neutral outfits - blacks, greys, whites, khakis - and delicate turquoise jewelry and I think it worked really well. I usually steer clear of such loud hues on my tips, but something about the season has me feeling adventurous. The fact that I think this colour really works with my skin tone and lil' nubbins doesn't hurt either! I think the name of this polish is absolutely perfect - Geranium - yes, named after a flower, but it also sounds like it could be a radioactive element!

Colour me converted - I now imagine that I'll be sporting this and other orange-y colours (a la Essie Meet Me At Sunset - *swoon*) on my tips this summer! And maybe a bright pink or two? We shall see...

Do you wear brights in summer? What are your faves?

kittytokaren

read more "k2k goes BRIGHT! - Essie Geranium"

More RED - OPI Off With Her Red

Yes...I still keep looking for reds. I'm hooked on the hunt!

I found OPI Off With Her Red in the clearance bin at Ulta for $3, and I'm not sure what possessed me to buy it. It looked really orange-y, muddy, and just not appetizing. But I bought it. The thing that I've learned about reds is that they rarely seem to look the same in the bottle and on the nail, so I took a chance.

And I'm so glad I did!! Here it is...

I lllooooovvveee it! Instead of looking muddy on me, it looks clear and crisp, without being crazy bright. Orange-toned reds suit my yellow skin best, and in the bottle it seemed overly orange - but I think it works!!

What do you think? Is there a colour you keep picking up trying to find the "ultimate"?

kittytokaren

read more "More RED - OPI Off With Her Red"

Zoya Maura

(2 coats)

SO happy with this polish. SO happy. A gorgeous mix of orange and red. It applied like a friggin dream and was smooth, glossy, and perfect in 2 easy coats. Lots of people complain about Zoyas not drying on them but I had 0, no, nada problems with this.

The color in the photo is not right, it's not quite SO searingly bright (tho it is really bright).

FYI - this is Maura after 4 days wear:

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Essie Wedding 2011 Sneak Peek!

*****Don't forget to enter my Spring Things GIVEAWAY with Essie and Pradman Jewelry! Check out the post here or just enter in the sidebar!*****

The Essie Wedding 2011 collection will be appearing in stores shortly, but I was just so excited to find two polishes that I really really love in this collection that I decided to share them now! Last year's wedding assortment left me cold, but this one has two gems in it - including *drumroll please* my PERFECT RED!

First up, Borrowed & Blue:

A real departure for Essie in terms of what they usually offer to the bridal set. I have to say, this is the first pale blue I've tried that didn't look horrific with my skin - it has a touch of periwinkle in there, and is paler than most baby blues on the market. Application was surprisingly non-chalky for a colour with so much white in the base, and I think it's just adorable and will look great all through summer! I absolutely love this one, and the name is cute to boot!

And here is First Dance:

Finally!! After all the searching (including my Hunt for Red by October), I found it. My perfect, classic red polish! First Dance is quite jelly-ish, but applies absolutely beautifully. I can't tell you how happy I am to find this - I will be getting back-ups for sure. The first coat appeared quite pink, but the overall colour of the polish is warmer, so it seems that there are both cool and warm pigments in it, giving it a great neutral balance on the nail. As I've learned, finding the perfect red can be really difficult, and now that I have, I don't want to ever be without it!

This collection also includes a sheer pink and a sheer peach - pretty, but definitely things I already have in my stash. I highly recommend both Borrowed & Blue and First Dance - both of them are complete winners in my book!

kittytokaren

P.S. Stay tuned...I have a preview of some of the Essie Summer colours coming up!

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