China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy & Konad M45

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This weekend, Fall has arrived here.  It's all sunny and inviting looking outside, but the chill has finally set in.  That made me suddenly panic that Winter is around the corner (one never recovers from the scars of Chicago winters!), which prompted me to do a summertime manicure so I can ignore cooler weather for a while longer.

I decided to go with one of my favorite releases from this past summer, China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy from the Poolside Collection.  I am especially fond of it because it's a unique neon shade.  I applied three coats of it, and when I was finished, thought it could use a bit of Konad to liven it up, so I added a tip pattern in Konad Black Special Polish with plate M45.  To prevent the Konad polish from smudging (the black smudges more than others), I used one coat of Konad to coat to seal it, then one coat of Seche Vite to even out the surface and make it dry.

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy Nail Polish, Three Coats, with Konad M45

That's my running-from-the-cold manicure for today.  I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, and until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral

Good morning, Dear Reader!

You know, with the exception of recent weeks, I've been changing my nail color just about every day for a few years now.  A consequence of that is that I really haven't been able to speak to the wear of most polishes, since I take them off the next day.  In the last few weeks, I've been reminded of just how annoying a really chippy polish is.  Case in point: MAC Jade Dragon.

I just took off Jade Dragon this morning (after three full days of wear), and it was chippy.  I had chips within twenty four hours of applying it, and yesterday little flakes of Jade Dragon were coming off every time I turned around - it was pretty much a reminder of why I didn't buy MAC nail polishes for a while.  I'd heard tales of bad staining from it, and although I had some minor staining to both my skin and nails upon removal, it wasn't really noteworthy.  The chipping really was, and I hadn't heard that before, so I thought I'd mention it.

When I changed color this morning, the one I chose to use was Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral.  It's a coral creme, a great shade.  I needed three coats of it to make it totally opaque, but I'm reasonably certain that I apply very thin coats - I frequently use one more than others report using, so two may be sufficient for most.  The dry time for Coral was a little below average for me, but the color is well worth a few extra minutes' wait.  Here is the finished Coral manicure.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Coral Nail Polish, Three Coats

It's a really nice one for the last days of summer.  Despite that, I don't think that I would buy this one again.  The fact is, there are quite a few other really good corals that are far less costly - there's a Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear I really like, there's also the whole Corals Collection that Nubar put out last year, and both brands work quite well for me and have a far smaller price tag.  However, RBL Coral is still a great polish, so I'm going to enjoy it since I have it.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Essie Summer 2010

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I have something good for you today: Essie sent me samples of their Summer 2010 Collection, and I have swatches for you.  Well, five swatches and one manicure.

All six shades applied very well, not streaky or hard to apply at all.  They're well saturated, and the only one I used three coats of was the one described as sheer, all the others are two-coaters.  The variety of color in the collection is really good, and there are some seriously good colors here.

Demure Vixen is the only shimmer in the collection, a kind of pinkish taupe.

Essie Demure Vixen Nail Polish, Two Coats

Miss Matched is the one described as sheer, and at three coats it's sort of a semi-sheer creme.

Essie Miss Matched Nail Polish, Three Coats

From here, the colors are much more intense.  Vermillionaire is a really vivid red orange creme.

Essie Vermillionaire Nail Polish, Two Coats

Pretty Edgy is a medium green creme.

Essie Pretty Edgy Nail Polish, Two Coats

Knockout Pout is a great hot pink creme, much lighter than most hot pinks.

Essie Knockout Pout Nail Polish, Two Coats

Finally, Haute as Hello is the one I'm wearing, and the picture is with top coat.  It's kind of a cross between coral and cantaloupe, and it's a creme.

Essie Haute as Hello Nail Polish, Two Coats

That, Dear Reader, is Essie's Summer 2010 Collection, and I'm really, really happy with them.  They're great colors, apply well, and are two-coaters, so I really can't ask for more.

That's it for today.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

RBL SpongeBob Nail Polishes

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I'm what, a year, year and a half late on showing you Rescue Beauty Lounge's SpongeBob Collection?  That's because I wasn't sold on them until recently, and when I placed an RBL order, I sprung for them and got them today.

The reason I was reluctant was that from reading other reviews of them, I knew they took four coats and that even at four coats there was a visible nail line.  I flinched at the four coats thing both because that's high maintenance and because that's using a lot of a high end polish at one time.  I changed my mind because I've been successful in layering over white as of late, so I figured two coats of the RBL's might work over two coats of either Essie Walk Down the Aisle (if I'm up for risking a bit of VNL) or Orly White Out (which I used today).  That left only the high maintenance issue, and I liked all three colors enough to deal with that.

What I like about all three is that they're the slightly off-beat RBL kind of shades - the blue's a little dustier than others, the coral a bit peachier, the yellow a little paler.  They're essentially RBL doing cool cremes, which is what I look to them for.

I swatched the three to see if they'd work over White Out - they did.  I really, really like them.  Keep in mind this is not how the colors were intended to be worn, but my way of wearing them.

Squarepants is a great pastel yellow.  It could probably use a third coat over White Out to be perfect, but I was trying to be consistent and see what two would do.  For a yellow, a third coat's not bad at all, so I'll try that next time.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Squarepants over Two Coats Orly White Out 

Bikini Bottom is a light blue that's just a tiny bit dusty, making it more interesting than just a pale blue.  Two coats of it over two coats of White Out was just right.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Bikini Bottom over Two Coats Orly White Out

The one I chose to wear is Starfish Patrick, which was also perfect in two coats.  I had to be careful while waiting between coats on this one - there was an incident during shipping that cracked a corner of the bottle and the crack has started to spider outward, so I was afraid to tighten the cap at all lest I be left with a handful of Starfish Patrick and broken glass.  I emailed Ji at RBL about it as soon as I found the damage, and typical RBL customer service, she simply asked for the picture I offered in order to replace it.  Things happen, but RBL is always great about dealing with them.

RBL SpongeBob: Two Coats Starfish Patrick over Two Coats Orly White Out

So those are my swatches of layered RBL SpongeBob nail polishes.  I'm really happy I finally went for them, and I have other nice RBL's to show you in the coming week.  Tomorrow morning, though, I have something really fun (I think!).

That's all for today, Dear Reader.  Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!  

Nubar Costa Rica Coral & Sensual Red

Good morning. Dear Reader!

Today I have a swatch and a post-swatching mani for you.  The swatch, I did for something else, but I was reminded of what a great color it was and thought I'd show it to you.  It's Nubar Costa Rica Coral, which is a really vibrant coral creme.  This is two coats.

Nubar Costa Rica Coral, Two Coats

The mani diesn't look as good.  I liked it while I wore it, but had a different impression when I was watermarking the picture.  It's two coats of Nubar Sensual Red with the black and white Konad Rhinestone Glam decals.  As I said, I liked it on, but the picture gives me the initial impression that my nails got braces.

Nubar Sensual Red, Two Coats, with Konad Rhinestone Glam Decals

That's what I have to show you this morning, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

China Glaze Poolside Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday was an epic nail polish day - I also received a sample set of China Glaze's Poolside Collection for Summer 2010 to swatch for you (amongst other cool things to come). I have the press materials on this collection, and it will be released on April 1st, which is Thursday, so there's little wait for this one.

I've avoided reading reviews on this collection so I could form my own opinion. My first impression upon taking the bottles out of the box was that they appeared to be amazingly sheer. My little test for opacity, which is normally pretty accurate, is to roll the bottle and look for how easily I can see the mixing balls through the polish. On all six of these, I could very clearly see them. Additionally, my first impression was that they were pretty dupey on the whole to existing neons. I discovered upon swatching them that I was wrong on both counts, and I'll tell you about that for each color. They're all neons, and five are cremes, one a shimmer.

As for the pictures, I took them under a halogen lamp made to emulate natural light, despite the forecast for a sunny day. A while back, probably a good year ago, I showed you the difference lighting makes in the inherently difficult to photograph neons, comparing the halogen lamp, an Ott light, and direct and indirect sunlight, and the result was that the halogen lamp was the clear winner - the other light sources washed out the neon colors.

I considered swatching these over a white, given that my assumption was that they were super sheer, but decided for collection swatches, that would not be truly representative of the polishes, and swatched them alone. They dry a bit matte as most neons do, but top coat fixes that. All but one were three coaters, with the other requiring four.

That said, let's look at pictures of nail polish!

Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, in the bottle appeared to be yet another highlighter yellow creme. In swatching it, I found the color more lemon yellow than the highlighter shades. The first coat was unbelievably sheer, just a slight wash of color, but it built up well. This one did require four coats, but it was the only one of the six that needed that many. Truthfully, four coats for a neon yellow is not that bad - many require more.

China Glaze Poolside Collection, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, Four Coats

Kiwi Cool-ada is a vibrant green neon creme. This one, I think likely has a Color Club dupe.

China Glaze Poolside Collection, Kiwi Cool-ada

China Glaze Kiwi Cool-ada, Three Coats

Flip Flop Fantasy is a unique one - it's a coral orange creme, and I don't think I've ever seen this shade in neon before.

China Glaze Poolside Collection, Flip Flop Fantasy

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy, Three Coats

Sun Worshiper is another unique color. This one is somewhere in between yellow and orange, and the vibrant shade is perfect for a neon creme.

China Glaze Poolside Collection, Sun Worshiper

China Glaze Sun Worshiper, Three Coats

Pool Party is a fuchsia pink creme, and this is the other that I think should have a dupe out there somewhere. I'm thinking Nubar Hot Fuchsia.

China Glaze Poolside Collection, Pool Party

China Glaze Pool Party, Three Coats

The previous five pictures were swatches, this one of Towel Boy Toy is a full manicure with top coat. Initially I thought this was dupey to Nubar Hot Blue, but when I swatched it I saw it has a shimmer. The shimmer in Towel Boy Toy is subtle, but stronger than a "secret shimmer."

China Glaze Poolside Collection, Towel Boy Toy

China Glaze Towel Boy Toy, Three Coats

For the collection as a whole, I thought the formula was good. After two coats most were streaky, but the third coat evened things out. The polishes were relatively thin, but easy to control and work with. The one I did a full manicure with dried completely very quickly, and I found that in swatching, when waiting for each coat to dry a bit, that the drying times of the cremes were very good as well. There are plenty of neons out there, but these are strong, and the collection has more unique shades than colors I suspect of having a dupe.

That's China Glaze's Poolside Collection, and the end of what I have for you this morning. Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Diamond Cosmetics Spring 2010

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Yesterday I swatched Diamond Cosmetics' Spring 2010 Collection, which the sent me to review. I had to use artificial light - it's been rainy here with no real end in sight.

I like this collection. A couple were two-coaters, most three, but they're good colors.

Serendipity is a pale grey-blue shimmer, and this is three coats.

Diamond Cosmetics Serendipity Nail Polish, Three Coats

Tranquility is a turquoise creme, good in two coats.

Diamond Cosmetics Tranquility Nail Polish, Two Coats

Razzmatazz is a pink with a strong flash which needed three coats.

Diamond Cosmetics Razzmatazz Nail Polish, Three Coats

Orange Blush is probably my favorite,a soft orange jelly. This is three coats.

Diamond Cosmetics Orange Blush Nail Polish, Three Coats

Gypsy Pink is a bright pink shimmer, a two-coater.

Diamond Cosmetics Gypsy Pink Nail Polish, Two Coats

Hot Lips is a bright purpley pink creme.

Diamond Cosmetics Hot Lips Nail Polish, Three Coats

I livened up Hot Lips with a Konad pattern from plate M32 I've wanted to use for a long time.

Diamond Cosmetics Hot Lips Nail Polish, Three Coats, with Konad M32

That's Diamond Cosmetics' Spring 2010. Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

More Revlon Nail Polish

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I mentioned that yesterday I ran into some Revlon nail polishes while hunting for Rock Royalty, and I swatched them for you yesterday. I had many more, I don't know if I still have them. If I run into some of the cool ones I'm thinking of, I'll show them to you. In the meantime, I found plenty to keep me busy.

I'll start with some of the oldies. Speedy is a pink frost, a little too frosty for my taste, now that I look at it. Another to offload! This is two coats.

Revlon Speedy Nail Polish, Two Coats

Serene is a very sheer peachy pink.

Revlon Serene Nail Polish, Two Coats

Firecracker is a classic, a red glitter in a red jelly base. I used three coats.

Revlon Firecracker Nail Polish, Three Coats

The next batch, I believe are currently available. Get Reddy is a red shimmer that took three coats.

Revlon Get Reddy Nail Polish, Three Coats

Raven Red is a dark red creme, also a three coater.

Revlon Raven Red Nail Polish, Three Coats

Vixen is a vampy dark red creme, another three coater.

Revlon Vixen Nail Polish, Three Coats

Guava Glam is a light coral shimmer that required three coats.

Revlon Guava Glam Nail Polish, Three Coats

No Shrinking Violet is a great violet shimmer which needed two coats.

Revlon No Shrinking Violet Nail Polish, Two Coats

Last, the limited edition. The only one I ran into was Not So Blue-Berry, a sparkly light blue scented one. It smells like Boo Berry cereal.

Revlon Not So Blue-Berry Nail Polish, Two Coats

I added some Konad White to it using Konad plate M80.

Revlon Not So Blue-Berry Nail Polish, Two Coats, with Konad M80

Those are the Revlon nail polishes I have to show you for now, Dear Reader. Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

Nights in Black Satin & More

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Did I just make the worst Moody Blues reference ever made? Quite probably. I could not resist. That's what my Nails of the Day was yesterday, and I thought I'd catch you up on some other NOTD's I have not yet shown you while I was at it.

So, Nights in Black Satin... It's a base of Chanel Black Satin with Konad Stars and 3D acrylic nail art, a blue moon and white stars, on my left ring finger. It was fun to wear and I had Nights in White Satin running through my head all day long.

Nights in Black Satin: Chanel Black Satin with Nail Art

Now for the more... First is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Caribbean Coral, a coral shimmer. This is three coats.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Caribbean Coral Nail Polish, Three Coats

I Konaded it with plate M75 in Konad White.

Konad Plate M75 over Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Caribbean Coral Nail Polish, Three Coats, in Konad White Special Polish

The last two are older pictures, I just haven't shown them to you yet. First, OPI's long discontinued and hard to find Jasper Jade, which took three coats.

OPI Jasper Jade Nail Polish, Three Coats

The last is another Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Virtual Violet, a light purple shimmer with a blue flash. It's a newer shade, I believe, and required three coats.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Virtual Violet Nail Polish, Three Coats

Now I think I've caught up on pictures. That's what I have for you today, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!