FingerPaints Fall 2011

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

Today I have swatches of FingerPaints' Fall Fashionista Collection for Fall 2011, which will be available at Sally Beauty Supply in August in stores and online.  For the swatches, all are two coats of color over a base coat and finished with Poshe, which I allowed to dry for about five minutes before I took a picture in sunlight.

Fall Fashionista is a collection of nine cremes, and they're all incredibly nice to apply.  The formula is very smooth and even to work with, and it's so well pigmented that only two of the nine shades actually needed the two coats of color I used.  The remaining seven were even an opaque at one thin coat, but I added a second because I prefer the look of two coats on my nails (I have ridges, they don't show with the second coat).  However, for nail art stamping, layering, pretty much anything other than wearing the polish alone, one coat would be just fine for me.

Catwalk Queen is a weird-in-a-good-way sort of Dijon mustard colored creme, and it's one of the two that really needed both coats to achieve the color in the bottle.  My middle nail is not shiny here because my nails fogged up from the heat and humidity, and that went unnoticed until I was selecting pictures.

FingerPaints Catwalk Queen Nail Polish, Two Coats

Military Green is a really cool one - it's the same color as U.S Army uniforms, that green with a touch of grey mixed into it.  It's good at one coat, but here's a picture of two.

FingerPaints Military Green Nail Polish, Two Coats

To-teally Chic (that's the press release spelling, the label says "To-telly Chic," but it looks like a sample label, so we'll know which it is when they're at Sally's) is a vivid teal creme.  I believe this is the nicest teal creme that $4.99 will buy you .  Again, one thin coat was even and opaque for me, but the picture is of two coats.

FingerPaints To-teally Chic Nail Polish, Two Coats

Purple Pinstripe is a very pretty muted purple creme, and like most of the others, the color was great in one coat.  The second gives a little more depth and a lot more shine, so here's two coats of Purple Pinstripe (and I see the bottom finger's nail fogged up).

FingerPaints Purple Pinstripe Nail Polish, Two Coats

Haute Taupe is a soft light brown creme, a good basic polish.

FingerPaints Haute Taupe Nail Polish, Two Coats

Raspberry Taffeta, a really gorgeous berry shade, is one of my favorites.  A couple of months ago I was looking for an article of clothing, and in that process noticed for the very first time that at least half of my clothing that's not black or white at least includes this shade.  It seems I'm a big fan!

FingerPaints Raspberry Taffeta Nail Polish, Two Coats

Vintage Velvet is another contender for the Favorite position, a muted blue green creme.  It's an unusual, modern, very pretty shade.

FingerPaints Vintage Velvet Nail Polish, Two Coats

Stunning Stilettos, a grey creme, is the other one that really needed a second coat (so I needed two for Catwalk Queen and Stunning Stilettos, all seven others could have gotten away with one coat of color).  It's a good grey creme.

FingerPaints Stunning Stilettos Nail Polish, Two Coats

Last but very definitely not least is the one I am wearing, Cordur-Orange (I know the name looks silly, say it out loud and it makes sense).  It's a Fall orange that brings to mind maple leaves changing and apple cider for me, but somehow FingerPaints avoided doing to Cordur-Orange whatever OPI did to Ginger Bells because Cordur-Orange is pretty.  It's the one I'm wearing today.

FingerPaints Cordur-Orange Nail Polish, Two Coats

That's all of them.  My sense of the collection as a whole is that it's perfect for Fall, and several of the colors are an interesting take on a more ordinary shade.  The quality of the polishes is exceptional, and the application is amazing.  I don't have a favorite picked out yet because there are four battling for it, and since I'll change my mind about it tomorrow anyhow I haven't really put the screws to myself to sort that one out.

That's what I know about FingerPaints Fall Fashionista Collection for 2011, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!




*FingerPaints Fall Fashionista was sent by Sally Beauty supply for independent honest review.

FingerPaints Fall Fashionista

Swatches of FingerPaints Fall Fashionista Collection for Fall 2011

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I just got an email from Sally Beauty Supply with a promo image of their FingerPaints Fall 2011 limited edition release, Fall Fashionista, and some of the colors look really cool so I thought I'd give you a look.  If the font is too small for you, clicking on the picture will open a full-sized version in another tab.

FingerPaints Fall Fashionista Collection for Fall 2011

I just wanted to pass that on, so until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

FingerPaints Groovy Green & XL A

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I'll be removing a manicure I've had on for two days, FingerPaints Groovy Green with a pattern from plate XL A stamped on it in Konad White, which I really like.  The pattern I chose kind of looks like a soccer ball (or a football to the rest of the world) on the plate, but I think it's really flowers made of interconnected hexagons.  At least that's what I've decided it is on this manicure.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

FingerPaints Groovy Green & XL A Stamped in Konad White

It's base coat, two coats of Groovy Green, then top coat to start, and after a fifteen minute wait I stamped it, sealed with Konad top coat to avoid smudging the pattern, then quick dry top coat to make it dry fast.

I don't have anything noteworthy to tack on here, so I'll just wrap it up.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

FingerPaints Summer 2011

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I have swatches of FingerPaints Peace, Love and Summer collection for you today, which Sally Beauty Supply sent me to review.  Overall, it a great collection, but that's about the only generalization I can make, so I'll get on with showing you pictures and tell you about the polishes.

All You Need Is Color is a gorgeous teal glitter, which I wore after swatching yesterday.  It's comfortably thin to apply and opaque in two coats.  This is with one coat of top coat, which smoothed it out surprisingly well.

FingerPaints All You Need Is Color Nail Polish, Two Coats

Give Pink A Chance isn't really giving pink a chance at all - it's more of a bright coral creme.  It's a very good consistency and was easy to control.  I used two coats here, one would probably be fine as a base for something else.

FingerPaints Give Pink A Chance Nail Polish, Two Coats

Groovy Green is a beautiful spring green shimmer.  The polish is somewhat thick and very well pigmented, so the first pictures I took of it looked strange.  I'm wearing it today, so I took a new picture with top coat.

FingerPaints Groovy Green Nail Polish, Two Coats

Outta Sight Orange is pretty much what I wanted the Sephora Cheetah orange to be.

FingerPaints Outta Sight Orange Nail Polish, Two Coats

Psychedelic Sunshine is super sparkly fine glitter in a yellow jelly base.  It's very thick, and applying it was a bit more challenging than the others.  I tried it on the day it arrived when Chanel Mimosa didn't wow me, and I also have a swatch of two coats of Psychedelic Sunshine alone.

FingerPaints Psychedelic Sunshine Nail Polish, Two Coats

Here's one coat over Mimosa.  Looks like the light in the picture below was different.

FingerPaints Psychedelic Sunshine Nail Polish, One Coat over Yellow

The last one is Peaceful Purple, a really nice purple glitter.  This one was thinner, like the teal, and easy to apply.  Here's two coats of it.

FingerPaints Peaceful Purple Nail Polish, Two Coats

As usual, I'm thrilled with a seasonal collection from FingerPaints.  Be on the lookout for these at Sally Beauty Supply soon.

That's the update for today, Dear Reader.  I'm told yesterday's post and comments will return - there have been some Blogger troubles and it keeps disappearing and reappearing, but I can't do a single thing about it either way.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!

FingerPaints Spring 2011

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Last week, I showed you the press release for the FingerPaints Palette of Petals Collection for Spring 2011, and this week Sally Beauty Supply sent me a set for review, so I have swatches of them for you today.  I'll get straight to the pictures and tell you about each as we go.

Aren't You Glad-iolous? is a greyish lavender creme, and it's a true one-coat polish.  Its coverage was so good in one coat that I photographed it that way.  Here's one coat of Aren't You Glad-iolous?

FingerPaints Aren't You Glad-iolous? Nail Polish, One Coat

Did You Ast-her Out? is next, a pink creme with just a touch of coral.  Something about this color reminds me of Sally Hansen Sumptuous Petal from a few years ago, which I liked but was way too jelly for me.  At two coats, it's more of a jelly and I could see through my tips, and at three, which I used here, Did You Ast-her Out? is opaque.

FingerPaints Did You Ast-her Out? Nail Polish, Three Coats

Heavenly Hydrangeas, a kind of dusty purplish creme, shows me that the one-coat coverage of Aren't You Glad-iolous? is more than just luck.  Heavenly Hydrangeas is also perfectly good in one coat.

FingerPaints Heavenly Hydrangeas Nail Polish, One Coat

Chrysanthe-mum's the Word is one where the promotional image raised questions.  The picture showed a lime shade, but the description said it was mint.  It turns out that it's about halfway between the two, either a particularly dark and yellow yellow shade of mint or a very blue shade of lime, and it's a creme.  One coat was almost enough, and in two Chrysanthe-mum's the Word is perfect.

FingerPaints Chrysanthe-mum's the Word Nail Polish, Two Coats

Carnation Creation is a teal creme, also a two coater.

FingerPaints Carnation Creation Nail Polish, Two Coats

Finally, the sixth shade is Dahlia My Number, an orange shimmer.  It's also a two coater, and FingerPaints seems to have decided that if there's only one shimmer in the collection, it would be a heck of a shimmer.  Here's Dahlia My Number.

FingerPaints Dahlia My Number Nail Polish, Two Coats

As for the Palette of Petals Collection as a whole, I'd have to say the quality is exceptional, particularly when cost is taken into consideration.  They're unusually heavily pigmented (with the exception of Did You Ast-her Out?, which seems to be by design) for any polish, let alone for a line that retails for $4.49.  I always look forward to the FingerPaints seasonal collections, and this one lives up to my expectations.

I have one more picture to show you for Palette of Petals - remember the great big flower things on the bottles in the promo picture?  Well, one of those was included with the polishes, and it's like a ring with little metal bars threaded over elastic on either end for a band.  Here's a picture of my fabulous new cocktail ring.

FingerPaints Palette of Petals Collection Ring

Girly things attached to nail polish bottles really bring out my inner five-year-old.  I have a strong desire to wear this in public for some reason.  I most likely won't since neighbors already see me wandering around outside taking pictures of something I'm hiding in my hand, and I think playing dress up in public in conjunction with that may be a bit too eccentric for this area, so I'll restrain myself.

That's what I know about the FingerPaints Palette of Petals Collection for Spring 2011.  Until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!  

FingerPaints Palette of Petals Preview

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I just received some promo pictures from Sally Beauty Supply for their Spring 2011 collection, Palette of Petals.

Here's what I have:

FingerPaints Palette of Petals Collection for Spring 2011

The others are little color dots, and I'm not entirely sure which is which (I discovered upon renaming them so I can find them...).  In any case, they look really cheery to me, so I'm excited to see them.

That's all I had to tell you!  I get all excited about seasonal FingerPaints, so I wanted to pass it on.  Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you! 

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Lacey Lilac

Happy New Year's Eve, Dear Reader!

I really wanted to use another of the new Sally Hansen Xtreme Wears today even though it was just a creme (last year's NYE mani was so blingy I broke off a nail removing it!), so I decided to just go with it and add a little glitter.

It turned out that Lacey Lilac, the lavender creme from the Xtreme Wear display I recall nothing about, is a fantastic layering polish.  It's super pigmented, so it only took one coat to be completely even and opaque.  For a pastel, that's a big deal.  If I were to wear Lacey Lilac alone, I'd do two coats so it would be nice and shiny, but as a base for some glitter, one coats was plenty.  I added one coat of FingerPaints Floatin' on a Cloud to it, topped it off with top coat, and now I have a glitterific pastel manicure.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Lacey Lilac with FingerPaints Glitter, One Coat Each

I hope you have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, Dear Reader, and until 2011, love and nail polish to you!  

FingerPaints Winter Dreams Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Sally Beauty Supply sent me samples of their FingerPaints Winter Dreams Collection for Holiday 2010 to review, and I have swatches of them for you today.  I'm a fan of FingerPaints in general, particularly the seasonal collections, but the FingerPaints holiday collections are always my favorites with great colors and finishes.  The Winter Dreams Collection does not disappoint, either - every one of these polishes is a winner.

Winter Wishes is an elegant champagne shimmer with very fine gold glitter.  I used two coats of Winter Wishes and topped it with a coat of Seche Vite so you could see how it really looks (the glitter was making it look less than attractive without top coat).

FingerPaints Winter Wishes Nail Polish, Two Coats

Holly Good times is a mixture of gold and red fine glitter in a clear base.  I used two coats to make it opaque, and somehow this one reminds me of apple cider.

FingerPaints Holly Good Times Nail Polish, Two Coats

Just Plum Fun is a rich plum with a subtle shimmer, also a two coater.

FingerPaints Just Plum Fun Nail Polish, Two Coats

Merry Mittens is a rust red shimmer with fine gold glitter.  In two coats, the polish is opaque and the fine glitter shows through very well without being over the top - it's festive without being too much at all.

FingerPaints Merry Mittens Nail Polish, Two Coats

Mistletoe Mischief was the only one of the six that required a third coat for me.  The polish was a bit thin, but for a Christmas green shimmer with tiny flaky bits, I'll do a third coat.

FingerPaints Mistletoe Mischief Nail Polish, Three Coats

Last up, in keeping with the traditional ordering of things, is my favorite of the collection, Mulberry Madness.  This one's a mulberry base with silver and mulberry glitter.  It's gorgeous and it's good in two coats.

FingerPaints Mulberry Madness Nail Polish, Two Coats

So those are the six colors in FingerPaints' Winter Dreams, and I really like every one of them.  As for generalities regarding the collection, I found the shimmers with lots of glitter (Winter Wishes & Mulberry Madness) were quite thick, but after two thin coats and two coats of top coat, they're perfect.  With the other four, when applying them I questioned whether they could be possibly opaque in inly two coats because the first looks really thin, but they're just fine.  No changes have been to the brush or bottle, and I had nary a wonky brush, so I really have nothing at all to complain about.

The FingerPaints Winter Dreams Collection will be available online on Sally Beauty Supply's site and in stores in November.  That's all I have for you today, Dear Reader, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

FingerPaints BCA Nail Polishes

Good evening, Dear Reader!

Sally Beauty Supply sent me samples of the two 2010 FingerPaints Breast Cancer Awareness nail polishes, and I have swatches of them for you today.  As for the charitable contribution associated with them, Sally Beauty Supply will make a $65,000 contribution to Cancer Support Community next month.

I Pink I Can is a light pink with a really cool shimmer.  It's delicate, but still pronounced.  I used three coats of I Pink I Can to make it completely even and opaque, which is pretty typical of a lighter pink.

FingerPaints I Pink I Can Nail Polish, Three Coats

The other color is I'm A Survivor, which is a bright pink shimmer.  The shimmer in I'm A Survivor appears to be the same as that in I Pink I Can, but it's more evident in the darker base color.  I'm A Survivor was good in two coats.

FingerPaints I'm A Survivor Nail Polish, Two Coats

I really like these a lot, they're a nice change from the sheer pinks that are usually released for BCA.  This has been a really good year for BCA colors so far.

Both polishes will be available in brick and mortar Sally Beauty Supply stores as well as on their website on October 1st.

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

OPI Pink Cupcake & FingerPaints Floatin' on a Cloud

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today's manicure is just an excuse to post pictures.  I got pictures of the billboards that are in Johannesburg from the South African nail polish distributor who bought rights to some of my pictures, and thought I'd show them to you.  In case you don't care, I'm including a Nails of the Day picture from last week.

The manicure is two coats of OPI Pink Cupcake topped with one coat of FingerPaints Floatin' on a Cloud.

OPI Pink Cupcake, Two Coats, with One Coat FingerPaints Floatin' on a Cloud

If you don't care about the billboards, feel free to skip to the end.  

There are five billboards along Johannesburg's busiest highway, and the "Clicks" on them, from what I'm told by a South African reader, is something like a mega Ulta.

Billboard #1

Some Guy Putting Up a Giant Picture of My Hand

A Two-fer

A Big Row of My Hand

It was pretty cool to wake up to the email with these pictures - it's a little surreal to see my pictures like that!  I'm all excited though, and forwarded the email to my dad- he'll laugh.

That's all for now, Dear Reader.  Until next time, love and nail polish to you!