Zoya Mirrors Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

After I thought I was all done yesterday, a set of Zoya's Mirror Collection sent for review arrived, and I have swatches of them for you today.  This is a really cool collection - each of them applied really beautifully, the one I'm wearing dried well in reasonable time, and they're fun to look at.

All of these are base coat, two coats of color, and top coat, and I let each dry for a few minutes before taking a picture in sunlight.  There's no real significance to the order of the swatches.  Now that you know all of that, let's look at pretties.

Tao, which Zoya describes as "smoky slate gray metallic", is what I'd call a light gunmetal shimmer, and a good one.

Zoya Tao Nail Polish, Two Coats

I'd agree with Zoya that Marina is "smoky steel blue," but I say it's a shimmer and not so much metallic.

Zoya Marina Nail Polish, Two Coats

Nimue is called "smoky rich thistle metallic", and and strange as it sounds, I think "smoky thistle" is the best description of Nimue, a shimmer.  A technical difficulty resulted in less nails swatched for this one.

Zoya Nimue Nail Polish, Two Coats

Zoya says Neeka is "sparkly amethyst purple  metallic," it's a bit deeper purple than Nimue and has little gold glitter.  Neeka is right along the lines of Sally Hansen Salon Arabian Night from a collection Tracy Reese did with them a few years ago.

Zoya Neeka Nail Polish, Two Coats

The other with glitter just like that in Neeka is Yara, where it's in an olive green shimmer base.

Zoya Yara Nail Polish, Two Coats

These five are all lovely, but I think almost any polish would pale in comparison to Zoya Jem.  It's described as "sparkly fandango pink metallic," but mine's nothing like fandango pink at all.  It's a fantastic red plum shimmer, and there's something about the shimmer in it that makes it look just like cool custom car paint.  It makes me think of a neighbor I had when I was a teenager who was terribly proud of his IROC-Z.  The custom paint job even included his name on the driver's door - too bad it was spelled wrong... Anyhow, this is Zoya Jem - see if it transports you back to the days of watching a whole bunch of guys trying to construct an entire car out of Bondo.

Zoya Gem Nail Polish, Two Coats

I think the whole Mirrors Collection is excellent (Zoya's really been making great colors), but Jem put it over the top.  Jem is one amazing nail polish.

That's what I know about Zoya Mirrors, so until next time, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Nubar Marble Tower & D09

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I finally decided to take a breather from things that sparkle today, but I didn't take a break from fun manicures.  Today I figured I'd try out a few patterns from the D-series nail art stamping plates, which I've only seen at Chez-Delaney.com.  I went with plate D09, which is one with several stamps of iconic celebrity pictures.

For a the stamps, I thought black would be best, and I decided to use Nubar Marble Tower, a light grey creme, as the base color.  Here's what I ended up making.

Nubar Marble Tower Nail Polish with Nail Art Stamping Plate D09

Starting at the top, that's Clint Eastwood on my thumb,  Jim Morrison on my index finger, The Blues Brothers, Audrey Hepburn, and Sylvester Stallone in Rocky.  Audrey won the prize in a battle against Bob Marley for her spot - he's also an option on this plate.

I've been reluctant to try these because the Chez-Delaney.com owner only sells this series as a substantially discounted set, stating that several of the patterns within the set don't work.  With these particular images being so detailed I thought there might be troubles, but there wasn't a single one.  I'll probably play with stamping plates for a few days since I'm so completely enamored with this manicure.

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

China Glaze Crackle Glaze

Hello, Dear Reader!

This morning's manicure was another fail.  Not so huge that I won't show it to you, but enough that I didn't want to look at it all day, so I figured I'd just crank out some swatches of the China Glaze Crackles I haven't shown to you already.

To recap, I already showed you Broken Hearted, the pink creme, over purple and later compared Black Mesh, the black creme, to OPI Black Shatter using China Glaze Sea Spray as the base color.  Here are the pictures of those so you can see all six Crackle Glazes in one place.  All six have base coat, base color, Poshe, crackle, Gelous, Poshe (the Gelous was what I used to smooth them out).

China Glaze Broken Hearted Crackle Glaze

China Glaze Black Mesh Crackle Glaze

Today's failure was a result of playing with Konad over a crackle.  I don't care for it.  I only stamped one nail, so we can just pretend I didn't do that.  I had base coat, two coats of Essie Lovie Dovie, and two of OPI Teenage Dream topped off with China Glaze Lightning Bolt, the white creme, which I consistently want to call White Lightning (a name synonymous with moonshine is just more amusing).  The Konad stamp which we're all ignoring is from plate m83 in Konad Cool Red.

China Glaze Lightning Bolt Crackle Glaze

I really like it except for the stamp.  To my eye, the clean lines of the Konad stamp over the rougher looking crackle is unappealing.  It looks like a mistake to me.  Lightning Bolt is very cool though.

The next one is the purple shimmer, Fault Line.  I was concerned about how this one would do because I've seen some pictures where it didn't break up too well.  I found that Fault Line was very thick, so I applied it as thinly as I could.  I used a good bit of pressure on the brush and really smeared Fault Line on more than painting it on, assuming that since it just shrinks anyhow that any irregularities in the application would disappear.  It turned out that was accurate.  This is Fault Line over Nfu Oh 63 with Aqua Base.

China Glaze Fault Line Crackle Glaze

Crushed Candy is the aqua creme that looked super green in one promo picture.  I applied this one as I did Fault Line, using Essie Dive Bar as the base color.

China Glaze Crushed Candy Crackle Glaze

The sixth and last shade is Cracked Concrete, a medium grey creme.  I like red and grey together, so I went with China Glaze Hey Sailor as the base color.  I used the same manner of application as I did with Fault Line and Crushed Candy for Cracked Concrete.

China Glaze Cracked Concrete Crackle Glaze

Those are the China Glaze Crackle Glazes.  I figured I'd show them to you over a variety of colors and finishes since each could be used with anything at all.  I'm a complete convert on the whole crackle/shatter thing having smoothed them out a bit and tried some other colors than black.  I'm fond of them now, and think it's an easy way to get a fun look.  It's certainly not practical for everyone, but there's nothing stopping me from wearing them.

That's what I have for you today, Dear reader.  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!  

Dior Bond Street

Good morning, Dear Reader!

When Dior's City Gris nail lacquers became available, I got only one, and that's Bond Street.  Bond Street is a grey blue creme, kind of halfway between a deep denim blue and slate blue.  It's the only one that seemed unique enough to get - Gris Montaigne looks like a grey creme, and after Nubar's Fortress Collection I'm set on those, and NY 57th looks like a gunmetal shimmer, and I'm good for those as well.  That left Bond Street, which does not disappoint.

It went on like any Dior, perfect in two coats, and in addition to being a really cool color, it's super shiny.

Dior Bond Street Nail Polish, Two Coats

I love Dior nail polishes, but they're just too pricey unless the color is exceptional.  In the case of Bond Street, it was well worth it to me.

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

Barielle Coalest Day of the Year

Good morning, Dear Reader!

The next color I have to show you from Barielle's Holiday Hustle Collection is Coalest Day of the Year.  It's described by the manufacturer as "a carbon gray with white pearls," but I think it's charcoal with silver-white shimmer.  Probably six of one and a half dozen of the other, but that's what I'd call it.

Anyhow, the polish is a bit on the thick side, but thin coats make it really manageable.  Coalest Day of the Year is good in two coats, and I also found it to be quite durable.  After this manicure dried but before I'd taken a picture of it, something went wrong around the house that required a whole bunch of cleaning where my hands were in water.  I was certain it would be ruined when I finished tidying up, and there's just a small amount of tip wear, which impressed me.  Here's the manicure after being tested.

Barielle Coalest Day of the Year Nail Polish, Two Coats Dry

Dangit, I just noticed the shadow over my pinky in the picture, but this one showed the polish best, so I'm keeping it shadow and all.  Please just ignore my pinky.

Back to the polish... I see where the folks at Barielle are coming from calling this "carbon gray."  It does look a little bit like pencil lead.  The really strong shimmer you can see in this Coalest Day of the Year is what differentiates it from other charcoal shimmers for me.  Since I'm often of the "The More, The Merrier" school of thought when it comes to shimmer, I like it a lot and would reach for this shade before most charcoals.

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


*This was sent to me for review by the manufacturer.

Konad Plate M56

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Konad plate m56 is my favorite tip pattern plate, but I haven't used it in a long time because I haven't been able to find the plate.  After many, many months, I finally bit the bullet last week and got a replacement, so I have two manicures using m56 to show you today.

First up is one using two patterns from m56.  I started with two coats of Nubar Barricade, then stamped the free edge with the swirly pattern on the plate in Konad Pink, then did the little ribbon and bow pattern at the nail line in Konad Black Pearl.

Konad m56 over Nubar Barricade Nail Polish

I'm not as wild about that one as I'd hoped to be, but I guess I just won't love them all... It's more about how the colors look together than the patterns though.  I'll likely try the same thing again with different colors to see what I think.

The second one, I like a lot.  For this one, I started with four coats of China Glaze Shocking Pink.  Four coats is high maintenance, but Shocking Pink is worth it to me.  I then painted my tips white, gave them a minute to dry, and stamped the white part with the checkerboard tip pattern using Konad Black.  I really like the outcome, and it's what I'm wearing today.

Konad m56 over China Glaze Shocking Pink Nail Polish

The picture here just hints at how truly retina searing Shocking Pink is, and with the black and white checks, it's a little hard on the eyes!

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

NARS Full Metal Jacket 2010

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have another of the recent NARS rereleases, Full Metal Jacket.  I had the original and thought it was the perfect gunmetal grey shimmer.  The polish goes on a little thin, so it needed three coats, but it's super shiny and still the perfect gunmetal.

NARS Full Metal Jacket Nail Polish, Three Coats

I'm thrilled with it.  There are lots of greys out now, but this one is just right for me, so it's good to have it again.

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

Sally Hansen Mystic Lilac

Good morning, Dear Reader!

This week I came across the new Sally Hansen Xtreme Wears, and today I have Mystic Lilac for you.  It's kind of a lilac grey shimmer.  I've read reviews criticizing the sheerness of Mystic Lilac, so I layered two coats of it over one coat of SpaRitual Living in the Moment, a grey creme of about the same shade, which provided an opaque base without changing the color of Mystic Lilac.  It worked out well that way.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Mystic Lilac Nail Polish, Two Coats

I like the shimmer in it quite a bit, but I don't think it's worth all the hype it's gotten.

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

SpaRitual A World of Compassion

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Another day, another SpaRitual Imagine nail polish... Today's color is A World of Compassion, which is a great purple grey creme.  The application of this one was great, and it needed only two coats.  The dry time was about average.  Here it is finished with top coat.

SpaRitual A World of Compassion Nail Polish, Two Coats

I don't have anything quite like this one, and I love purples and greys, so I'm thrilled with it.

That's all for today, so until next time, love and nail polish to you!  

Chanel Soho Nail Lacquers

Good evening, Dear Reader!

Today I have the two new limited edition Chanel nail polishes released for the re-opening of Chanel's Soho boutique.  Although I like both, neither is so unique that I'd trample anyone to get them.

Strong is a dark eggplant shimmer.  The polish was thick but easy to work with, and required only two coats.  Strong has the subtle Chanel shimmer, which shows up well in brighter light bu not so much in lower light.

Chanel Soho: Strong Nail Polish, Two Coats

Steel is a dark gunmetal grey shimmer.  It's very dark, kind of like a softened Chanel Black Satin.  Like Strong, it was thick but easily controlled, and also a two-coater.

Chanel Soho: Steel Nail Polish, Two Coats

They're both quite nice for cooler weather, but neither is terribly unique.

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

Color Club Untamed Luxury Diamond Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Color Club sent me samples of their Fall 2010 Untamed Luxury Collection, which consists of two sets of seven shades, and I have swatches of the Untamed Luxury Diamond Collection for you today.

I found the application of these was very good, and that the colors are well pigmented.  For the one I'm wearing, the dry time was about average.  I'll tell you specifics of each color as we go through the pictures.

Ms. Haute is a grey taupe shimmer with lots of very fine glitter.  The picture is without top coat, and I think one coat of top coat would smooth is out nicely.  I used two coats of Ms. Haute.

Color Club Ms. Haute Nail Polish, Two Coats

Snakeskin is a kind of muted olive shimmer with gold microglitter, also a two-coater.

Color Club Snakeskin Nail Polish, Two Coats

De-luxe-cious, despite the name, is a great color.  It's a slightly bluish grey shimmer with fine multi-colored glitter.  I used two coats.

Color Club De-luxe-cious Nail Polish, Two Coats

Red Velvet is a whole lot of fine red glitter in a black base.  There are lots of variations on this combination, and this is a good one - the black is very black, but the red glitter shows up well and is quite dense.  I think Red Velvet is probably most similar to Eyeko Vampira.  Again, Red Velvet was a two-coater.

Color Club Red Velvet Nail Polish, Two Coats

Covered in Diamonds is called a "luxury top coat" by Color Club.  It's a clear base with large irregular flaky glitter.  Here, I used one coat over black.

Color Club Covered in Diamonds Nail Polish, One Coat over Black

Untamed Luxury, the namesake of the collection, is a bright teal glitter in a teal jelly base.  I used two coats, I probably could have afforded to use a third.

Color Club Untamed Luxury Nail Polish, Two Coats

That brings us to the last one, Resort to Red.  Resort to Red is a cranberry red shimmer, and the shimmer is really fine, almost metallic.  This one was good in two coats.

Color Club Resort to Red Nail Polish, Two Coats 

That, Dear Reader, is Color Club's Untamed Luxury Diamond Collection.  I'll have the Indulgence Collection, the other seven shades, swatched for you soon.  Until then, love and nail polish to you!  

OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I apologize for neglecting you (and my nails!) lately, but I've had quite a bit going.  I've been wearing Unripened for five days, and it really didn't hold up to five days - I noticed the chips and tip wear yesterday.  

I finally got a chance to do my nails today, and I chose OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous.  I love the polish, I really dislike the name.  I know OPI often goes for the really silly names, but this one is such a stretch that it seems more forced than cute to me.  However, it's a really good color, a shimmery microglittery gun metal grey. It's similar to Brand New Skates, but if I recall correctly, Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous is a bit darker, and it's also all one color (no contrasting bits of shimmer as in BNS).  I used three coats to make it totally opaque and even.  I wanted to be finished in two coats, but I could still see through it just a bit, and I decided that would drive me crazy if I keep this manicure for a few days and went for a third coat.  Here it is in the sun finished with top coat.

OPI Lucerne-tainly Look Marvelous Nail Polish, Three Coats

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