Lacquered Literati

I'm still alive!

2010-06-22T12:27:00.001-07:00

Hey everyone! So so so sorry for the lack of posts this last week or so. I've had a really nasty stomach virus that has being killing me. I've had zero energy to do anything. I hope you all will forgive me and I'm going to have a post up in the next day or so. Thanks for sticking around :)

Sally Hansen HD Spectrum

2010-06-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Hello, all! I don't know how it's gotten to be Saturday already! I was busy at work this week with training staff, so I didn't have time to get you any good swatches, but I have one today!

This is 3 rather sloppy coats of Sally Hansen HD in Spectrum. So far, I only have 3 colors from this line, but I really like them! This is a super glitter packed turquoise that has a summery tropical water feel to it. After seeing this photo enlarged, I would probably do 4 coats next time to get better coverage. I think these would be awesome to layer, since they are on the sheer side.

A Blue for Monday

2010-06-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend was not long enough! I don't want to be at work today, my bed is calling my name!

Here is 3 coats of Sally Hansen HD Laser. I snatched up two more from this line on an impulse buy, but I may go buy more :) This color is a nice purple blue with bright purple-y glitter. On the nail it mostly shows its silver side, but I do see flashes of purple and pink.

Here's a bottle pic where you can really see that purple glitter!

Hope everyone survives their Monday. I'm already looking forward to mine being over.

My only Mac!

2010-06-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

Hope all of you are having a good short week. I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend again!

This is 3 coats of the super hot MAC Mercenary. This was from last year's summer collection, Style Warrior, I think? I loooooove this polish. It's the prettiest bronze shade with golden shimmer. This color is such a fun summer color. I love wearing it with teals and turquoises on my toes. Just hotness.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!

2010-05-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

Woot woot, we have sunshine today! I hope everyone has a fun Saturday and a stress free weekend. I don't have too much planned, but I'm looking forward to this nice weather. So here is another Summer appropriate color :)

This is three coats of China Glaze Sun Worshipper. I wasn't sure I was going to like this color on me, but I ended up loving it! This is such an amazing, retina searing yellow orange and it's so great for summer. I got a good deal of compliments on this polish and I think I have a new love for neons. I've been wearing this and Flip Flop Fantasy as a pedi for some time now :). Thank you China Glaze for the Poolside Collection!

The wear on this polish was good, although once mine started chipping, the whole nail would end up chipped off.

Have a great weekend all! I'm out!

Bring on Summer!

2010-05-25T15:27:00.000-07:00

I really am a spoiled Californian, but I'm getting tired of this grey weather. It's the end of May, I demand sunshine and summer weather!

Well, this is supposed to be a photo of China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy, a bright neon pink, but I don't know what my blog is doing to this photo. Its a super fun bright pink with a wee twinge of coral and it looks that way in my Iphoto, but on here not quite so much. I currently have this on my toes and it's a fantastic color even in the shade. So bright!

These neons are a pain in the arse to photograph, but this one is a must have. I'm gonna do my best to edit it this so it shows up on my blog correctly! Sorry if this throws you guys off :(

How funky is your chicken?

2010-05-22T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Thanks for being patient with me this week. I haven't been too motivated, but I did get some swatches done for you guys. I'm needy and don't want you to abandon me :P

This is two beautiful lovely coats of OPI Funky Dunky from the new Shrek collection. I keep calling it "Funky Donkey", so forgive me if I type that! This polish is my first purple creme! I love it. It's a rich purple with a hint of grey in it. It's super duper shiny and looks great sans topcoat. I could practically see my reflection in my nails!

I think I may pick up one or two more of the collection, but I don't know about the Shrek colored greens! Maybe, I should just be adventurous!

Quickie NOTD: Zoya Sienna

2010-05-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the quick post ya'll. It's been a bit hectic in my life right now. A really good friend of mine passed this last week, so I haven't really been focusing on much. But, I needed a happy color and this one suited me just fine!

Zoya Sienna is a really yummy orange shimmer. This polish is pretty comparable to China Glaze's Orange Marmalade and has a very similar glass fleck appearance. I did 3 coats to completely rid myself of visible nail line.

Hopefully, everyone is having a good week. I'll post more when I can.

The Life Aquatic: Hunt for Hidden Treasure

2010-05-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there was a mass Walgreens scouring across the country when this polish came out. Luckily, with my red beanie and glock in hand, I found the elusive Hidden Treasure.

ONWARD!

Thar she blows, folks! This is three coats of Hidden Treasure over my bare nails. I actually wore this as a mani for a good 3 days before taking this photo. I really wanted to test out Sally Hansen's 5-in-1 claim and see how it would do without additional base and topcoat. I scrubbed the shower right before this so pardon the cuticles. I will say my polish held up well and it looked awesome at that. It's like I had opals on my fingertips :)

And here is the Captain of the A team! This is two coats of Hidden Treasure over eleventy billion coats of Sally Hanse Blu. I kind of wanted to pick a lighter base than a normal black, just to see what would happen. I do like the result, it reminds me of a pair of simulated opal earrings I used to have.

The wear on these Sally Hansen Complete blabbity blah polishes have been good so far. I really hope they keep coming out with interesting colors such as these.

No Jaguar Sharks were hurt in the making of this review. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, please go watch The Life Aquatic :)

Sally Hansen makes me crazy!

2010-05-10T15:54:00.000-07:00

I wish all stores would get all polishes at the same time. No more endless lists on the Nailboard about who found a certain flakie polish where! We all want it at the same time! That being said, I'm sure you know which brand is the culprit. Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure...state your case.

This is 3 coats of Sea and Be Seen. It's a light cornflower blue with a slight twinge of purple running throughout the polish. The silver shimmer is interspersed with slightly more chunky particles making for a really pretty effect. I will say that I prefer the bottle a little more to what shows up on my nails. In the bottle you can see some green and purple casts, but on the nail I haven't been able to see it.

The formula was pretty good, but be careful when applying multiple coats, they may smudge. I like the brush, but I know it isn't everyone's cup of tea. I found that the wear on this polish has been really good, so I'm thinking of maybe picking a few more of these up

2010-05-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

Happy end of Mother's Day to everyone. Sorry that I haven't been posting much this week. The swim team I coach had finals this week and our school was hosting it. Needless to say, I've been a bit frazzled this week. I'll have a post for you all tomorrow :)

China Glaze Towel Boy Toy

2010-05-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ahhh summer is upon us! I am so excited to be wearing neon collections like China Glaze's Poolside! So far, I've only got one from the collection because my beauty supply only had one :(

This is two coats of China Glaze Towel Boy Toy. I would've bought this for the name, but the color so happens to be amazing as well! This is a very bright color, but not really a true neon. It's a brightened light blue with ultra fine shimmer. My mom, who isn't a polish fiend, was quite impressed at how fine the shimmer is in this polish. I couldn't quite get a photo of it, but it's more apparent in the bottle than on the nail.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get my hands on the rest of this collection. I've got my eye on Flip Flop Fantasy!

Giveaway Winner!!

2010-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to.......

T.V and Book Addict!

You've won my very first giveaway! Kudos to you! I've sent an email to the email address you provided me. You have 48 hours to respond with your mailing address so I can get these goodies to you!!

Thanks so much to everyone who entered! I can't believe how many responses I got, I now have over 200 followers!! I'll host another giveaway when I hit another milestone. Maybe this time it'll be a book to go with all that polish :)

Unrelated note

2010-04-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

7 years ago today (not quite) Mr. Literati and I started dating. I've loved every second of these 7 years and I'm looking forward to more! Happy Anniversary, babe!

The little polish that could.

2010-04-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

I just love polish brands that fly under the radar. I love wearing brands that aren't sold regularly in brick and mortar stores. I feel like I'm in some exclusive polish club :)

2 coats

Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm is a member of the holo club and the "really cute name" club. This polish is a great find and if you like dark holos you won't be disappointed by the oil slick quality this one has. It isn't a black holo, but more of a charcoal grey with a hint of brown. It dries super glossy and is still holo in low lighting. There are a few similar colors to this out there, but for the price you would definitely do best to get this one!

China Glaze Eyes Like Sapphires

2010-04-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Another Monday *groan* Well, I'll take the Mondays as long as we're getting closer to summer. The weather in my area this weekend really made me excited for days to come. I even managed to get to the beach :)
Speaking of things that don't have anything to do with the weather or the beach...

Eyes Like Sapphires is a royal blue with a slight frost to it. It also has thicker grains of silver shimmer peeking out, which did result in me getting a few bumps of grit here and there. A good topcoat should be able to even all that out, though.

Diamond Cosmetics Sweet as Sugar

2010-04-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Sweet baby Jeebus! Lookit at all my new followers! I'm glad you guys are here. Hopefully, you'll all be able to stand my incoherent ramblings and general nonsense :)

This confection for your fingertips is Diamond Cosmetics Sweet as Sugar. It is indeed very sweet! I don't do sheers very often, but this one is quite nice. It looks like I dipped my nails in very fine baking sugar. This was three very thin coats and as you can see I've still got some visible nail line. I'm thinking I would use a more opaque base coat prior to this polish. I don't think you'd have to layer it over a nude polish.

Hooray for the week almost being over. I'm so looking forward to the weekend. Are you guys up to anything fun come Friday?

50 Followers Giveaway!

2010-04-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gents, I now have 50 wonderful followers on my little blog! I am so excited to have each and every one of you following me, so I decided to have a giveaway to show my appreciation! Many thanks to all of you!!

Summer is on it's way so I tried to pick out some fun colors that will look great in the sun :)

The winner will receive:

- Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Purple Pizazz

- Sinful Colors Cream Pink

- Nicole by OPI Honey-Dew You Love Me (cute blue hearts!)

- OPI Suzi Says Feng Shui

- Poshe Super Fast Drying Topcoat

- China Glaze LOL

- China Glaze DV8

- China Glaze Luna

- China Glaze Blue Hawaiian

- China Glaze Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

This giveaway is open to followers and subscribers and will run until 11:59 PST on May 3rd, 2010.

To enter:

1) You must be a follower of some kind. Any and all new followers are welcome! Leave me a comment letting me know your email address in case that you win. 1 entry

2) Blog about this contest for another entry! Leave a comment with a link to the post. 1 entry

3) Tweet about the contest! Either @ me on twitter or leave a link to your twitter in the comments! 1 entry

4) Add Lacquered Literati to your blogroll. Send me a link and I'll make sure to add you back. If anyone has a blog that you would like on my blogroll, please email me! 1 entry

5) This one is a freebie! Tell me what colors you like to wear during summer or anything you want about the summer season! It's up to you :) 1 entry

To save yourself some sanity feel free to put all your entries into one comment. No matter what, please include your email so I'll be able to contact you. You have until May 3rd, 2010. Have fun!

OPI Russian Navy Suede

2010-04-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

I really jumped aboard the matte train this last fall and I was really happy to see different companies embracing the trend. I will say that in the case of OPI the Suede collection is FAR superior to their matte collection. Their mattes were just so chalky looking, blegh. Here is one of my faves from the Suedes.

2 coats

OPI Russian Navy Suede is probably my favorite blue matte/suede finish polish. It isn't flat at all and the fine matted shimmer gives this polish a great depth. Whenever I'm feeling lazy or don't have time to wait for a mani to dry, I throw this one. It dries super quickly, so you can do two coats and be out the door. If you do have some time, see my next photo :)

With topcoat

I love throwing on topcoat a day or two later, because it's like a brand new mani without all the hassle! There is so much shine in this polish and a quick swipe of a clear polish does this baby wonders. I almost prefer it to the matted finish!

Diamond Cosmetics Fiery Coral

2010-04-13T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is two coats of Diamond Cosmetics Fiery Coral. It does live up to it's name with its bright coral pop and fine eye catching shimmer. This is a great spring and summer polish!

I love the formula on Diamond Cosmetics polish. They have a good solid application and the dry time is relatively fast. It's nice to see that for around two dollars you get a great quality polish!

Zoya Sparkle: The Love Affair Continues...

2010-04-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

So after the lovely pre-marriage bliss that was my first Sparkle post, this could be considered the honeymoon post. I think? Yeah, I've probably lost my marbles, but it's all out of love. Imagine cool blue tropical waters and these colors on your hands....

3 coats

Oh, Charla. This is one polish that would represent a honeymoon. It's such a beautiful turquoise-y blue with fine iridescent shimmer that looks like the sun hitting tropical waters. I actually ran into a wall while swimming laps one day because I could not stop gaping at this polish.

3 coats

Mimi is a purple that wants to be seen. It is far brighter than my photo depicts. The fine pink and silver shimmer add so much depth to this polish. I wish my photo did it justice!!

3 coats

I imagine Ivanka being a shimmering piece of green seaweed on a hot white sand beach. Boy, this post really tells a good deal about me, huh? This is such a vibrant happy green and the fine flecks of shimmer only make it that much better.

There you have it folks. How could I resist wanting to be with Zoya Sparkle forever? I promise I'll be loyal and true! Ok...well...maybe until the next Zoya collection comes out ;)

Zoya, will you marry me? Part I

2010-04-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

I've never really wanted to marry a nail polish, but Zoya has made me want to marry an entire collection (possibly a bottle of remover as well). I can picture it now....Zoya Sparkle and I will play in the sunshine and watch our little sparkle babies scamper in the grass.
Ok, I'm being creepy. On with ze photos!

2 Coat

I'm still choosing to pretend that Alegra has two L's in it and was named after me. I shouldn't be such a jerk because this polish deserves nothing but praise. This polish is a much more vivid, bright magenta that what my picture depicts. It's a jelly base with a mix of superfine pink and clear sparkles.

3 coats

Gilda, you saucy minx you. I shun pink, but how can I resist your bright pink hue and fish scale type glitter? You're right, I can't

2 coats

Nihdi stops me dead in my tracks. For all the smack talking I do about reds, this was smacked me back HARD. This polish has quite a dense base color that I was not expecting. Also, instead of matching red glitter it had flecks of gold and fine silver shimmer throughout it.

I cannot help but love all these colors and they are not my usual cup of tea. Stay tuned for Part II and the rest of the Sparkle lovelies!

Post Easter food coma...

2010-04-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

Ok. I really need to get back into the swing of posting frequently. Sad thing is that it still isn't consistently sunny in my area! I did get some swatching done today, so I'll have to awesome Zoya posts this week, whoop whoop!

Here was my Spring mani I wore for Easter. Although I've loved these spring colors and pastels, I think I'm ready for some summer colors!

I chose to do two coats of China Glaze Flyin' High with an accent nail of Lemon Fizz polka dots. I only do simple nail art, otherwise I'd end up with some ugly swamp creature nails! I thought this was festive and it went well with the two minutes of sun we had yesterday, haha.

My first holo: Do not wear while driving!

2010-03-31T19:08:00.000-07:00

I keep realizing how many holo polishes I have. Hopefully, you aren't all sick of these kind of posts, cause I could stare at holo photos all day!

OPI DS Extravagance fits it's title so very well. It is the most eye catching deep magenta shade that I've ever seen in a polish. It is so smooth and gorgeous. Every polish lover should own this! It's a perfect pedicure color as well and I'm really glad I forked out money for this polish! It'll be one that you can't stop staring at!

China Glaze rides again!

2010-03-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

Oy, a week without posting. Sorry, all! Life just got away with me last week and I pretty much did not turn my computer on for the last 5 days. Bad, blogger, bad!!

This is 2 coats of China Glaze Cowgirl Up. This is such shimmery, frosty purple and once out of the bottle it really shows its stuff. There are teeny little blue flecks of glitter throughout the polish and if you pay attention you'll catch them from time to time. Ignore the wibbly application on my ring finger, because this polish applies very smoothly.

I don't normally wear purples this tone on my hands, but this can definitely be an all year polish color. I'm thinking it'd look great as a pedi.

Purple Pizazz and many thanks!

2010-03-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

Wow! I now have 40 followers on my lil' blog and I must say I appreciate each and every one of you! It's nice knowing that people find me (somewhat) entertaining :) I think once I hit 50 I'm gonna have a cool polish and book giveaway! Thank you all again so much!

Here we have Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Purple Pizazz. I do really love this polish, but it is seriously so dang sheer. These photos are with three coats and in the direct sunlight I still had visible nail lines! *grumble* At least this polish applied well and it's beautiful jelly finish makes it a must have from your local drugstore. Check out the fine flecks of reddish glitter!

Holo Happiness Redux

2010-03-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

I seriously could have a million holo posts and I'm positive this will not be my last one. I can't help it, the sun is out and for me that means BLING polishes!
I'm also celebrating my friends 25th birthday this weekend and I know will be spending some time by the pool. I think this polish is pretty festive :)

3 coats, Insta-Dri topcoat

China Glaze OMG, you complete me. Your ultra fine holo shimmer satisfies my inner raccoon. I have to promise myself to not stare at you while driving, lest I cause an accident.

What's your favorite holo?!

Presents are fun :)

2010-03-18T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hopefully, everyone has recovered from all their St. Paddy's day endeavors! I snapped a few photos of yesterday's mani and the wonderful gifts I received in the mail!!

For this manicure I did one coat of Rimmel Camouflage with three coats of Nfu-Oh 56. I love the flakies in this manicure. They were a little hard for me to capture in the direct sunlight, but I know you can see those opalescent flakes! Pardon the tip wear, I wore this one all week :)

Here's a macro shot from that same mani.

Here are the lovely giveaway goodies I received this week from Mary over at Body and Soul. I recently won one of her Friday Follower giveaways and I loooove my prize pack.

I received - California Mango hand care kit

- Orly French Polynesian Travel Kit

- Barielle Rebuilding Nail Protein

- Orly Nail Rescue (So happy I won this!)

- China Glaze Dripping Wet (I'll have swatches for you soon!)

So this was a lovely package to get in the mail. Did you get any goodies in the mail this week?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Since there is no such thing as too many green polishes, I figure why not post some! Just call me Alan GreenSPAM.

This lovely is Rimmel Camouflage. It's a beautiful green with a golden shimmer to it. The bottle says it'll be good in one coat, but I didn't find that to be the case. This here is two coats! A great St. Patrick's Day color!

Zoya Suvi, is a great blackened deep forest/hunter green. In super dark lighting it can tend to look black, but in the sunlight this polish shows its rich shimmer. This polish does go on sheer, so three coats were completely necessary for me.

Zoya Verushka is one of my all time favorite matte polishes. Its a slightly steely evergreen with fine silver shimmer running all throughout it. This was my go to fall color, but trust me it's not just for fall. Throw a topcoat on this one, please!

Hold onto your balls! Didn't I tell you it would be great?! Simply adding a topcoat transforms this polish to an amazingly sparkly green with tons of shine. I love that I get two very different polishes in one bottle :)

China Glaze's Gussied Up Green is hands down my favorite forest green. Although, similar to Zoya Suvi, I find that Gussied Up Green looks "cleaner" in my opinion. I'm not sure if that makes sense, haha.

Well, from the looks of things I think I need some brighter greens! I've got a few more greens in my collection, but have yet to be photographed. I'll try and post my actual St. Patrick's Day mani later on!

Finally, another book review!

2010-03-15T12:22:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to write more book posts since I've gotten back into reading more often. Here is one of the latest that I've read...

Shades Of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Rating: 4/5

Recommend: Yes, indeed!!

Quote: ""Okay, this is the wisdom. First, time spent in reconnaissanse is never wasted. Second, almost anything can be improved with the addition of bacon. And finally, there is no problem on Earth that can't be ameliorated by a hot bath and a cup of tea.""

Jasper Fforde is one of my favorite authors and I always enjoy the satiric way he plays with words. Having read all of Fforde's last books, I knew I wouldn't have trouble enjoying this one. This book is much different than his last few, but his off beat sense of style is very apparent throughout the novel.

Shades of Grey is the start of a new trilogy set in a dystopian world called Chromatica, a world were the social hierarchy is determined by the colors you can see. Our main character, Eddie Russett, is sent away from his comfortable home town to the Outer Fringes to do a survey for the Colortocracy. Eddie soon comes to find that the world he once knew has all but dissolved. His normal, rigid adherence to the rules of the Colortocracy are no longer doing him any good. Eddie, with the help of Jane, a Grey, begins to learn that following the rules will not guarantee merits and safety in the Outer Fringes.

I wish I could give this book a 5, but the extreme slow pacing in the beginning gave me a rough time. I had to force myself to read at times, but once everything fell into place I could not stop. Fforde takes great care in building a story and the world that it takes place in. There's action, humor and the end holds you until the very last pages. I'm already wishing for a sequel!!

If you've ever read and enjoyed any Jasper Fforde novels, I highly recommend you pick this up!

Up and Away!

2010-03-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

I must say that I love China Glaze so very very much right now. All of their colors always seem to suit my mood and make me happy while I wear them. Today, I've got two from the Up and Away Collection. These are such great spring colors!

I love Lemon Fizz, although it did give me a small case of lobster hands in this photo. It's such a bright pale lemon color that isn't too pale or too bright. This color may be a soft yellow, but it does command some attention and you won't go unnoticed while wearing it. I'm proud to say this is the only yellow I have that doesn't look horrible on me, hooray!!

Flyin' High looks a little more sky blue than it actually is in this photo. It's got an aqua feel to it that I just can't get over. I've worn this polish for a week straight because it makes me happy. I've gotten quite a few compliments on this one too. I think people cannot help liking colors like this.

I have Four Leaf Clover as well, but I CANNOT for the life of me get an accurate photo. Every time I take a picture I get a blue and not the lovely green that it is. I'll keep trying and see what I come up with.

So, what polishes do you love from this collection?

Getting green...

2010-03-09T10:51:00.000-08:00

Since St. Patrick's Day is approaching and green is one of my favorite colors, I figure my blog could use with a green polish. I notice that I've got a lot more blues and purples, but not nearly enough greens as I should.

Welcome to one of my favorite drug store greens. This is two coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Emerald City with two coats of Claire's green Chunky Glitter on the ring finger. I liked the idea of an accent nail for this mani and I think it looks fun without all the hassle of glitter removal. I can't say enough about SH Xtreme Wears. They are so worth their little price tag. Claire's also has a few other shades of chunky glitter, but mine only had the blue and green.

So what are your favorite greens?

Orly Foil Fx

2010-03-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

I've got Luxe and Shine for you today! My Sally's did not have Rage, although I'm not really into rose gold type shades. These are my first two Orly polishes!

Ok, I HATE gold jewelry, but Luxe is the most beautiful shade of gold polish! This one really appeals to me because it is a true gold without leaning toward yellow gaudy-ness. This polish seems to have a super teeny, fine shimmer to it that I can't quite describe. It's pretty much opaque in one coat and a definite must have if you like the look of Minx and foil finished nails!

The sun had just ran behind clouds as I took this photo, but Shine is freaking amazing none the less! This is such a crisp, clean silver and I'm sad that I don't have a better photo for you. Trust me, it's so worth it.

Both of these polishes applied smoothly and I did two thin coats for both. The fact that these are metallics with a foil finish AND not a brush stroke in sight makes me love Orly.

What does everyone think about these polishes?

Flakies!!

2010-03-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Although it's mid-week and I have Friday to look forward to, this rain is killing me! I need a sunshine fix soon or I'm going to go bonkers. So, I'm posting a happy manicure that reminds me of glistening swimming pools and summer.

I didn't think OPI Sea, I Told You So! needed any help being pretty, but layering Nfu-Oh 53 over it made it hot! The flakies in that polish remind me of a really light, lab created opal set of earrings I had when I was younger. I loved the color of them, but couldn't suffer through wearing non-surgical steel earrings. So, now when I want an opal fix, I just slap one Nfu-Oh or another over my polish and the effect is amazing!

The only mint I own...

2010-02-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

This lumpy, bumpy, POS picture is of Sinful's Mint Apple. This is actually the only mint I own. For some reason, I never really got behind the idea behind all the other mint polishes of the world, but I do like this one. It looks much dustier in the bottle, but it's a beautiful pale green with very fine shimmer. The formula on this was so-so. This picture was three coats, so be patient and use thin coats.

All in all this is a great little polish. For $1.99 at Walgreens anyone can afford to bulk up their polish collection with great colors like these!

What's better than Chocolate Rain?

2010-02-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

PURPLE RAIN!!! I finally have the polish that kicks Vendetta's wannabe bum!

This is my first NARS polish and I am so damn impressed. This color is a deep purple with red and blue shimmer throughout the entire polish. The shimmer in this polish is amazing. I almost did not want this polish from how it looked in the bottle, but boy I'm glad I got it. RUN to Sephora and get this! Well, driving would make more sense, but you get the urgency, right?

These pictures looked great in my Iphoto, but they appear to be a little washed out once I uploaded them to Blogger. This polish is a deep purple that leans on the side of red, not a light purple at all.

Awesome contest alert!

2010-02-22T22:05:00.000-08:00

The ever amazing blog, Painted Lady Fingers, is having a fantastic ManGlaze giveaway. Pop on over HERE and check it out!! It's worth your while, I promise!

Holo Happiness Part Deux

2010-02-22T18:29:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie post again, with another amazing China Glaze holo!

Bask in the wonder that is China Glaze DV8!!

Holo Happiness!

2010-02-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

We had a few days of sun last week, so I definitely made it a point to break out my holos. So, here I am continuing the holo theme, but this time with China Glaze!!!

Here is the ever beautiful LOL from the China Glaze OMG collection. I must say I do like writing in internet speak from time to time, ROFLMAOCOPTER11!! Juuuuussst kidding. This is a great mid purple holo that I cannot get over. These bad boys look so great in the sun! Check out that rainbow effect!

You do have to be a leeeedle bit careful applying these. You can use a base coat, but I make sure mine is bone dry before applying my polish coat, otherwise you may experience some drag. Holos have a tendency to chip rather quickly, so I usually wear a topcoat with them, even though it dulls the shine a little bit.

OPI Designer Series Fantasy

2010-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have been lemming this polish for I don't know how long. I finally gave into EvilBay this last month and picked this bottle o' shine up.

OPI Designer Series Fantasy is everything I wanted it to be, although it is not as holographic as it's other DS family members. It is one of the darkest holos that I've ever seen, even though it lacks that oil slick quality a good deal of other holos contain. This was two easy peasy coats with great coverage. This polish is a dream to work with.

I think this specific color is only available through e-tailers now, which isn't a bad thing because at places like Ulta and Trade secret you'll be spending far more than necessary. If you want this one, search out your options!

Strawberry Fields Forever!

2010-02-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the day off today! Here is my belated Valentine's day mani! I took off this weekend for some R&R, but was a bad blogger and didn't set up any posts for you all. My love day was low key and enjoyable. Lots of sunshine and cold drinks :)

Behold, China Glaze Strawberry Fields!!! I NEVER EVER wear pink polishes on my hands, but this dream of a polish is the only one I allow respite on my tips. This color screams summer and was from China Glaze's 2009 Summer Days collection. I adore this as a pedi color. Its a medium shade of pink with gold glass fleck shimmer throughout the polish.

Lookit the shimmer! Two coats will give you great coverage and with the formula being so good you can wear this mani for days.

Sorry I didn't have any exciting Konads or hearts for you. I definitely leave that kind of stuff to the other pro bloggers out there!

Btw, How was your weekend?? Any fun trips with your S.O. or did play it lazy like my bf and I did?

OPI Jade is the New Black

2010-02-11T09:30:00.000-08:00

Once again I'm attempting to go sans shimmer, glitter and OMGLOOKITHOWSHINY. I will say polishes like the following are making the process far less painful. Today, I bring you a member from the OPI Hong Kong Collection (Say that ten times fast).

Jade is the New Black is a really interesting grayed jade creme, with a slightly dusty quality to it. I haven't seen any other greens out there quite like this one. It applied very well and in my case the second coat smoothed out any trouble spots like magic. It is a little thick, so don't go too crazy with that brush.
So if OPI releases cremes that look like this, I'm sure I'll be fully onboard in no time :)

More Ms. Sally

2010-02-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

I've got one more Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear today. I apologize in advance for the state of my hands and cuticles. I can't seem to find the right combo of products to keep them in shape this winter and the fact that they are blue in this photo doesn't help. I'm glad Blue Me Away didn't stain my nails, but my cuticles didn't make out as lucky.

Celeb City is an awesome silver foil shine bomb. It's very opaque and provides awesome coverage. It's almost a one coater. If you like that Minx-esque foil look, I'd highly recommend picking up this polish. For less than 3 bucks you get a ton o' shine!

Sally Hansen Blue Me Away

2010-02-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

Oh dear god, my polish doesn't have shimmer or glitter or SHINY ANYTHING!!!

Ok...I'm alright. Sally Hansen Blue Me Away is my first creme polish and I'm really digging it. It's a really summery, sky blue and I can't wait for gorgeous summer weather when I look at this polish. This picture makes it look a little darker than it actually is, but this is the closest I could get.

The cost of the Xtreme Wear polishes is great. I definitely don't feel bad leaving a drugstore with six polishes having spent under 8 dollars. The application on this polish was great, so the formula is better than the price may suggest.

Go pick a few of these bad boys up! I've got more to show!

China Glaze Atlantis

2010-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

I picked this bad boy up at Sally's on a whim and I'm infinitely glad that I did. Atlantis is from China Glaze's set of 50 glitters they released late this last year. I got mine at Sally's, but I know these are available at many online retailers. This color is a lovely turquoise packed with glitter! Every time I move my hand the rainbow effect this polish gives off astonishes me. This is THE perfect sunny, happy beach day color. The more I stare at it, the more I want to be somewhere tropical with an umbrella drink in hand.

I did 3 coats here and it was slightly bumpy, but it isn't anything a topcoat won't fix :)

Mini-giveaway!

2010-02-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm not giving anything away, but the hilarious wonder that is The Manicured Manatee is! Hop on over to her blog to read about her Seche Vite giveaway. Seriously, do it!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri

2010-02-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Today has been kind of a mess today and I apologize for the crap photo! I'm going through some issues with family, so I've been awfully distracted and stressed, but I'm trying to keep positive!

I think it's obvious I was distracted while photographing this! My fingers are all wonky. This is Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Grape Going and I believe it's from their spring line of the Insta-Dri polishes. I do like this polish, with its very super duper fine shimmer. Let this be said: It is nowhere near as beautiful as RBL Scrangie. It's not really all that similar except for the mid purple base.

These Insta-Dri brushes are not too bad, but I do find that my gap is not as neat when I use this polish. I think mine may have a few stray hairs that just make it a little messy, but other than that the shape suits my nails. It does dry quickly, but still be careful when doing multiple coats. Grape Going required two.

Sunshine!!

2010-01-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

I know this blog will end up being mostly about polish, but I'm going to try and include random blurbs about my life as well! Lately, the weather has been really pissy here on the Central Coast of California, but we've had a few days of sunshine. I wanted to show you a little bit of my "home" with these Iphone photos I took. I went walking along the beach the other day to take advantage of the sun!

There's a street near me that runs all along the cliffs and past this lighthouse that is perfect for walking. It was nice to see everyone out with their dogs and families enjoying the sun.

Peace in the sand :)

Hope everyone isn't having too bad of a winter. We've had cold days here in Ca, but I'm sure nothing like the snow everyone else gets!!

Rimmel

2010-01-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

I hit up Kmart yesterday for no real reason and found that they carry a decent amount of polishes. Sadly, the Milani's had all been picked over and there wasn't anything good in the random bin of OPI polishes that were there. OPI at Kmart? I know right? Here is one of the things I ended up purchasing...

This is a new Rimmel polish, Marine Blue. Apparently, the finish is supposed to last up to 10 days, but I doubt I'll be give it that much time :). I am loving this color quite a bit. It's a mid range blue color with a good amount of fine blue shimmer throughout the polish. I think this is a good choice for spring especially if you aren't into the cremes or pastels that have been released lately.

There are a few more colors in the collection, but the store I went to had none left in the display. I'll try and find them to post for you all.

Happy Friday as well! Any fun plans for the weekend?

OPI Alice in Wonderland: The Glitters

2010-01-27T17:53:00.000-08:00

"Twas brillig, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;

All mimsy were the borogoves,

And the mome raths outgrabe."

-Lewis Carroll

That right there is probably my favorite stanza of poetry to recite. It's just fun, silly nonsense that makes sense in some strange way!

Today, I have the wonderful OPI Alice in Wonderland glitters, Absolutely Alice and Mad as a Hatter. I'm sorry if you're into reds, but OPI does so many that I really couldn't justify buying them for myself. I'm not a big red fan on my hands, so any reds I do buy end up as pedi fodder.

Le freaking awesome!! I'm pretty sure Absolutely Alice is the best glitter OPI has ever done. It's obvious they have it in them when they can produce a stunner like this one! The blue is the color of Alice's dress with little flecks of gold dispersed throughout the shiny finish. I love love love this polish and am really looking forward to it making its way back on my fingertips!!

Equally as sparkly and fun is Mad as a Hatter. I think this polish suits it's name wonderfully with the smattering of multi-colored glitter it brings. The glitter is super dense and there appears to be more purple glitter throughout. This polish makes me feel like I bathed in a craft aisle!

Although I love these polishes, I think Demetri Martin, put it best. "Glitter is like the herpes of the craft world" and when it comes to cleaning these bad boys up it's true. I kept finding little flecks of glitter here and there throughout the day. Mind you, it shouldn't stop anyone from wearing these beauties!

I also hope OPI keeps bringing us glitters as fantastic as these!

Last of OPI Holiday 08...

2010-01-26T17:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sure everyone is tired of seeing polishes that have been done 50 times over, so here is the last of the '08 collection! Here is OPI Don't Toy With Me! This is one of the few red family colors I own, because I really only wear them on my toes. This picture shows the color as far more red than it actually is. It's much more magenta in real life! Such a pretty color.

Also, Betsy over at Short 'n Chic is having a contest for a lovely piece of nail polish jewelry. Click the link to go check it out!

In with the new (and not so new)!

2010-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, everyone. Hopefully, your week will start out well. Mine is going okay so far. I broke off two nails on my right hand yesterday at my brother's bowling party! I didn't even score well enough to make the breaks worth it! I have to file down my nails now grr...
Many thanks to Brooke over at GetchNailsDid for including me in her New Blogs on the Block! I greatly appreciate the nail polish community and Brooke is great for welcoming us newbies in!

I really hope no one minds the fact that I'm posting year's old polishes, but I never get tired of seeing them. This is OPI's Brand New Skates and it's one of my favorite grey polishes. It accurately matches the color of my car :) All these OPI's have been fitting my rainy day moods. This grey matches the sky perfectly, just when it's finished raining.

Well, I'm off to repair my bowling nail fiasco and I'll probably be rocking shorties for awhile.

Brrrr.......

2010-01-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

Since it's freezing out here, I thought it'd be a good idea to post another of the OPI's from last year. Following suit, is Baby It's Coal Outside! Dear lord is it ever cold outside. This is actually my favorite "black" polish. I'm literally like a raccoon when it comes to polish. I gotta have some glimmer or shimmer on my paws. This isn't quite black, it's almost like a super dark grey, but I think that is the effect the fine silver shimmer gives to the polish. So, when I can't just reach for black, I reach for this one instead.
Also, I didn't roll my hands in Crisco like my picture might suggest. I was a bit haphazard with my cuticle oil today, so pardon the Pollock-like application :)

Tut tut, it looks like rain.

2010-01-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

The weather today was absolutely bipolar. I woke up to lightning, thunder, rain and the sound of my fence being blown over. Much to my dismay, the power was out as well. A few hours later the sun came out long enough for me to snap a few photos. I got a few before the weather gods decided to make me one of those lightning strike statistics.

Thar she blows! This here is OPI's Play 'Til Midnight for their '08 holiday collection. This was one of the four I bought from that collection and I must say it go into regular rotation. I love the deep navy blue base with purple and blue shimmer. The application on this polish has always been good for me, but this last mani was a Bitchasaurus to deal with. I'm thinking user and topcoat error :)

Macro shot!

That's about it from my blustery neck of the woods. How's the weather with everyone else?

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone...

2010-01-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

Well there is no sun in my neck of the woods today, just rain and wind. This weather always makes me feel cozy and provides a good reason to stay indoors and read. So no polish today, but a book review instead!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Rating: 5/5
Recommend: Highly
Quote: "So many humans. So many colours. They keep triggering inside me. They harass my memory. I see them tall in their heaps, all mounted on top of each other. There is air like plastic, a horizon like setting glue. There are skies manufactured by people, punctured and leaking, and there are soft, coal-coloured clouds, beating, like black hearts. And then. There is death. Making his way through all of it. On the surface: unflappable, unwavering. Below: unnerved, untied, and undone.” (p.331)

For some reason, I am greatly interested in Holocaust literature, but I couldn't really explain to you why. Just the raw human emotion and devastation that is written about in books like this really grabs me. I've read children's literature and regular adult lit about the topic, but this was my first Young Adult novel on the topic. This book should be on everyone's shelves. I couldn't put the book down because I became so involved with the character's lives. It isn't about working in the concentration camps or having to survive one, but about a young girl struggling with her adopted family to avoid being noticed by the Nazis. The novel itself was told from death's point of view and I think this was a fantastic use of the narrative point of view. Personifying death was grave, but necessary for this book and I think it showed human nature from a perspective seldom seen.
This book is sad, but never morbid. The author's care in this story is very apparent and provides a sad, but not always bleak view of the Holocaust.

One of the polishes that started it all...

2010-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Meet, China Glaze's Watermelon Rind from their Summer Days collection. This is one of the first polishes I obsessed over last year. I first saw it on VampyVarnish and would go back often to ogle it. Very sad, but true. I finally got my hands on it after lurking Sally's enough for them to know my name.
This picture makes the color look a little darker than it actually is, but you can see the wonderful glass-flecked finish this polish has. I picked this color as a little pick me up from all this grey weather we've been having. I think I like non-vampies when its grey out because there won't be a tendency to look black in low lighting.

Emerald Sparkle

2010-01-15T14:52:00.000-08:00

This is late, but here is was my Christmas mani, the very famous Emerald Sparkle. This was rereleased this year in the "Love You Snow Much" collection along with a few other polishes. This is the better of the two versions that were released. I don't think I've ever seen the other less sparkled version, so I'll count my blessings.
I can't say enough about China Glaze's nail polishes. Their color selection is fantastic and I've never had any issues with any of them. They put out fun collections and I'm looking forward to seeing what they have on display this year.

Entering the Blogosphere...

2010-01-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

Oh boy. This is my first step into the blogging world, so I just thought I would say hello! My name is Allegra and I'm a recent graduate with a B.A. in English. Naturally, I've always loved books and wanted to write about them. Within the last year or so I have become an eeeeeennnssssyyy bit obsessed with nail polish and if you check my blog roll I've got all kinds of fuel for that obsession. I decided I would create my own blog to document my nail polish adventures and literary ones as well. So, welcome to my corner of the internet!
Onward!!

OPI DS Glamour is definitely in my top 10 of nail polishes. It is probably one of the first holos I ever purchased and I can't help going back to it time and again. Look at all that shine! I get grouchy with OPI polishes from time to time, but this one was a home run for me.