OPI "Bay Bridge Sunset"

this gorgeous peach (subtle) holographic polish is from the Yokohama Collection by OPI (click to read the full blog). i first fell in love with this polish when i saw it on Nail Juice.
i was very lucky to swap for this polish and i applied it last night. the formula is fantastic--i generally like holos because they are opaque and dry quick. this polish was no exception.
i've been going through a peach kick lately so i'm digging polishes like these. it's also a very flattering shade for my skin tone. also, my nails look amazing right now (relatively speaking). i've always had weak, thin nails that grow slowly but since i've started taking better care of them, they've gradually gotten better looking.

i tried using Blue Cross cuticle remover last night before my manicure and i was impressed by it...using a cuticle remover hasn't been part of my routine but i think it will from now on.

Nubar "Gold Leaf"

for the record, i don't even like gold :P
this is my first gold polish. actually it's a gold/burgundy metallic duochrome. and it's a stunner. i had the same issue with "Gold Leaf" as with "Peacock"--took forever to dry. i had to re-do three nails because applying the Nubar Diamont top coat caused drag marks. so that was annoying. maybe i'll use a hair dryer in the future. seriously, i had to wait about 10 minutes before i could safely apply a top coat, and i only used 2 coats of each Nubar polish i've had this problem with.

you can see the duochrome pretty well in the last two photos.

Nubar "Peacock" + Clarins "230"

BABY'S FIRST UNICORN PEE!
i recently purchased Clarins "230" and decided that "Peacock" was the perfect polish to layer it over. i was right.

Clarins "230" IS a neat polish. i don't think it deserves the hype or is worth the price it fetches. it is SO sheer that you CANNOT wear it on its own. it doesn't sparkle as much without opaque underwear. it's SMELLY!! the fumes are pretty bad. the sparkles are predominantly red but at certain angles they are bright green.
i enjoyed trying this polish out and getting some good photos of it but i've already sold my bottle. the unicorn pee doesn't thrill me.


it got me thinking though, what i really want to see is a full-spectrum rainbow multichrome. maybe if i hoard a bunch of "230" bottles, evaporate them, and harvest all the pigment...

Nubar "Peacock"

i received this gorgeous blue-green-purple multi-chrome polish in a swap. it is so perfectly named:


i was in a hurry and applied 2 coats (could have used 3). it took longer to dry than i am used to, and the polish was slightly runny and tried to pool a bit, but i will put up with these formula flaws for the gorgeous colours.

OPI "My Big Break"

not to be confused with "Ali's Big Break". i picked up this Holiday 2007 polish at one of my local nail supply stores. truthfully, i grabbed it because the unshaken bottle contained a lot of green flash. when i took it home and shook it, it was less impressive looking.
HOWEVER, it is still a really neat colour, and there's a lack of swatch photos on the 'net, so here you go. it's a pink-purple with prominent silver shimmer as well as some multi-coloured sparkle. the formula is pretty good (comes with a Pro-Wide brush, I LOVE THESE), although it can be brushstrokey if your application technique isn't careful. i used 3 coats to cover bald spots.
also i should note that i started using China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat on this manicure so we'll see how that goes!

comparison: OPI "Not Like the Movies" vs. Wet n' Wild "Gray's Anatomy"

"Not Like the Movies" was just released with as part of the Katy Perry collection by OPI. i heard this collection was popping up at JcPenney salons, so i took a visit to mine. all the "Black Shatter" crackle polishes had already been sold, but i didn't want those anyway.
i was really curious about this polishes because i hadn't seen any good photos of it. it's a silver sparkling metallic polish with a green and purple duochrome finish. it reminds me of a cross between Zoya "Ki" and Deborah Lippmann "Wicked Game" (or its dupe Wet n' Wild "Gray's Anatomy")...with sparkles. it's definitely a cooler-toned polish so it doesn't look *awesome* on me, but the colour is so neat that my nails keep me distracted.
i'm going to edit this post with some more photos later today. but for now enjoy--first photo is in sunlight and the rest are shade. i used 3 coats.



EDITED TO ADD:

#1, #2, #3: 1, 2, and 3 coats of OPI "Not Like the Movies"
#4, #5, #6: 1, 2, and 3 coats of Wet n' Wild "Gray's Anatomy"

although they are similar, they are not dupes. besides the obvious silver sparkle that "Not Like the Movies" possesses, it is also more pigmented and shows more duochrome (especially green) than "Gray's Anatomy". "Gray's Anatomy" is more sheer and streaky and, in my opinion, less impressive!

Borghese "Nero Magico"

i'd been meaning to swap for Orly "Goth" but hadn't gotten around to it yet. then i spotted Borghese "Nero Magico" at a drugstore and fell in love. it's like the middle sibling of Orly "Goth" and Nubar "Knight's Armor" (see Scrangie's full post here), in terms of the amount of silver glitter it has...which i think is perfect! i love the different shapes and sizes of microglitter in this polish, and i am NOT a glitter person. on short nails like mine, 2 coats is fine, but on longer nails, 3 coats is necessary to get rid of VNL. i used 2 coats of Nubar Diamont top coat as well although i should have used 3 coats to smooth out the glitter. however, i love the texture! i know a lot of polishes are named "Black Diamond" but THIS polish deserves that name more than any i've seen. however, Black Magic is also suitable. shown are direct sunlight, shade, and shade:

Barielle "Out-Grey-Geous"

this polish looks so prismatic in the bottle, but it's a disappointment on the nail. it's also too cool for my warm skin tone and gives me lobster claws. Barielle "Out-Grey-Geous" is a blue-leaning silver metallic polish with lots of shimmer and small shiny gold particles. it needs 3 coats to be opaque. i didn't keep this one.


second photo is under sun light lamp

Tracy Reese for Sally Hansen Salon "Midnight In NY"

this polish was released in Spring 2010 in the same collection as "Hidden Treasure". i found "Midnight In NY" recently at a drugstore and debated on whether to buy it. it's a black creme with rainbow sparkles. the sparkles in it are VERY subtle, but i really like this polish. it looks awesome on me as well, which is always a good thing.
it took 3 coats to eliminate bald patches but the formula was pretty good. i love the big, wide brushes sometimes when they don't have stray hairs...and my brush does, so i may try to trim it.

one swap swatch + small dusty haul swatches

i recently made a page on this blog called "about this blog". on the page i mention that i won't be posting swatches, only NOTDs. well, i'm about to discredit myself.
first of all, i received GOSH "Gasoline" in the mail today from a wonderful Dutch swapper. it's a gorgeous colour but i'm iffy on it with all the purples i already have. shown is 3 coats topped with Seche Vite:

i visited the only real dusty i know about in my area today, armed with more knowledge about polishes than the first two times i went there. i saw that it had a bunch of black label OPIs as well as ancient China Glazes so i did some research and then brought my Blackberry phone with me on my visit today. i came home with:
Essie "VIP", 2 coats plus Seche Vite. i freaked out for a moment when i got home and realized this Essie bottle was different from my others--you wouldn't know it was Essie without the sticker.

OPI "Vio-Let's Surf" from the 2002 Summer Surf Party collection, 3 coats plus Seche Vite

OPI "Crim-Sun" from the 2003 Summer for Shore collection, 3 coats plus Seche Vite

there are still some i may go back and get such as OPI "Burmese Blush", OPI "Bubble Bath" (white version, black label), and OPI "Queen of D'nile". they're all around $8 so some of these are a steal.
i bought these so i can swap for other htf/rare polishes and they're all up on my swap list, even though, i have to say, i bought the prettiest ones that were there!

OPI "Creme de Menthe" Frankendupe + Recipe

i discovered the other day that i own a powder pigment that resembled the colour of OPI "Creme de Menthe". i bought a couple bottles of Rimmel 60 Seconds "Clear" nail polish and decided to try an experiment. i've deemed it a success!

here is everything i used to recreate this discontinued polish:
an old, clean, dry OPI bottle (for a more authentic feel! this is not necessary)
0.5oz of truly clear nail polish
1tsp Jacquard Pearl Ex powdered pigment in "682 Duo Green-Yellow"
a small funnel for the pigment
a small measuring spoon (1/4tsp, 1/2tsp, or 1tsp should all work)
a popsicle stick for leveling
a metal ball for mixing

step 1: set everything out on a cloth or newspaper to avoid making a mess

step 2: place funnel into empty OPI bottle and add metal ball

step 3: start measuring and adding pigment. tap funnel or poke it with a bent paperclip if the pigment isn't passing through

step 4: decant clear nail polish into the OPI bottle

step 5: shake, shake shake!

step 6: swatch to check opacity

step 7: do your nails!



shown under 1) direct sunlight, 2) direct sunlight, 3) shade, 4) sun light lamp

i'd love to hear any constructive criticism as this is my first time 'making' a polish. also, anyone who owns a real bottle of "Creme de Menthe", please let me know if you think my frankendupe is close!

disclaimer: please do not use this tutorial to make fake bottles of "Creme de Menthe" to sell for astronomical prices on eBay, okay? good!

Barielle "Elle's Spell"

i was lucky enough to snag this polish for $1.99 on clearance at Ulta this week. i wouldn't have gotten it otherwise...but it looked so lonely among the other Barielle shimmers and cremes...clearly it's an outcast polish. i decided not to layer it over underwear so i'm enjoying 3 coats of its juicy jelly goodness:

(second photo is under sun light lamp)

it really reminds me of raspberry jelly-filled doughnuts


...although i'd be pretty concerned if i found these kind of flakies in my pastry...

Stylish Blogger Award

i'm extending a big thanks to OnceBitten as well as Danielle from Polish Obsessed for tagging me for the Stylish Blogger Award!


These are the rules for this award:
1. Thank and link the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers
4. Contact these bloggers to tell them about this award!

so, about me...
1. i keep tarantulas.

2. i am 100% Scorpio both in birthdate and personality, fortunately...or unfortunately?
3. i have a bunch of large gauge piercings. sometimes i paint my body jewelry with nail polish!

4. i LOVE black licorice. especially the salted kind.
5. i've been trained as a barista and can do pretty decent latte art.

6. my favourite musicians are Sharon Van Etten and Elephant Micah
7. i'm a reformed night owl; i'm trying to be a morning person nowadays.


the bloggers i've newly discovered and am tagging because i enjoy their nail blogs:
1. Did someone say nail polish?
2. Persistently Polished
3. Polish Chest
4. Polish Drop
5. Frazzle and Aniploish
6. Short and Sweet Nails
7. Canadian Nail Fanatic
8. Tassa's Blog
9. !Kendal
10. For Your Nails Only
11. Nailstah
12. Never Too Much Glitter
13. Perdy Claws
14. Ballz & Thinner
15. Clever and Colorful