City Color "Blue"

i saw this at Rite Aid for a hefty $1.99 and thought i'd give it a shot.  the name isn't very special, but it's actually quite beautiful.  it reminds me of Orly "Royal Velvet" with a scattering of silver microglitter.  it has a purple base with some iridescent blue pigment.  shown is 3 coats but 2 might've sufficed.  the formula was pretty easy to work with.

L'Oreal "Owl's Night"

i saw photos of this polish and wasn't thrilled.  i didn't understand the hype.  i wasn't going to buy it.

when i saw it in person, i bought it.  and i'm glad i did.

2 coats = beautiful olive-black smoky golden/bronze shimmer.  yeeeeeeah, take a look at this:

it has an interesting cloudiness to it that my photos don't capture.  you can see it in sunlight.  it's a very cool polish.  bravo L'Oreal, it's been a while since you put out something this good.  this is what i wish China Glaze "Wagon Trail" had looked like.  the shimmer is NOT hidden in "Owl's Night".  ohhhh noooo.

China Glaze "Orange Marmalade"

the 2009 Summer Days collection was a well-rounded, cohesive, and yet creative collection.  half of them became core.  "Orange Marmalade" (Matilda, anyone?) was one of the polishes that kick-started my obsession.  i found it on clearance at Ulta around Halloween 2009 and thought it would be JUST PERFECT and of course it WAS.  it's an orange jelly with glass fleck that is so sparkley and sometimes looks golden.  it needs at least 2 careful coats, or you'll have some bald patches.

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Purple Gala" take two

i made an NOTD post for this polish earlier this year, but i took a better photo this time (i might actually start retaking a lot of photos...).  feast your eyes on this complex, foily polish!  i heart you Sally.

OPI Designer Series "Vintage" and a franken

i picked up DS "Vintage" when i was going through a peach phase (that i am still kind of going through)...it's a pretty polish and verrrrrry prismatic.

however, i wasn't feeling the peach!  so i decanted a mini bottle and added some Omega Labs "Hot Green" dark green jelly.  I HAVE CREATED A MONSTER MWAHAHA.

i'm going to experiment with adding other jellies to what's left of this DS "Vintage" prismaticky goodness.  holos are addictive not just because they slam you in the face with RAINBOW but also because they are easy to apply and dry so quickly!

must.

not.

become.

holo hoor.

giant purge party swatchfest spam

so i decided to purge a lot of my collection a couple days ago.  i am down to 124 polishes now which still feels like too many.  i couldn't let a lot of the untrieds go without swatching them first.  so i present to you spam:

OPI "Fair Dinkum Pinkum"

China Glaze "Pinprick"

BYS "Fern"

BB Couture "Cleopatra"

NYX "Jungle"

Maybelline Express Finish "Bronze Aluminum"

Maybelline Express Finish "On Fire"

OPI "Bright Lights, Big Color"

China Glaze "Custom Kicks"

OPI "Jade Is the New Black"

Omega Labs "Metallic Green"

Toma Mood "Purple Shimmer to Blue Shimmer"

Santee "Jewelry Red"

Essie "Mochachino"

Misa "Burnished Bronze"

Piggy Polish "I and Love and Blue" (the name of this polish has special meaning to me)

Orly "Cool Cucumber" over OPI "Jade Is the New Black"

Oscar "Bayon Jay Frost"

Nicole by OPI "Turn Out the Lights" (the shimmer is actually rainbow in real life)

Zoya "Yara"

Zoya's Fall 2011 "Smoke & Mirrors" collection was quite impressive, especially the "Mirrors" half of it.  the stand-out in my opinion is "Yara", a gorgeous medium olive green creme with large golden shimmer particles.  the formula is fantastic and easy to apply.  i love this polish and although i wanted to swap for it, i ended up just buying it at Ulta!  sun and shade pics:

LA Girl Color Addict "Disorder"

i previously posted another polish from this Color Addict collection called "Idol".  here is "Disorder", a grey sister to it with golden (and bronze and green) microshimmer.

"Disorder" is equally beautiful and has a great formula to boot.  bravo, LA Girl.  remember, these polishes appear at Forever 21 stores under the brand "Love & Beauty".

Duri swatches

i picked up some Duri polishes at a local discount beauty supply store.  i previously owned one Duri polish called "Mystic Elements"

this is "Oscar Party" it's a green shimmer that looks a lot like OPI "Electric Eel" only with more pigmentation.  3 coats!

this is "Rags to Riches".  i picked it up because it reminds me of the long-retired OPI "Peel Me a Gobi Grape".  it's a bit darker and the shimmer is more subtle, but it's a very beautiful colour with a great formula.

this is "Fashion Police".  it's like a super-charged Essie "Smooth Sailing".  a periwinkle blue glass fleck.  needs 3 coats and it not flattering on me, but i'm glad i tried it.

overall i like Duri polishes and wish they were more available.  they have both unique colours and dupes of trendy shades like Zoya "Adina", Color Club "Pucci-licious", and MAC "Formidable!"

Revlon "Royal Cloak"

this polish is from the Fall 2011 limited edition Masquerade collection. and it's amazing. it's a neutral medium purple creme with silver flakies. it's good in 2-2.5 coats, applies well, dries well, and wears well.

when i got it, i realized it reminded me of Sally Hansen Salon "Night Hydrangea". the purple shades are very similar, but "Night Hydrangea" is slightly warmer and has silver microshimmer instead of flakies. nevertheless, "Royal Cloak" has replaced "Night Hydrangea" in my collection.

Toma Mood Changing "Lite Green to Gold"

sometimes you put on a polish that you didn't really expect to like and end up LOVING it. that is the case with "Lite Green to Gold". most of the time it is a faint green shimmer with some golden shimmer. when my hands get hot (or are perhaps exposed to a blow dryer!), the polish turns to a very light gold shimmer.

this was the only polish i didn't bother swatching during my going green marathon. i shouldn't have neglected it! i absolutely love it. it reminds me of pistachio ice cream:

(click for a recipe!)

China Glaze "Westside Warrior"

China Glaze "Westside Warrior" is an olive green creme from the Fall 2011 Metro collection. i was excited about this collection because of "Westside Warrior" and "Trendsetter" but ultimately neither of these polishes are keepers for me. "Westside Warrior" has a great, opaque formula that is good to go in 2 coats but it's a little too dark for me...i think Zoya "Yara" will be a better replacement (stay tuned for that post!)