The Vintage Gem: OPI- Arrivederci!

OPI- Arrivederci is a gorgeous peach-pink with some subtle shimmer. This is two coats. This is an oldie. It is from the OPI Italian Collection from 2001 and it's a black label. This would be considered a vintage gem. The application was very smooth also. I'm not really a fan of pinks in general, but I really enjoyed this one. I just love the old OPI formula! 

Barielle- Elle's Spell and Nail Mail

I'm so glad I finally purchased Barielle- Elle's Spell. It's an AMAZING red jelly filled with flakies! I love flakies in general, but when they're suspended in a jelly, the effect is gorgeous! This is three coats. The flakies flash orange, yellow, and green.

Here you can see the shifting colors of the flakies. I've seen pictures of Elle's Spell layered over other shades, but I thought I would try wearing it by itself first. This would look pretty over a red.

I then purchased a lot of nail polish from Polish or Perish. Here is what came into the mail today:

Sinful Colors- Daddy's Girl, Dream On (the old version), and Nail Junkie. The newer version of Dream on is a neon purple. This is a neon pink/berry color. I'm not sure when the formula changed. I wasn't able to find a lot of information about it.

China Glaze- Devotion, and Misa- Fire Coral and Forbidden Lust (My first Misas!)

Eyeko- Pretty Polish and Pastel Polish and Essie- Pink is the Link (my first Essie mini!) I was excited to get the Eyeko polishes because they no longer make nail polish.

CM- Lunar Plains (First CM polish!), Sally Hansen- Lightening, and Brucci- Daniella's Curve

Unfortunately, one of my new buddies did not make the trip. Sation- Silver Glitter. I'm just thankful that it wasn't one of the more pricey brands. I'm not too upset about it. I'll probably order some Sation polishes from Trans Design eventually.

Del Sol- Knockout and some Nail Mail Goodies!

Since we've been having some wonderful weather here, I thought I would try out one of my Del Sol polishes. This is Knockout. It is a sheer nude color and it changes a rosy pink in the sun. The outside of the sun color kind of reminds me of a more opaque OPI Bubble Bath. I discovered that these polishes only work in direct sunlight. The above picture was taken in my car, and it still remained the bottle color.

Here's another picture in my car, but this is after I stepped back inside it after standing out in the sun. My thumb was the most exposed to the sun, so this kind of looks like an ombre manicure. 

Here the color is shifted for the most part. This is out in direct sunlight. This isn't the best picture. The neighbors in my apartment complex were giving me weird looks, so I was in a hurry to go back inside!

Here is indoors without the flash. The formula was alright, but a little bit streaky. This took three coats for opacity.

Now on to the new additions!!!

I got some nail mail from Sandy from Dandy Nails. She had a blog sale and it included some of my long-time lemmings!! I got Dare to Wear- Disc Jockey, OPI- OPI Ink suede, China Glaze- Cyberspace and Gamer Glam, and Sinful Colors-Green Ocean. I now just need one more OPI suede to make my suede collection complete. I've wanted Cyberspace and Gamer Glam for a while, and I was really angry with myself for not buying them while they were accessible at Sally's so I was lucky to find them for a reasonable price. I also never was able to track down Green Ocean, so I'm happy I have it now!

My order from Trans Design came in. I ordered the China Glaze Prismatic Chroma Glitters collection as well as other polishes I wanted. Here is Riveting, Marry a Millionaire, Optical Illusion, and Polarized.

Here's Full Spectrum, Ray-Diant, Liquid Crystal, and Prism. These are so unique! I can't wait to try them out!

I also ordered Essie-Navigate Her and Barielle- Falling Star. 

Effie Trinket Inspired Mani

In honor of the Hunger Games, I decided to do a mani inspired from the mani that Effie Trinket wears during the reaping in the movie. I'm going to see it tomorrow and I can't wait! I used two coats of Sally Hansen- Red Ruby followed by a gradient of Julep-Oscar. This picture is with the flash.

Here it is blurred without the flash. I was really surprised how smoothly Oscar applied. Normally glitter this concentrated feels really gritty but it has a very smooth finish to it. 

Here's a more in-focus picture without the flash, but of course the lighting made it look yellowed.

Here is Sally Hansen- Red Ruby all by itself pre clean-up. My cuticles look HORRIBLE here!  This is an old one. I'm guessing it's almost ten years old! The bottle says "Chrome Nail Makeup". The polish isn't nearly as chrome as the bottle depicts it to be, but I thought it would be a perfect shade for this mani. Also the color doesn't remind me of it's name "Red Ruby". It looks more like a fuchsia. I have many polishes that have survived throughout the years and I'm planning on featuring them in my blog. I have purchased nail polish thinner and revived most of them. I am going to start a new tag and call it "the vintage gem". I'm going to try to incorporate these on a consistent basis.

China Glaze- Ultamate Holiday

I cut my nails down a lot! It feels good though. Today I chose to wear China Glaze- Ultamate Holiday. This was one of the holiday exclusives at ULTA. I really like it. It's a light green that leans to the gold side. It is super glittery, and has so much prismatic/holo glitter. It is not exactly a holographic though. I would consider this a glitter.

In this picture, you can tell how gritty it is. The formula was good and I applied three coats. From the other pictures I've seen of this, it looked very smooth. I'm only wearing one coat of Seche Vite, but I probably could have added an additional one if I wanted to. I really like this color! I just love when ULTA has exclusive shades. They're usually unique, and I try my best to buy as many as I can. This shade doesn't really look exclusive to the holidays to me, so it doesn't bother me one bit that I'm wearing it during spring.

Purple with Blue Flakies!

As much as I love green nail polish, after St. Paddy's Day week, I'm a bit greened out. I thought I would wear something more springy. Plus it's the first day of Spring! It was 80 degrees today in Pittsburgh! That's almost unheard of for March weather here. I applied two coats of Wet n Wild- On a Trip and topped it off with two coats of Zoya Maisie. This combination turned out beautifully! 

Here it is without the flash. I can't get enough flakies! I just love the new Zoya Fleck Effects! I have yet to wear them on their own, but I have heard that they look amazing alone, due to the tinted base.

Here is Wet n Wild- On a Trip on it's own. It is the perfect blue-toned purple creme. I've been searching for one of these for a while! The formula was really good. This was just released as part of the new Mega Last line. The brushes are also larger, and that makes application a little bit less streaky for me. It dried quickly too! My nails are super long! I'm thinking about cutting them very soon. They're beginning to get in the way.

St. Patrick's Day Part 2: Neon Green!

I have so many green nail polish to choose from, so I changed it up again! (Zoya- Rina still got 2 days of wear though!). This is a unique polish in my collection. It is from Fashion Bug and it is named "Green". "Green" is too generic of a name for this gem. Before seeing nail polish being sold at Fashion Bug, I didn't even know they had their own brand. I purchased this a long time ago and I can't recall the cost, but I believe it was $4 or less. Green is a true neon with a slight shimmery blue flash and some tiny pieces of multicolored glitter. It's the same kind of glitter in China Glaze's- Snowglobe, but I can't think of the term to describe that type of pastel-colored glitter. The formula was on the sheer side, so this needed three coats.

Here it is with the flash. See what I mean about this being a neon!? It's so vibrant outside in the sun and with the flash, but indoors it's more subdued. The glitter is difficult to see in this picture. I definitely enjoyed this shade!

This was taken before I added a topcoat of Seche Vite. You can see how it dries to a matte/satin finish because it is a neon. Unfortunately this chipped just hours after I applied it. Usually matte polishes don't last very long. It was pretty while it lasted though.

St. Paddy's Day!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I'm wearing Zoya Rina. This shade was released in the holiday 2011 Gems and Jewels collection. It is filled with micro pieces of green glitter as well as green and prismatic bar glitter. These are probably most ideal for layering over another color of polish, but to make it super green, I just used three thick coats. One downside to wearing these alone is that the bar glitter hangs off of the ends of your nails after application and you have to file them down. It then looks like you have a bit of tipwear.

Here it is without the flash. For this shade, you definitely have to utilize the acetone and aluminum foil removal method! 

Dark Green!

To keep in the spirit of St. Patrick's day, I wore a green that wasn't too terribly bright for the sake of being work-safe. China Glaze- Holly-Day is from the Let it Snow collection from the 2011 holiday. I really like this! I was lucky enough to find it on clearance at Sally's after the holidays. In the bottle, it doesn't look terribly unique, but it is unlike any other green I know.  This picture is without the flash.

Here it is without the flash. It's a very dark green creme, but you can actually tell that it's green. If there were a such thing as a "vampy green" this would be it! I'm a fan of OPI's Here Today, Aragon Tomorrow, but in most lightings, it looks almost black. The application for this was very smooth and it was opaque in two coats.

I'm going to wear green manis for the rest of the week! Does anybody know what they're wearing for St. Paddy's Day yet?

Neon Green and Flakies!!!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day soon approaching, I thought I'd do something green. Well, I guess this is technically turquoise. This is two coats of China Glaze Turned up Turquoise topped with two coats of Zoya Opal. Turned up Turquoise is very vibrant. In this picture without the flash, it almost looks like more of a bluish teal, but it's not. It's a neon and without topcoat, it has a matte finish. Zoya Opal is from the recent Fleck Effects collection. I just love flakies!!!

Turned Up Turquoise has some slight shimmer to it. You can see how bright it is here! I wore this over the weekend. I'm not quite comfortable enough to wear this at my new job yet

My second package from Trans Design came in today! Here I have three more from the Hunger Games Collection: Fast Track, Luxe and Lush (my favorite!), and Smoke and Ashes

To make the shipping worth it, I've added some other lemmings. New York Summer- Angel Kiss and Barielle- Buddah-ful and Elle's Spell (Both flakies!) These are my first purchases from these brands. I purchased Angel Kiss on a whim because it looked unique with the light pink and baby blue glitter. It was also $1.50 I believe, so I figured this brand was worth a try since I haven't heard a lot about it.

100th Post!

I can't believe that this is my 100th post! It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog! I may have to orchestrate a giveaway soon in honor of the posts and the many new followers :)

Excuse the last post. I thought my fiance would be sweet while filling out "The Man Behind the Polish" survey, but I was wrong. He's just trying to act like a tough guy. He actually marvels in amazement every time I bring home new nail polish and can't wait to pick out shades for me to wear when it comes time to change my polish.

Today I'm wearing Sally Hansen- Air. This is another shade from the Smooth and Perfect line that was recently released. These shades are advertised to apply smoothly and flawlessly, and they definitely live up to that! I wore Dune a couple weeks ago and loved it! This shade is a little bit more unique. It's a sky blue with a tiny bit of shimmer. This color makes me want to layer Deborah Lippmann's Glitter in the Air over it or Revlon's Whimsical (If I owned them). 

With the flash, you can see more of the shimmer. While Dune only needed two coats, Air needed three.

My Trans Design order arrived yesterday! I ordered a portion of the Hunger Games collection as well as some other lemmings. These other lemmings were China Glaze: Mahoganie and Atlantis, and Color Club: Diamond Drops and Fame and Fortune. I have been wanting Atlantis for such a long time!!! Mahoganie was a new discovery and the Color Club flakies/shard polishes were released relatively recently.

Now for the Hunger Games haul! Here I have Electrify, Stone Cold, Agro, and Mahogany Magic

Here's Harvest Moon, Foie Gras, Hook and Line, and Dress Me Up. 

I ordered three more from Trans Design because they were out of stock when I placed this order so they should be arriving shortly. I purchased some additional lemmings also. I still have to find Riveting because they were still out of it. I'm sure I'll find it soon. I'm most excited for Luxe and Lush. What's your favorite shade from the Hunger Games collection?

The Man Behind the Polish!

Please introduce yourself.

My name is Mike, a.k.a. the anti-nail polish fiance.  Most of you will probably hate me.

Okay, that was easy-ish.  Now for some more probing questions.  What do you think about the fact that your girlfriend/wife has a nail polish blog and is obsessed with little bottles of happiness?

To be honest, I do not mind the blog at all and the collection wouldn't be bad if it weren't so overwhelming.  Sometimes when I come home and see the all of the shoe boxes I feel like I'm on an episode of hoarders.  I understand a person wanting nail polish, but wearing a bottle just once and putting it into what I call the "discard shoe box" is a little much.  When a person pays sometimes between $8-15 on a tiny bottle, I believe that the bottle should be used completely.

What is your favorite color polish that your girlfriend/wife has worn?

If I HAD to pick one, I guess it would be the lime green shatter she layered over a bright orange.

Do you happen to know the name of that polish or is it just a color to you?

No.. but I picked it out.  She usually makes me pick out her polish and combos (which is another thing that makes this whole "collection" too overwhelming).

What's the craziest thing you've done for your girlfriend/wife in the name of her polish obsession?

A couple very "incoherent" times I let her paint my big toe.

What are the benefits, if any in your opinion, of having a girlfriend/wife that has pretty hands and nails?

I respect the fact that she likes to look nice, but I would like her to use her bottles more than just the initial time.  With our assorted bills, the need of groceries, and starving people, it seems a bit ridiculous to waste SOOOO much money on something that you are only going to use once. 

What are the most annoying things, if any in your opinion, of having a girlfriend/wife that has pretty hands and nails?  Please note, that it your girlfriend/wife who is interviewing you.

I don't want to take up all the space on her blog.

Other than nail polish, what cosmetic and/or fashion products do you like on your girlfriend/wife?

I would love her just as much (or maybe even more) without any cosmetics.  She definitely doesn't need them to complement her beauty.

Here's your opportunity to win over the hearts and hands of hundreds of girls: say something nice about your girlfriend/wife, referencing how her polish blog has helped contribute to the general happiness of the world.  100 words or less, please.

I only need to win over her heart and I am going to play it safe by saying "no comment" in regards to her nail polish.  I'm just glad it makes her happy.

Okay now that this is concluding, any last thoughts or comments you'd like your girlfriend/wife's readers to know about said girlfriend/wife?


Please do not overwhelm your significant others.

OPI London Bridge is Falling Brown

Today I'm wearing OPI- London Bridge is Falling Brown. This is from the Fall 2003 British Collection. I purchased this in a blog sale, and this is the old black label formula. It applied very nicely! It almost was completely opaque in one coat! It is a deep brownish red creme. It kind of reminds me of China Glaze- Brownstone, based on the pictures I have seen of it. I do not own Brownstone. Sometimes it looks darker than in this picture. I didn't even bother uploading the picture I took of this with the flash because it looked bright red, and this shade is nowhere close to that. I liked the formula, but this shade seems to be getting tipwear pretty quickly.

I was able to order most of the China Glaze Hunger Games collection from Trans Design. I ordered every one except for Riveting because it was out of stock. I can't wait for them to arrive! I also can't wait for the movie! 

OPI Bring on the Bling and a Haul!

Today I'm wearing OPI- Bring on the Bling. This is from the Holiday 2010 Burlesque collection. This glitter is predominately gold, with some specks of green and red glitter. I love the Burlesque glitters. This is three coats, but they build so nicely. They can be used to layer over other colors or jelly sandwiches. This is the first time I've worn it by itself. 

Here it is without the flash. Glitter overload! I will be using the aluminum foil removal method for this for sure!

I went to the mall this weekend. I haven't purchased nail polish for about two weeks. My fiance and I are trying to save up to move to a bigger apartment. I definitely made up for not buying nail polish the past couple weeks with my mall haul.

I seriously haven't set foot in a Claire's since I was a teenager, but I heard that they were coming out with some interesting polishes lately. I purchased two mood polishes: Lonely/Loved, and Happy/Earthy. I also was intrigued by the look of I Luv the 80s (Which had neon yellow, pink, purple, and green in it, but got shaken up a bit on the way home so the yellow and pink mixed to be orange). I also found Candy Shop, which pretty much looks like a dead on dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Candy Shop. Claire's even used the same name! They have balls! I'm thrilled I don't have to spend the money for Lippmann's Candy Shop. The Claire's polishes were $5 each, and they were having a buy one get one half off sale.

I couldn't wait to try I Luv the 80s. This is how it turned out. I removed it quickly after. It was pretty on the thumb, but I wasn't really impressed with the rest of my fingers. From what I've read about these, they don't really start looking interesting until they're used up a bit. (That may be unrealistic with how many bottles of nail polish I own). I'm sure I'll revisit this. It needs multiple coats too. This picture only shows one. I'm not quite sure how the coats would look layered over one another. It also quickly dried to a satin-like finish because the colors are neon.

I then went to JC Penny's. They had a sale on OPI so if you buy 2 or more OPI lacquers, they are $6 each! I picked up some from the Holland Spring 2012 collection. Here I have: Pedal Faster Suzi!, Thanks a Windmillion, I Have a Herring Problem, and Vampsterdam.

Did Ya 'Ear about Van Gogh?, Gouda Gouda Two Shoes, and I Don't Give a Rotterdam!

I can't wait to try these out! I really wasn't in much of a rush to buy this collection just because the OPI Spring and Fall collections are usually more readily available and tend to stick around for longer than the promotional collections such as Nicki Minaj, Pirates of the Caribbean, etc. I still want to get Wooden Shoe Like to Know? but JC Penny's was out of it at the moment. 

Tomorrow I start my first day at my new job in addition to substitute teaching. (I nailed that job interview I had a couple weeks ago!). I may start wearing "safe" colors for a little bit until I get a better idea about the dress code.  Wish me luck!

Apple Bottoms- Red Delicious

Sorry for the lack of updates this week. I'm not dead. I've been working a lot, plus my peacock mani lasted for 5 days without chipping, so I couldn't bear to remove it. It still didn't have any chips in it when I decided to remove it, but I was ready for a change.

I chose Apple Bottoms- Red Delicious. This came in a set of 6 mini bottles. I purchased it from Ross probably about a year ago. I knew Apple Bottoms made clothing, but not nail polish. Red Delicious is a  jelly packed with tiny prismatic glitter particles (think China Glaze Fairy Dust or Out the Door Northern Lights hologram top coat). The pictures don't really do this polish justice. There is so much more visible glitter in person.The red jelly reminds me of a candy apple.

In this picture, you can see the prismatic glitter better. In the bottle, it almost looks like it has red glitter particles. This is definitely a unique gem in my collection- among all the reds I own. I love how it looks on my nails, but application was rather difficult. For some reason, the brush in this bottle was very warped and it was difficult to apply the polish neatly. The other five polishes that came in the set didn't have this problem. The consistency of the jelly was also very thick, goopy, and gel-like, but I was afraid that if I put thinner in it, it would become too watery. There is a little bit of tip wear, but that's standard for polishes with jelly finishes.

Here is my peacock mani after 5 days of wear!!! (2 coats Wet n Wild- Sagreena the Teenage Witch topped with 2 coats of All that Glitters- Very Peacocky) I never had a polish last this long EVER! I'm also notorious for picking my nail polish. There is very slight tipwear on my pointer finger. Also, the black glitter previously had some shimmer over it, and that wore off. I actually like it this way better, because the black glitter is more prominent. Removal was very difficult because I didn't think I would have to use the aluminum foil and acetone method. Next time I will for polishes like this!