China Glaze City Flourish: What a Pansy and Strike a Rose

Hey everybody!  I have returned after a 2-week long hiatus, during which time I was house sitting for my traveling sister, AND I broke four (4) nails.  And I can't stand my nails short.  I think they make my fingers look like little bratwursts.  Oh well...last time I checked, I loved me some sausage.  So I'll  have to make the best of things whilst Duri Rejuvacote works its magic. <3

You all know I love winter.  I hate to see spring coming.  Our spring lasts approximately 47 minutes, and then it's summer for the next 10 months. Sigh.  I do like spring polish collections though...not as much as I do winter ones (i.e. vampy), but they are usually pretty, eye-pleasing colors.  Today I have 2 picks from the City Flourish collection by China Glaze, a floral-inspired (and named) group of pastels.

The first one was hand-picked by my number one polish shopping buddy, my dear hubby.  And he picked it because he loved the name...What a Pansy.

What a Pansy is a periwinkle creme that is more purple than blue.  It also looks a touch dustier in real life than the pics.  This polish had a strange formula...the first coat went on very patchy and thin, so I applied the second coat a bit heavier, and it just sort of sat there and didn't level on its own.  But I will say my top coat did level out the unevenness of the polish.  What a Pansy is pretty shiny too, and I like the color a lot...very feminine, yet a bit edgy. :)

My other pick from City Flourish is Strike a Rose.  "What?" you ask..."an indecisive pinky-coral shade that you always find so offensive?"  Uh...look!  Pictures!!

I can't help myself.  This is SO pretty.  Strike a Rose is...yep...a dark rose pink with a lovely subtle shimmer.  It really is mostly rose with just a *speck* of coral, so I guess it's really NOT that color I hate.  Whew.  I feel so much better. :P  The formula on this one was good, and I used two coats with no issues.

Blasted little shorties! :(

The City Flourish collection is made up of 12 really pretty pastel shades.  I have read that some people had a lot of trouble with the formulas.  While What a Pansy was a little troublesome at first, it didn't behave too horribly for me.  Overall, I liked both of these quite a bit and sort of wish I'd picked up the mustard-esque yellow and lime green ones.  Do I need my head examined?? :)

Thanks for stopping by, and thank you for sticking with me while my nails grow long again. :P

What a Surprise! Hare Polish Hooky at the Hamlet

Hey everybody!  You know something?  Blogging buds are the best!  I have a modest little wishlist on here, and my sweet friend Emily from Em's Polish Paradise noticed that I was craving a certain polish that she happened to have...so she sent it to me, all the way from Australia. <3

I've had my eye on Hooky at the Hamlet by Hare Polish ever since it came out, but due to some reason or another (out of stock, bleeding bank account, allergies), I never picked it up.  So, I got home from work, the night before my birthday (!!!), and there it was, in all its strangely-hued glory...

The legends are true.  This color of this polish is nearly impossible to capture correctly.  The top picture comes the closest...I know my skin looks a bit more anemic than usual, but I at least wanted you to see what the color looked like.  Hooky at the Hamlet comes from the 2013 Last Queen of France collection.

After careful consideration and much ogling, I would have to describe Hooky at the Hamlet as 50/50 green and blue.  There are small and medium white hexes, with some little white squares as well.  There is also a blue shimmer that's quite pretty.  I've read that this polish is a jelly, but it seemed like a crelly to me, and it dries sort of matte.  I'm just full of nailed-down details today! :D  I used 3 thin coats with 2 coats of top coat...just because I like shiny things. :)

What do you think of this crazy color?  The combination of the unique color, problem-free formula, and the BUNNY make Hooky at the Hamlet a total winner!  Hare Polish can be purchased on Etsy.

And the only thing better than scratching another one off the ol' wishlist is the feeling you get when a friend gives it to you. <3  Thank you again, Emily! :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day!

Nicole by OPI Sweet Daisy and Southern Charm

Hey everybody!  How is everybody's Monday going?  Mine is full of allergy woes, and my left eye looks like it's sprung a huge leak.   So much for the eyeliner.  My NAILS, however, are quite a different story. :)

Today I have two polishes by Nicole by OPI from the Carrie Underwood collection.  I wasn't super-wowed by these when I saw pictures of them at first because most of the colors seemed not that unusual...but they grew on me.  However, somebody out there liked them, because when I went looking for them, the entire display was cleaned out except for one bottle.  I had to go shopping elsewhere! :/  One of the colors I picked up was Sweet Daisy. 

Shall I tell you why I got this one?  Because you all don't expect to see me wearing this color.  Admit it...you are SHOCKED to see dusty peachy-apricot on these nails!  It's okay.  So am I.  But once I got Sweet Daisy on, I absolutely loved it.  The creme formula was fabulous.  I used 3 thin coats and application was great...but as you can see, Mr. You-Know-Who was still peeking through.  The pest...

The other polish I got from the line is Southern Charm.  I mean, it's totally me, right?  Southern...check.  Charming...well CHECK!  Right?? :P  This color was my favorite of all the Carries when I first started seeing swatches popping up.  It's one of those ever-present neutrals we are seeing in droves right now...it's a nude creme that looks slightly pink on me.  I love it.   

When I was little, I always loved the way the models' fingernails looked on The Price Is Right.  And their shoes were the same color as their nails!  I think I've found that loved-of-old shade.  I hope I get to play the Cliff Hangers game too!! :)

I used 3 coats of Southern Charm as well.  It's really strange...I used this polish a couple of weeks ago, and I had THE streakiest time with it...it was just a mess.  Well, this time, I had no trouble at all, so I'm chalking the first experience up to sleepiness...bad lighting...allergies?

Have you all picked up any of the Carrie Underwood collection?  Are you still loving the neutral thing?  And most importantly, what do you use for sinus and allergy woes? 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

Shimmer, Shimmer Everywhere: Julie and Sarah

 *Press Sample*

Hey everybody!  How is everyone on this Friday?  I've got some dreadfully lovely Shimmer Polishes to show you today...so how about let's take a look? :)

Behold...Julie!  And my pseudo-attempt at nail art. :D  Julie is a multicolored glitter in a clear base.  The glitter is small to micro, which I love. <3  Shimmer Polish describes Julie as a "rainbow mix."

Even though I am NOT a nail artiste, I do love how this turned out.  I used Essie Ballet Slippers as my base color and then sponged Julie on the tips.  It looks like I've been playing in magical Italian salad dressing!  Oh, stop complaining...I haven't used a food analogy in ever so long!! :P  Just look at it...14 different herbs and spices...all served up by the Salad Fairy! :D

Next we have Sarah, or, the Peacock Who Turned Herself Into a Polish.  What?  You don't remember your mother reading you that classic??  Quite simply, Sarah is a peacock in a bottle...a flawless, fabulous, fine-feathered fowl in one perfect sparkletini!!

My goodness.  Do you see what I mean?  Of course you do.  My readers are super intelligent! :D  I love, love, LOVE this polish.  I used 3 coats of Sarah for opacity.  In real life, not only is the color beautiful, but the glitters, especially the micros, absolutely twinkle.  Ahhhhhh...

As with all the Shimmers I've experienced, neither Julie nor Sarah feel like you're wearing glitter polish.  A couple of coats of top coat, and there's nothing but a marked absence of lumps and bumps. :)  Shimmer Polish can be purchases on Etsy.

Stay tuned in the very near future for more shimmery Shimmer goodness. <3  Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely weekend! 

*Press Sample*

L'Oreal Collection Privee Nudes: Frieda's Nude and Doutzen's Nude

Hey everybody!  I hope your week is going fantastically well. :) 

Sooo...we all know Zoya has everybody in love with their Naturel collection.  But did you know that L'Oreal has come out with a limited edition Collection Privee of nudes as well?  I decided to give a couple of them a try!  I picked up Frieda's Nude and Doutzen's Nude at Rite Aid for buy one, get one half off. ;)

As with most times I polish shop at Rite Aid, my hubby was with me.  He absolutely turned his nose up at nude/natural shades.  You see, there was no red in the display, and that was just plain unacceptable. :)  But he did tell me that Frieda's Nude was "the only one that looked halfway decent", so I took that as his endorsement to pick it up.

Frieda's Nude is a beige-gold shimmer that leans frosty...the brushstrokes weren't too terrible though.  The polish applied pretty well, and I had no cleanup issues.  I'm wearing 3 coats in the photos.

This polish would look dated if not for the very strong shimmer, which is beautiful.

And before I show you Doutzen's Nude, which was my pick of the collection, I must tell you that I had just gone outside and picked ice off the central unit (during our wintry weather) and came in and stupidly took pics.  So my hands were just getting warm and look like balls of flame. :/

Doutzen's Nude is a mauve-tinged creme that is really lovely.  I did have some streaking issues with two coats, but a third one evened it all out.  

The above photo is the best representation of the color of Doutzen's Nude...so ignore my lobster flambé phalanges and enjoy the lovely color. :D  I really loved wearing this one.

So...what do you think of L'Oreal's nudes?  There are 6 shades in the collection, some coral/rose-tinged, some yellow-hued.  I haven't gotten a Zoya Naturel yet, so I don't know how the formula would compare.  Oh, and I have no idea who Frieda and Doutzen are.  So there it is. :D

I don't know...COULD red be considered a nude?  I mean...look at my hands!! :P

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

The Cheapskate Files: Milani 3D Holographics

Hey everybody!  It's been a while since I got all cheap on you, hasn't it?  We all spent too much money at Christmas, so we're in the mood for something cheap, right?  RIGHT!  You might remember that I told you about a store in NC that I love to visit when I'm there that sells perfume, tobacco, and discontinued cosmetics (go ahead and chuckle...it IS rather funny).  Well last summer, I had the pleasure of visiting said store...and there is was, bathed in sunbeams...a huge bin of Milani 3D Holographics for $1.50 each.  I wiped the drool off my chin and snagged the entire collection!  YAY! :)

I won't tire you with loads of pesky details after every picture.  Let me just say that the 3D Holographics collection are jellies with a wonderful, mistake-free formula.  I used 3 coats of each polish due to my persistent friend stalker, Mr. VaNeLi.  These holos twinkle in every kind of lighting!

First up is Digital, a rosy pink.

Next is HD.  This polish is silver in the bottle...but see how not-so-silver it is on me?  I thought, "Ugh, are my nails THAT discolored?"  Of course, they ARE, but it made me wonder why this one looked so gold-ish...well, the blurred bottle shot shows quite a lot of gold holo particles!  So it sort of looks in-between gold and silver.

Next is Hi-Res, a medium purple.  Looks good enough to eat!!

Now this one is as gold as it gets:  3D.  This one looks like liquid gold on the nail.

And I saved my favorite for last...a light blue beauty called Cyberspace. <3  Look at all the colors peeking through in this one...

There was one more polish in this collection, a yellow-green called Hi-Tech, but I gave that one to my stepdaughter, who was helping me scoop all these up from the magic bin. :D

You may have read about these before...the holo effect is different from other polishes because there is something about the particles that looks slightly irregular, almost like tiny shards.  They are like a linear/scattered hybrid, with the linear effect being strongest on Cyberspace and HD.  Another bonus is that you don't need sunlight to watch them glow. 

I was so pleased with this Cheapskates Files score...not only are these awesome, but they're antiques too...these came out over 4 years ago! :)

I hope you've enjoyed today's attempt at making you feel better about your out of control hobby.  Have a lovely day! <3

A Wonder in Glitterland: Shimmer Polish Alice

*Contains Press Sample*

Hey everybody!  Well, we in the deep south have survived a fluky weather event that only happens once in a blue moon.  And make that a periwinkle blue moon, which is even rarer. :P  I'm referring to the ice and snow that hit everywhere this past Tuesday and Wednesday.  And of COURSE, we didn't get snow (I think the snow line stopped about 2.5 feet north of us), but we got sleet.  So it's an extra special treat when I get to wear some faux fur for three whole days in a row!! :D  But get this...tomorrow's high is 75.  Grrrr.

Well it's a good thing I can always turn to some frosty-hued polish to keep me at least *looking* somewhat wintry. :)  I recently won a giveaway from the fantastic Shimmer Polish, and I was graciously asked if I would like some polishes for review as well.  One of polishes I received was Alice, a silver and holographic glitter.  I did a combo with butter LONDON Sprog that faintly reminded me of Alice's dress as she perused Wonderland...

Shimmer Alice is the loveliest stuff.  It sparkles and glistens like crazy.  

Do not adjust your monitor...look at all that holo flash! <3

I used 3 coats of butter LONDON Sprog (which happens to be a gift from a dear friend <3) for this mani.  I discovered that Sprog is on the watery side, but it's such a lovely shade of periwinkle (moon) blue. :)  I added 3 coats of Alice on my ring finger.  For the other fingers, I dabbed on Alice near the cuticle and lightly dragged my brush down the nail for the look of seriously sensational scatted snowflakes.  :)

And do you know the thing I love most about Shimmer Polish?  Even with 3 coats, the glitter was not one bit coarse, or even lumpy.  It's pretty amazing.  This is the only full coverage glitter I ever wore that was so smooth.

What do you think of Alice?  She is gorgeous!  How'd you like that I just answered for you? :D  You can purchase Alice and other amazing Shimmer Polishes on Etsy.  Just prepare for eyes for a glorious shock! 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

*Contains Press Sample*