Thursday, October 22, 2015

Barielle Gotta Have Fate

Hey everybody!  Tonight I have another of the Barielle polishes included in my Wife Appreciation Day (I still love that) deal.  Earlier I posted Slate of Affairs, and this time I have something that shocked me...shocked me rather thoroughly:  an orange that I love.

Meet Gotta Have Fate.


I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but this orange creme is beautiful!  And see?  I have proof that it doesn't look gut-wrenchingly dreadful on me!  The formula was perfection.  I used two coats of Gotta Have Fate to achieve this juicy, shiny, yumtastic look. 

Oh look.  There's Angelo's hair...


Gotta Have Fate is not bright enough to look really summery and not dusty enough to look completely autumnal.  It's just a true tangerine that is very flattering.  

How about that?  First the pinks take over my collection...will it be oranges next?  Nah, probably not. :P  But that won't stop me from wearing this one! 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Barielle Slate of Affairs

Hey everybody!  Today I have a gorgeous little number by my favorite under-appreciated brand, Barielle.  If you get Barielle's email of the day, you know that sometimes they will offer a really great deal for that day.  Today's polish was part of one of those deals in honor of Wife Appreciation Day.  Hey, I'm a wife!  How convenient for me. :) 

Let's take a look at one of the three polishes I got (in my self-appreciative package), Slate of Affairs.


Barielle describes Slate of Affairs merely as "a worn denim", but there is more to it than that.  It's a gorgeous grey-toned blue with a strong bright blue shimmer.  It's practically an antique too, having been released back in 2009 in the All Lacquered Up collection.  I used two coats, and the formula was typical Barielle creamy perfection.


I didn't mention that I got Slate of Affairs and two other shades for $7.95 plus free shipping.  It's really great being a wife! :D  Be sure to sign up for Barielle's daily deal emails, and you'll get great offers like this one.

As always, thank you for stopping by, and have a lovely day! <3

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Orly Miss Conduct

Hey everybody!  

Today's polish is one I've been wanting for a while, Orly Miss Conduct, from the Holiday 2012 Naughty or Nice collection.  I found this bottle recently at TJ Maxx for the very not-naughty price of $3.99.  Niiiiiice.


Miss Conduct is a beyond beautiful magenta-colored jelly bursting with scattered holo goodness.  It reminds me of OPI DS Extravagance, but Miss Conduct is more pink and brighter.  The formula is perfect (mistake-proof for us kiddie-level painters).  I'm showing two coats here.  You could probably get away with one if your nails are short.


So YAY for finding buried treasure in a markdown bin!  My sister purchased Miss Conduct ages ago, and I've wanted it ever since.  So many buried treasures out there...

As always, thanks for reading, and have a lovely day! <3

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

a-England Briarwood

Hey everybody!  I did a crazy thing.  I totally forgot I owned a-England Briarwood.  FORGOT.  I told you it's been a rough year :P

I was digging through the ol' collection to rustle up some autumn hues, when there it was, the arguable gem of the Burne-Jones Dream collection, Briarwood.  Briarwood is a deep reddish brown color infused with an especially (or it seemed to me) colorful scattered holo.


I've only had experience with one other a-England polish, Briar Rose.  Briarwood wore for two days before I got a chip versus one day with Briar Rose.  That's not to say Briar Rose doesn't wear well; it is highly unusual for me to go two days without a chip.  Blasted chemistry!!


One reason I love holos like this is because I think they look literally dusty.  Magically dusty!  Briarwood has a lot of gold going on in the holo particles.  I used two coats of this very lovely polish.  The only issue I had with it was that it did stick a bit to my unpleasantly hard cuticle area.  But since I seem to the be the only person in the universe who has that problem, you should be just fine!

a-England is available at Color4Nails.  What's been your experience with a-England?

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day. <3

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Julie G Candy Shoppe Colors



Hey everybody!  Today I'm showing the Candy Shoppe Colors from the fabulous drugstore brand Julie G.  I purchased these during a Polish Shopping Weekend back in the spring.  And yeah, yeah, I'm just now posting about them.  But I promise you'll love them. :D

The Candy Shoppe Colors collection consists of 9 colors, and I've got 6 of them here.  These polishes have a "jelly bean finish", and this description is dead-on.  They look/feel like a jellybean, a matte jelly.  I can't vouch for the taste, however.  And being jellies, they are sheer but build up pretty nicely in 3 coats.  Mr. VaNeLi kept me lots of company for these pics, but I didn't mind in this case.

Pixi Stick is a really pretty medium pink.  I adore this one!



Sour Apple is a medium green that's a touch grassy and quite flattering.



Lemon Drop is a bright yellow that's as yellow as a lemon meringue pie.  Mmmm.  My Mom makes really good lemon meringue pie, but I digress...  I didn't find Lemon Drop to be overly streaky, given its Quite Yellow Status, but I did use 4 coats for this one.



Sour Grape is a medium-toned purple with a blue undertone.  Of course I liked this one quite a bit.  I mean, it's purple.  And there's Angelo's hair.



Sweet Tooth, or as I could call it, "my personal affliction", is a bright medium blue.  The combination of this fun color with the jelly bean finish is so darn cute.  But *caution* - this one stains.  But oh, isn't it worth it? :)
 


Wild Cherry is a ripe, juicy red that looks simply yum.  I used 4 coats on this one, because for some insane reason, Mr. VaNeLi rears his ugly head most often whilst I sport a red polish.  Go figure.



The remaining colors I didn't pick up from the collection are Licorice (black), Lollipop (red-toned purple), and Candy Shop (orange).  I'm kinda wishing now I'd picked them up...I thought that Licorice may cause me application woes, but these formulas are so good that I don't think it would.  My personal favorites from my purchases are Sweet Tooth and Pixi Stick.

Julie G polishes are sold at Rite Aid and online at Jesse's Girl.  They retail for $3.99 each.  As I've said for a long time, Julie G is a good drugstore polish.  They're an addict's best friend!  Or worst nightmare? 

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

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

OPI Taylor Blue

Hey everybody!  

Hmmmm...I was TJ Maxxing the other day (you didn't know that was a verb, did you?) when I found a mysterious bottle of OPI there in the buckets o' polish.  I already had a heads up about said mysterious bottle when I had read a post in one of the Facebook polish groups that Taylor Blue, a polish that was created to be an exclusive charity polish for the Taylor's Gift Foundation for organ donor awareness and registrations, was spotted at TJ Maxx and Marshall's here and there.  Well, I have no idea how these bottles ended up at a discount retailer, as Taylor Blue was (and still is) sold on the charity's website, but I purchased one of the two bottles I saw.



Taylor Blue is a beautiful turquoise creme with, honestly, one of the most wonderful formulas I've ever encountered.  I have historically had trouble with cremes.  I'm not sure why they don't cooperate with me, but it sure is a pleasant surprise to get one like this!  Makes me feel way less untalented.


I've heard that differences in Taylor Blue and OPI Fly are practically imperceptible, but I don't have Fly and couldn't say yay or nay.  (That sounded almost like a Mother Goose line.)  I used two coats and see Mr. VaNeLi in the pics, but it's not out there in real life.

While I was on a roll feeling less untalented, I decided to do some stamping.  I used a giraffe pattern from MoYou London Pro XL 05 and stamped with OPI DS Radiance.  The color of Taylor Blue looks quite a bit greener is this photo than in real life.  The actual color is closer to the first photo.



If you're interested in purchasing Taylor Blue from the Taylor's Gift Foundation, it is available for $10.  Otherwise, there's no telling if or how this will turn up elsewhere. :/

As always, thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! 

Sunday, October 4, 2015

OPI Designer Series Radiance and Magic

Hey everybody!  I hope your weekend has been fantastic.  Hurricane Joaquin is skirting by us, so we're nice and cloudy and gloomy.  And that makes me happy. :)

I am wrapping up my posts of the OPI Designer Series polishes that I got from the Ulta clearance rack.  I spent between $2 and $6 on these, which was pretty exciting.  Exciting to me, anyway. :D

First up is DS Radiance, arguably the Queen of All Silver Polishes.  This metallic polish applies like butter and is probably a one-coater, but I used two because I'm me.  If you're in the market for a silver lame for your nails, this gal's for you.  It's a white silver with no pewter undertones.


Oww!  My eyes!!  And I'm kinda digging this with my skin tone.


The last Designer Series polish I was able to snatch up for cheap is Magic.  This polish has a lot going on, but it's all good stuff.  Magic is a violet-tinged royal blue glass fleck shimmer with color-shifting flakes.  Not recommended for girls who don't want to be noticed!


You can see the heavy purple shift in the bottle.  This is less pronounced on the nail, but it's still there.  Wow, I just love the non-color I turn whilst sporting blue polish! 

I totally did not see that bald patch on my middle finger...?  Oh well...SHIMMER!

I used two coats of Magic, but as I'm spotting a bald patch, I'm thinking I could have used three.  My bottle's formula was a bit thin.  Magic wasn't too bad of a stainer either. 

I'm quite happy with my OPI Designer Series selections I was able to get for way cheap.  I would love to find a stray bottle of DS Sapphire that wasn't a bazillion dollars.  Do you have any Designer Series favorites?  Do you think they're as special as they used to be before the plethora of indie choices that we have today?

On a side note,  in case any of you are perplexed at times with my blog terminologies, I have added a tab called "Lacquer Reverie Glossy of Terms" to clear up any confusion. :) 

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

Friday, October 2, 2015

OPI Designer Series Extravagance, Lapis and Mystery

Hey everybody!  I am really bummed today.  I was supposed to see my beloved Mr. Sweets this weekend, but Hurricane Joaquin has put an end to our plans. :'(  So I decided instead to treat you all to a quick post of a few more of my amazing OPI Designer Series finds from the clearance rack.

DS Extravagance is still a very popular polish and one that is probably still on many a wish list.  I think (?) it was released around 2008.  It is a beautiful purple/wine jelly base filled with holographic shimmer.  This is two coats, but I could have used three, as I spot a bald patch on yon index finger! :o  Extravagance is easy to apply and wears quite well.


DS Lapis was released in 2013 (along with Pewter) as a textured polish.  The color is iolite blue, which has a hint of violet.  It's full of silver shimmer and dries matte, but as you can see, it has a distinct sheen.  As you know, I'm not really a matte girl, so I topcoated mine and wore it to work the following day with the intention of getting a topcoat pic that night as well.  But much to my dismay and surprise, this polish chipped like crazy, even with topcoat, within a few hours!  I was so disappointed too, because Lapis really is a stunning color, and the sparkle is out of this world.


The 2009 release DS Mystery is just that.  I put this on and still had no idea what color it was.  It's extremely dark and rather confusing.  In the bottle, Mystery looks black with a heavy gold shimmer.  On the nail, it's blackened purple, and the gold seems not as obvious.  It's weird.  I've seen other photos of Mystery that looked more interesting, but on me, something just got lost.  It wasn't any better in person, either. :/


Do you have any of these Designer Series shades?  What is your opinion of them?  And did you notice the pliers marks on Mystery's bottle lid? :)

As always, thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day. <3

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

OPI Designer Series Opulence

Hey everybody!  I hope you're doing well as we approach the halfway point of the work week. :)

Tonight I'm showing a fancy flashback:  OPI Designer Series Opulence.  I picked this little jewel up for $2 via the Ulta clearance shelf.  Class, that is what you call a "good investment." 


Poor little Opulence sat languishing in my collection of never-worns until recently.  Part of the reason is because - see those marks on the bottle cap?  I could not get the bottle open for anything, until I broke down and got the pliers.  Opulence is the second DS polish to which I had to break out the pliers!  But ugh...isn't it beautiful?  It's an antique-looking mauve pink loaded with shimmery holographic particles, and on me it has the tiniest hint of fawn, which creates a completely gorgeous autumnal look.  


Application of Opulence was my very favorite in a polish:  mistake proof!  And by that, I mean...well... mistake proof!  This formula is just too good to mess things up.  I was quite loathe to remove this one.

Have you snagged any fabulous deals lately?  Do you have any OPI DS polishes?  I was fortunate enough to pick up several DS polishes on clearance, so stay tuned for more yumness.

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

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Formula X Infinite Ombré Looks

*Press sample

Hey everybody!  

Tonight I am posting some photos of manis I did over the summer with the Infinite Ombré kit by Formula X.  These polishes are jellies that can be blended together, layered, smudged around, plopped onto the nail haphazardly...and I can tell you from experience that you just about can't make an ugly mess out of them.  

The first step in the process is to use one coat of the Platinum Prime base.  As soon as that's dry, apply your jelly polish in whatever direction you so desire.  The result looks like pretty decent nail art for the untalented nail artist and has the overall appearance of very shiny hard candy.  And we all know that candy is good.

Infinite Indigo and Boundless Berry.  Ring finger is stamped with Pueen Love Elements #45 using the Platinum Prime base.

Limitless Lemon and Timeless Teal with a teardrop-shaped nail jewel.

Infinite Indigo and Timeless Teal, stamped with Pueen Love Elements #44 using the Platinum Prime base.

I was pleasantly surprised with this kit.  I had fun using it and absolutely loved the shine.  The Formula X Infinite Ombré kit is sold at Sephora for $29.50.  Have you experimented with the blendable jellies yet?

Thank you for stopping by, and have a lovely evening. <3

*Received as a gift from Formula X and Preen Me in exchange for photographs

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Nail of the Day: China Glaze Riveter Rouge

Hey everybody!  In honor of the beginning of fall, which doesn't mean very much change in temps in my part of the country, I'm showing one of my favorite fall polishes.  China Glaze Riveter Rouge is a real antique, hailing from the 2010 Vintage Vixen collection.  And what a great collection that was!

Riveter Rouge is a burgundy red with a tiny hint of brown.  It's also heavy with microglitter that some people describe as silver, with a tendency to be bumpy.  However, my bottle looks like it has gold microglitter, and it is not bumpy at all...just super sparkling.  Angelo's hair not included in most versions...


The formula of Riveter Rouge was thin with a huge side of watery, but I used two coats, and everything evened out nicely.  This is the type of color that makes you think of fall foliage and drinking cocoa.  Hey, maybe our leaves will change before December this year! :P


You can still find the Vintage Vixen collection around here and there.  Despite the watery application, I do recommend Riveter Rouge for its beautiful autumn color and fantastic sparkle.  What is your favorite color to wear in fall?

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

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Pretty Jelly Which Way? and Curiouser and Curiouser

Hey everybody!  Last week when I was blogging about the new Back to School Brights collection by Pretty Jelly, I remembered that I had also purchased a couple of polishes several months ago from the Alice in Wonderland-themed Spring Curiouser and Curiouser collection.  While I've worn the polishes, I didn't get the chance to post about them yet due to "life happening."  So here they are, languishing no more!

I love Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and all things Alice-inspired.  The original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel have without a doubt produced style icons unlike any others in Alice and her Wonderland friends (and foes).  

First up I have the namesake polish from the collection, Curiouser and Curiouser.


"'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English)." - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland


Curiouser and Curiouser is a gorgeous bright blue metallic linear holo.  It's somewhere between light and medium blue.  Just imagine the color of Alice's dress.  Then plug it into a magical electric socket!  The photos show two coats with topcoat.

I'm LATE!
Next I have Which Way?, a lilac scattered/linear hybrid that looks very faintly grey-tinged in indirect lighting.


"Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words `EAT ME' were beautifully marked in currants...She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, `Which way? Which way?', holding her hand on the top of her head to feel which way it was growing..." - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland


Which Way? is a soft and different sort of neutral.  I always say that my personal neutral polish is purple, and Which Way? is an especially good option if you're in the mood for a paler hue.  The tiny smattering of grey gives it an elegant feel.  This is also two coats with topcoat.

Well...if you insist...
Aren't these colors delightful? :)  You can find the Curiouser and Curiouser collection and many other fabulous offerings by Liz and Pretty Jelly on Etsy.

As always, thank you for reading, and have a lovely day. <3

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Sally Hansen Plumtarius and Age of Aquarius

Hey everybody!  My, the title of this post sounds like it could be a Dr. Seuss book. 

Tonight I'm showing you a couple more drugstore finds from a Mr. Sweets Polish Shopping Weekend from last spring.  Sally Hansen released a Complete Salon Manicure limited collection called Beachside Astrologer that I have seen exactly one (1) time...anywhere.  Now that's limited.  This collection is made up of 12 (of course) shades representing each zodiacal sign.

I, being the utterly predictable sort that I am, was immediately drawn to Plumtarius.


Plumtarius is a blue-leaning purple creme with an excellent formula.  This color is slightly dusty.  Although it was released in a spring collection, it is easily appropriate for fall.  Very nice.


The moon is in the seventh house...Jupiter has aligned with Mars...more hippie stuff...and it's the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!  You twenty-somethings have no idea what I just said, do you? :)


Age of Aquarius is a blue-leaning jade green creme that also has that lovely, dusty autumn feel to it.  And Age of Aquarius makes me look only 23% crustacean!  Greasy bottle thumbprint and paper cut not included.


The very elusive Beachside Astrologer collection had some very nice offerings, some classic colors with a bit of twist.  Complete Salon Manicure, in my opinion, has consistently good formulas and continues to impress me with application and wear time.  I hope I run into this horoscope again someday!

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day! 

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Hard Candy A Mermaid's Tale and Wild Child

Hey everybody!  How is your week going so far?  

I may not have spent the past few months blogging about my polish purchases, but I did in fact *make* polish purchases. :)  On one of my more recent polish shopping jaunts with Mr. Sweets,  I picked up two of the new 2015 releases by Hard Candy:  Wild Child and A Mermaid's Tale.  I was drawn to the former due to its combination of duochrome and glitter.  I purchased the latter because I always buy polish with mermaid names...I think there must be 72 out there named Mermaid's Tale. 

So this particular A Mermaid's Tale is a medium electric blue shimmer that has a slight green undertone.


The formula is good, with an easy and non-messy application.  It's a little sheer so you may want to use 3 coats.  And what is up with my fingers in these pics?  They look absolutely cadaverous.  Oh well..early Halloween! :/


Wild Child is the more complex of the two.  It's a medium purple shimmer with a slight green duochrome that doesn't really translate on the nail.  But in my opinion, Wild Child's best feature is its blue microglitter.  Yay sparkle!


Mmmmm...shimmer.  And tiny blue glitter.  Niiiice.  Wild Child is also a sheer little number...I'm wearing three coats in the pics, which covered up Mr. VaNeLi quite nicely.


So has Hard Candy been releasing anything lately that has gotten your attention?  I'm always on the lookout for interesting drugstore/big box store polishes.  Hard Candy polishes are sold at Wal-Mart (which I avoid like the plague...but you know) for $4 each.  

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely day! :)