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! :)

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Pretty Jelly Goes Back to School

Hey everybody!  Yes, it's me.  Hugs and kisses all around!

Nothing brings one out of dormancy quite like a new collection from a favorite brand.  The Pretty Jelly Back to School Brights collection is a fabulous array of *this close to neon* scattered/linear holos that is even prettier in person than in photos.  The colors are a nod to all those grammar school memories we have...well, to be totally honest, we 70's grammar school kids didn't exactly have neon things yet, but I digress...

All the polishes here dry very quickly to a semi-matte finish.  I used top coat on each because, of course, I like to shine.  Let's take a look! 

First up is a polish so full of yumness that it may very well be caloric:  Scented Markers.



Scented Markers were NOT invented in the 1970's.  But never mind that...look at this gorgeous purple!  I would describe it as mulberry-tinged bright orchid.  How's that for specific?  


Next we have every kid's favorite thing in the world:  Pop Quiz!  Ah, I can still remember the sounds of groaning across the classroom...


Pop Quiz is described as coral, but on me it's a gentle apricot.  It's a good bit brighter in indirect light.  I used three coats of this one to cover up Mr. VaNeLi.  I wore this one this week for three days before it finally gave in and chipped. 




The last Back to School polish I have is a lovely bright pink called Book Fair.  I loved Book Fair time.  I bought the coolest ever coloring book once that looked just like those popular adult coloring books around today.  I'm such a visionary. :)


Book Fair is the most linear-leaning holo of the three.  This hot pink is bright, sparkly and electric.


Be sure to check out the Back to School Brights collection on Etsy for the rest of the collection!  I cannot recommend Pretty Jelly enough for consistently good formulas, interesting color choices, and yes - intelligent polish names. 

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