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! :)

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

I Wished Upon a Barielle Falling Star...

Hey everybody!  It's true.  I wished upon a star.  Or, maybe I should say that Barielle Falling Star was on my WISH LIST.  Yeah, that was it. :)  It has recently been crossed out and is officially mine, thanks to my blogger bud Liz of Lacquer Slacker Liz.

So the story goes that about a year ago, I saw lots of those super value-tastic Barielle 5-packs in Marshalls.  I examined one set that contained Falling Star, but I decided not to pick it up because it also contained a couple of polishes that I already had.  Well, that was a Stupid Beauty Decision.  Good grief, the whole pack of 5 polishes was only $5.99.  Needless to say, I have regretted setting down that pack ever since then.  So when Liz asked me if I'd like for her to send me her extra Falling Star, I was thrilled!

First off, let me say that I love Barielle.  I haven't met a stinker Barielle polish yet.  Falling Star is all the beautiful-ness I thought it would be. :)  It's a medium blue, slightly dusty-looking creme with copper microglitter.  My 2-coat application was fabulous, so if you see mistakes or anything in the pics, it was because I was sleepy when I was painting. :P

AAHHHH, it's so pretty...and unusual.  I love it so.  And now, rather than declaring that "I slayed a lemming" (shudder), I shall now declare that my wish has been granted.  Thank you again, Liz, for playing fairy godmother! :)

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

Saturday Night Smackdown: PINK!! OPI vs. Barielle

Hey everybody!  Is everybody having a pleasantly peaceful weekend?  Good.  Now how about a bloody, fearsome battle to the death, where you, the spectator, get to decide who lives and who doesn't??!  Oh, okay.  So it's not *that* bad.  It's more like "vote for your favorite pink."  Heh heh...

I have amassed quite a fortune of pinks in the last year...amazing feat, considering that when I first started blogging, I had very few and considered pinks to be one of my least favorite nail colors.  My, what a difference a few months make! :D  I love pinks, especially those pure pink shades wholly unadulterated by the stench of coral. :P  So take a look at today's contestants and vote for your favorite!

In the OPI corner, representing Holland 2012, we have Pedal Faster Suzi!  *rahhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

I think everybody in creation owns this polish, and I can now call myself one of said everybody after snagging this one in a recent blog sale.  Pedal Faster Suzi is a sheer baby pink...and I mean really sheer...with an insane silver shimmer.  I had to use 3 coats of this one, and as you can see, Mr. VaNeLi is still strutting around like he owns the joint.  *Sigh*.  But Pedal Faster Suzi is SOOO pretty...it brings to mind spring flowers, Easter dresses, and that clean baby smell.  What...too much caffeine?
 

Tough competition to be sure...so let's introduce our opposing contender...in the Barielle corner, representing Brilliant 2013, is The Pink of Fashion!  *rahhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

The Pink of Fashion is a straight-up creme with Barielle's impeccable creme formula.  It's such a perfect Barbie pink that Ken might get confused and show up at YOUR dream house by accident.  Apparently, The Pink of Fashion has been retired and isn't *technically* in the Brilliant collection, but there is another pink in that collection called Smarty Pants that looks a whole bunch like it. :)  I applied 2 effortless coats of The Pink of Fashion.

So who gets your vote??  Will it be the barely-there pink with loads of shimmer, or the bubblegum pink creme?  As for me, although I adore my shimmers, I am going with The Pink of Fashion. <3

Thanks for reading, and have a lovely rest of your weekend! :)

Barielle for Autumn Pt. 3: Mystery Woman and Kisses 'N Hugs

Hey everybody!  How has your Monday been?  Mine was busy but good.  Of course, sporting a fetching shade of autumn awesome on my nails always helps to perk up my mood. :D  Today I have a couple more Barielle polishes that I think are some perfect fall colors.

First up is a great autumnal pink called Kisses 'N Hugs.

I can't quite figure out when Kisses 'N Hugs was released...I got mine in another fantastic 5-pack of Barielles from Marshall's.  It does look similar to this year's London High Tea from the Sophisticated Lady collection...I think Kisses 'N Hugs might be a bit deeper.

Hugs 'N Kisses is a creme with a great formula.  I used two coats for the pictures...and UGH, don't pay any attention to that mess I didn't catch on my middle finger.  Be honest, now that I've told you not to pay attention to it, you will totally pay attention to it, won't you? :P

Kisses 'N Hugs is a deep geranium pink with the tiniest hint of coral.  That bit of coral sets it apart from the summery, bubble gum pinks and makes you think of fall.

Next up I have a vamp-tastic (yeah!!) shade called Mystery Woman.

Ahhh...good ol' Barielle...always throwing something CRAZEE into the mix!  Mystery Woman is a deep eggplant metallic with a RED shimmer.  It's a different twist on the vampy shades you know and love, and it's really pretty.

In certain lighting, Mystery Woman has an almost brown cast to it.  It also reminds me of OPI Have You Seen My Limo...the color, that is.  Just take out the duochrome and throw in the shimmer.  Hmmm...just forget it...it's lovely enough to merit its OWN reputation. :D

And a closeup of the shimmer:

Mystery Woman is mysterious all right.  It's another one of those confusingly wonderful Barielle shades that I love! <3

So how do you like these two polishes for autumn?  Some of you all are already experiencing winter...I'm just excited that our high today was 67 degrees!  Break out the snow suits! :P

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

Barielle for Autumn Pt. 2 - Greenwich Village at Dawn and Soho at Night

Hey everybody!  I hope you've had a splendid Monday.  Today I have some more Barielle fall shades to show you.  I didn't call this post "vintage" since the two I'm showing today came out in fall 2012. :)  They are from the Barielle New York Style collection and are reminiscent of the morning and evening.

First up is Greenwich Village at Dawn, a pink-beige shimmer.

 

Whoa!  Waking up in the mornings might be easier if the dawn looked like this!  How lovely is this color?  Greenwich Village at Dawn looks quite pink on me, but in the bottle it is probably equally pink and beige, one of my favorite color blends. :)

This is a very soft, feminine, and office-friendly color.  It's understated and elegant, yet is still unusual and interesting.  I used two coats of Greenwich Village at Dawn for the photos.

You can't tell it in the pics, but the shimmer in this polish is actually GREEN.  You can see it in direct sunlight.  That's what I love about Barielle...their creations don't make a lick of sense half the time, but you love them for it. :D

And representing the time of day when everybody except me comes alive...Soho at Night.

Oh yeah.  Now that's an impressive purple creme...dusty and decidedly eggplant-esque.  Soho at Night IS fall.

My sister used to have a pair of knee-high boots this exact color.  Come to think of it, I gave her those.  Awesome!! :)  Soho at Night brings to mind bundling up in a warm coat and a scarf and cute little hat...you know, all those things we Southern girls get to do like once every 3 or 4 years. :/

Application for Soho at Night was a bit tricky...I applied two coats and discovered it looked patchier than a bald guy with a bad combover.  However, with a third coat, it was Toupée City. :)

How do you like these fall shades?  They are both still part of the Barielle core line and are available on their website.  Their polishes are buy one, get one half off.  You can also purchase the entire New York Style collection (5 polishes) for $25. 

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

Vintage Barielle for Autumn: Putt-E On Me and Lava Rock

Hey everybody!  This morning it actually sort of felt like fall outside.  However, that didn't stop me from experiencing my standard personal sweating attack within a couple of hours.  Blast you, hot flashes.  Oh well...that doesn't alter the fact that it actually IS fall. :)  And when you know it IS fall, you just want to wear some fall colors!  Today I have a couple of Barielle polishes from the 2009 All Lacquered Up collection that I just recently purchased and discovered with much delight are thoroughly autumnal. 

First up is Putt-E On Me, a beautiful, shiny creme.

Let me first say that I purchased both polishes I'm showing today at TJ Maxx in a variety box of 5 for $7.99. I love Barielle polishes, mostly because you can almost always find a crazy strange one in your box.   Putt-E On Me is said crazy strange one.  

When I saw the bottle and read the name, I thought it was probably like your standard greige on the nail...you know, some harmlessly uninteresting putty color.  Wow, was I wrong!  I don't know if it's my skin tone, but this lovely creme has undertones of smoky mulberry.  I love this polish!

Putt-E On Me is definitely a greige-ish neutral, but it's so much more interesting on that you think it will be.  I used 2 coats for the photos, which do not show just how shiny this polish is.  Very, very pretty and versatile.

Another obviously autumn polish from my superbly priced Barielle set is Lava Rock.

Well, you don't have to be a neurosurgeon to know that I fell in love with this one too.  Lava Rock is a dark, vampy, blackened plum with a red shimmer.  It reminds me of OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest.

The bottle shot looks like there is blue in the shimmer too, but I looked and looked under a bright light, and I couldn't see the blue.  I suppose the polish gremlins were playing a trick on me. :D  I used two coats for the photos.

Even if the blue shimmer was merely in my head, the red shimmer is blatantly there.  There is also an almost duochrome look about Lava Rock.  This polish apparently thinks it's funny to fool the eye. :P  No matter, you sly little jester...you're still delectable! 

I love both these Barielle fall colors.  Barielle polishes can be purchased on their website.  They sell for $8 each and your second one is $4.  And of course, you can always go stalking your local TJ Maxx and Marshall's for great deals on Barielle multi-packs. :)

What's your favorite autumn nail color?  

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

The Cheapskate Files: Barielle Carnival Fiesta Collection

Hey everybody!  Welcome to today's installment of the Cheapskate Files, where we can all feel good about being thrifty, even though there's no way we'll ever wear all this polish we're buying. :D  This is a Very Special Cheapskate Files, because I did really well on this one.  My stepdaughter and I were in Marshall's and found the ENTIRE Barielle Carnival Fiesta Collection for the checkbook-friendly price of $7.99.  Thank you, thank you. :)

 

The Carnival Fiesta Collection is comprised of 5 metallic shades, and they are all very pretty.  They all applied extremely well, had a super fast dry time, and are just some really nice colors.  I was quite pleased with this Cheapskate Files find.  And now...for the polish...

First we have Rio's Rockin' Bands, a medium purple with a lovely shimmer.  It's a bit frosty, but not a brushstroke bad frosty...just enough to make it glow.  It's really a nice purple.  This is two coats of Rio's Rockin' Bands.

Next up is Holiday Madness.  Well, if wearing a totally beautiful metallic olive green is madness, then call me crazy!  Again, this was a slightly frosty shimmer, and it absolutely glows.  This is two coats of Holiday Madness.

Next up is Jillian's Jammin', a color-shifting green/blue glass fleck with a purple duochrome.  That sounds like a mouthful, but trust me, it's a mouthful of awesome.  This is a strangely sheer polish, because for the photos, I used FOUR coats and still had visible nail line.  However, in real life you couldn't see VNL.  This is one oddly gorgeous number!  Jillian's Jammin' is quite green in sunlight and blue indoors.

 

Next up is Lindsay's Dancin', a lovely metallic red.  I know most girls like for their reds to be cremes, but I personally LOVE metallic reds.  This is a perfect Christmas red.  I used two coats of Lindsay's Dancin'.

And last, but certainly not least, we have the rather terrifically confusing Wanna Samba?  I think Barielle creates some of the most strangely fascinating colors, and Wanna Samba? is one of them.  If you like different, you'll love it.  Wanna Samba? is sorta light teal, and sorta purple-ish, and sorta gunmetal...oh and it's a shimmer/duochrome too.  Confused?  Well, I tried.  Hey, look...pictures!! :)

Forgive me for feeling so smug, but I love this entire collection, and I PAID $7.99 FOR IT!  Fantastic formulas, unique colors, and did I mention $7.99??

Which colors do you like?  Have you ever gotten stupendous deals like this?  I highly recommend stalking Marshall's and TJ Maxx for deals like this one...you can almost always find a Barielle or a Color Club collection there.  And some sort of biscotti too!  Mmmmm...

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

From the Unusual Vault: Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast

Hey everybody!  Do you have a polish that is just, well, different?  Like maybe you can't put your finger on what exactly is going on with it?  Such is the case with Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast, from their 2010 Holiday Hustle Collection.  But, as with many of these strangely unusual polishes, I love it!

Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast

Jess' Champagne Toast is a lavender-blue-grey metallic frost with rose glitter.  How's that for complicated? 
The frost isn't too frosty though...it's not a brushstroke nightmare.

Barielle Jess' Champagne Toast

The rose glitter is very tiny and delicate and doesn't look quite like it does in the bottle.

Jess' Champagne Toast bottle shot

I have read other reviews that say this dried very bumpy for them, but I didn't have that problem.  I used 3 thin coats, and the dry time is incredibly fast.

The light picks up the delicate sparkle

There is something sort of antique about this color.  I think it's quite lovely.  I have always been fond of lavender, and the rose glitter in this makes it unlike anything else I've seen.  But you have to be in *just* the right light to catch the full beauty of the unusual glitter.

Sometimes you wanna sparkle...sometimes you don't.

What do you think of Jess' Champagne Toast?  Do you have a polish that's gotten a bad rap from others, but you love it?  I have a lot like that...that's just me.  So just send me your unwanted polishes, and I'll love them and see their true beauty and build their self-esteem so that they can hold their brushes high!! :P 

Have a great Monday! :)