A Troublesome Vamp: Revlon Elusive

Hey everybody!  I hope you are doing well in this the first week of 2014. :) 

People who complain all the time get on my nerves.  Nobody wants to hear that, you know?  LOLOL...so that's why I debated about the title of my post, because I don't want to sound like I'm complaining. :)  But don't you hate it when you have high hopes for something that looks SO pretty in the bottle, but something about worries you when you get it on?  *Sigh* - that would be today's story...meet Revlon Elusive.

Well, it looks really pretty, doesn't it?  It took me mucho many tries to capture something nice-looking for this one.  You see, Elusive is sort of jelly-ish, and you all know I love my jellies...but then, it's also sort of not jelly-ish.  That doesn't make much sense, but there it is.  The not jelly-ish side of it was most problematic for me.  It was this watery black stuff that stuck to everything.

Midget Pinky *just* squeezes in for the shot...

Elusive is a blackened teal base loaded with varying sizes of teal hex glitter.  It is from Revlon's Fall 2013 Evening Opulence collection, which I have only seen twice over these past 3 months.  This polish dries matte, and I am just not a matte fan.  I love to shine way too much for that nonsense. :P  I used 2 thick coats of top coat over 2 coats of Elusive.

In all fairness, I should add that my main problem with Elusive's formula was that when I said it stuck to everything, I meant it stuck to my cuticles, and I just about couldn't get it off after loads of cleanup.  ***More complaining coming up!***  You see, I have rather strange cuticles.  The cuticles sort of abruptly turn into my finger skin...it's bizarre.  The skin around my nails is very hard, and it has a tendency to lock in those thin, blackened colors like it's trying to fully embarrass you. :)  And embarrassed I am when I see macro shots of it.  Mission accomplished, Elusive.  Blast you!!!

BUT I like the idea of Elusive.  I like mattes on other people.  I love blackened teal.  I love teal glitter.  And I really like this polish on me when I'm not taking super close-up shots of it.  Ah, who cares?  All my poorly-sighted friends will never know the difference! :D

I have read some reviews about Elusive that indicate you either love it or hate it.  Do you all have this one?  Do you love it or hate it?  And most importantly, will you forgive my sour mood?  I'm post-Christmas dieting and starving. :D

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

Revlon Parfumerie Ginger Melon and Lime Basil

Hey everybody!  I know by now you all have seen the displays everywhere for the charmingly retro Revlon Parfumerie polishes.  So far, I have seen 4 completely different displays of them.  And only one, a CVS end cap display, contained the two polishes I am showing today.  I purchased a couple from the Wal-Mart display, Italian Leather and Apricot Nectar, but I want to show you the ones that are a bit harder to find.

The Revlon Parfumerie polishes are a death-knell to somebody (like myself) who is drawn to unusual packaging.  Let's face it...these little vintage bottles are just adorable.  And scented on top of that?  Here's my money.  But a word of caution:  do NOT take a whiff of the polish whilst in the store.  You really don't want somebody to find you passed out in the Wal-Mart cosmetics department...I mean, you just saw somebody else like that over in the Doritos aisle, and you told yourself you'd never be THAT person.

I will go ahead and tell you that I used 3 coats for both polishes.  I was having a fearsome struggle with Mr. Vaneli.  That's my new cosmopolitan name for my ever-present visible nail line.  I think it makes him sound less annoying. :)  The formula of these 2 cremes was thin but wonderfully easy to control...I love them both.  And the tiny little brush?  It's perfect for my toddler-sized nails. :)

Now that I've gotten all that out of the way...tell me what you think of Ginger Melon!

The color of of Ginger Melon and I have a long history.  It's one of those colors that's just as coral as it is pink.  For some reason, I have always been terribly offended by indecisive pinks and corals.  I'm not that way with anything else!?  But this also happens to be the color that EVERY TIME I wear it, people tell me how good it looks on me.  Every time.  Grrr.  But I can't deny it...it's a pretty color.  I just wish it wasn't so offensive. :D

Your eyes do NOT deceive you!  The color of Ginger Melon changed on my nails from its bottle color.  Crazy!  This polish is very shiny too.

And the scent...well, it's not melon.  And it's not ginger.  It's more like a vague fruit.  Let's call it "Generic Melon." :)  It's a pleasant scent but a touch on the sweet side.

The next one of the rarer Parfumerie offerings I have is Lime Basil, a luscious medium green.

The color of Lime Basil is a bit bluer than the photos show...for some reason, the color was correct until I uploaded the pics onto here! :/  It's really pretty.  It could be either a Christmas green or a summer green.  I love it.

Lime Basil is another very shiny polish.  And, like Ginger Melon, it dried to a slightly different color on my nails.  Maybe the scent gives these a split personality? :)  Uh oh...more indecisiveness!!

Now for the scent of Lime Basil...the verdict is in:  Guilty of being delicious!!  It's fresh and citrus and does indeed smell faintly of basil.  You will definitely keep sniffing your hands with this one.  Don't do it too conspicuously though...your co-workers might think you ate fried chicken for lunch and then didn't wash your hands afterwards.

Did you pick up any of the Revlon Perfumerie polishes?  I can't say enough good about these two!  And I did want to add that if you haven't snagged any of these yet, go check out Jessica's comprehensive collection reviews of the entire Parfumerie line at Be Happy and Buy Polish.  She spells it all out and did a super job...BUT she doesn't like Lime Basil, LOL!!  Oh well! :P

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

My Something Blue: Revlon Not So Blueberry (and a little bit about me)

Hey everybody!  Tuesday is my wedding anniversary.  Two years ago, I got married to my sweetheart and bestest bud Brian.  I also became a stepmother to two fantastic children, Hannah and Hunter.  I was older when I got married (this is my only marriage), so I wasn't really loving the idea of a wedding.  But Brian insisted that we have a wedding ...and I'm glad that he did, because our wedding was AWESOME in every way imaginable. :D

I know I probably won't surprise any of you with this admission, but I'm not your typical girl. :)  I did not want a standard wedding.  I wanted something with my unique stamp on it...and this meant something involving costuming and a bit of show...HAHAHA!!  We had a 1750's-themed Scottish wedding to reflect my heritage.  And my brother's day job just happens to be a bagpiper at a beachfront resort here. :)

How many teenagers do you know who would do this for their REAL mother, let alone their stepmother?? <3

I wanted everything to look very rustic, almost poor, like somebody in a Scottish village announced that somebody was getting married, and they all just got up and picked some heather on the moors and went to the wedding.  Our location was a gorgeous farmhouse in an unbelievably beautiful setting.  We said our vows in front of an old barn and used mismatched dishes for the reception.  My cake topper came from Edinburgh, and my guests were served scones from a wooden feeding trough.  The only thing missing was Gene Kelly dancing through the hills, a la Brigadoon.  It was beyond fabulous!!

Brian and Hunter's kilts were purple, but the plaid in my dress was more of a blurple, so I wanted to try to bring out the blue and wear my "something blue" on my nails.  I didn't really want to go that dark on my wedding day, so I decided on something tonal but lighter...Revlon Not So Blueberry.

Not So Blueberry is one of the scented Revlon polishes that came out way before the Parfumerie line.  It is a medium toned blurple that is really lovely and happened to be the same color as the Scottish heather garland I used. :)  It has a blue/pink/silver shimmer, and when dry, it smells fruity/fresh.

Looking at the bottle, you might think that Not So Blueberry would be frosty on the nail, but actually it's the silvery shimmer that gives it the almost metallic sheen.  It's quite beautiful and a very unusual color.  And it looks great with Scottish heather. <3

I know they wouldn't have worn blurple nail polish in 1750 Aberdeen, but hey, I did. :D


And because I'm feeling all mushy, here's my wedding processional! :)  Please enjoy the music, the outfits, my Mom struggling to keep it together, and me practically running to the altar!!  And be sure to notice the look I give Brian when I see his legs in a kilt. :P

Thanks for stopping by!  I will be on vacation with aforementioned sweetheart/best bud/hubby next week, so take care, and I'll see you in December! <3