Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Mauve Matter

Hey everybody!  Happy first day of October!  I love October, in theory.  It always seems like it should be cool weather, even though it's not.  As a matter of fact, I'm sweating as I type this. :/

Tonight I wanted to show you another recent drugstore find by Sally Hansen.  I had never seen the Insta-Dri Mattes before a couple of weeks ago, but I think they've been floating around before now.  I was curious and picked up Mauve Matter, a rather strange little number.  I was also curious to see what the finish on these was like.

Mauve Matter is a pale, pink-nude beige that for some reason gave me angry fingers.  I don't think it's serious enough to deter me from wearing it again, though.  This is a really lovely non-color color.  

I like Insta-Dri polishes because they apply well and...well, dry instantly. :)  The matte version was no exception.  I used two coats and the result was smooth.  Smooth like ceramic...that's how this feels, not satin like other matte polishes I've used.  Just imagine an eggshell without those tiny bumps.  Very cool.

I found my Insta-Dri Matte at Walgreens, and now I wish I'd picked up that unusual blue in the collection.  My only problem with Mauve Matter is the name...to me, it just sounds like something you need eye drops to clear up. :P  Oh, and I should add that I've been wearing this for over 24 hours, and everything is still in place!

Are you a fan of matte polishes?  Do you prefer a darker or a pale matte?  And most importantly, what was YOUR high temperature on this first day of October? :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! 

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

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! :)

Respectably Flashy: Hare Polish Return to Nature

Hey everybody!  Have you ever found yourself, all of a sudden, being drawn to a polish color that never appealed to you in the past?  That's where I am right now.  My favorite polishes are dark, vampy colors and bold stuff with full-bodied flavor.  But out of nowhere, I have been going nuts over pastels and neutrals.  I don't get it.  Must be a hormone thing.  Anyway, as long as I'm wearing things atypical to me, it sure doesn't hurt when the polish is as lovely as this one...Hare Polish Return to Nature, from The Last Queen of France 2013 Spring Collection.

Hare Polish Return to Nature

Return to Nature is a beige-colored crelly (creme/jelly) with square and hex gold and silver glitters.  And I didn't even realize it until I took the bottle shot, but there are white squares in there as well.  Oh, and don't forget the gold shimmer!  Mmmmm...

Return to Nature bottle shot

Return to Nature IS beige, but it is absolutely taupe under fluorescent lighting.  I like to point out these lighting differences because I work under fluorescent lighting, and I have gotten to the office before and noticed that my polish was way different than it looked at home.  And that *really* irks me when I'm trying to match my clothes! :)

Return to Nature is probably not the best color for my nearly colorless skin, but I think it's such an attractive polish that I don't mind the fact that it's not my usual bold blend.  This color would look beautiful against darker skin.  I used 3 coats by itself for the photos and got full coverage.  The application was great.

So, do you think Marie Antoinette liked neutrals too?

This was my first Hare Polish, and I really love it!  Return to Nature has the flash of glitter whilst being a very respectable and office-friendly color.  Just think of the whole look as amped up mannequin hands. :)

What do you think of Return to Nature?  Do you love the Hare Polish bunny bottles?  And most importantly, do you think I need some sort of dietary supplement for loving neutrals all of a sudden? 

Hare Polish can be purchased at their Etsy store.

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Friday! :) Follow my blog with Bloglovin