Emerald Greens: OPI, Ulta, and Zoya

Hey everybody!  Sorry for my absence during the past week...I've had a lot going on and not very much time to devote to the blog. :/  BUT I am back tonight with another green family post.  This time, it's those luxurious emeralds.  Emeralds were always my favorite gemstone...I got my very first gemstone ring, an emerald, the Christmas right before I turned 14.  It was pretty microscopic, but I still have it. :)

First up is a polish by OPI that I believe was created for Ulta as a freebie with purchase during the Christmas 2012 season.  It's called Skip the Gift Wrap, and it's a shimmery metallic emerald that's very nice even without a bow on top, thank you. :)

Skip the Gift Wrap is, in my opinion, a true emerald green.  It's not kelly, or hunter, or pine.  It's got an easy formula but is rather on the sheer side...I used 3 coats.  It's a touch frosty, but it's the good kind of frosty...no, not the one from Wendy's, but you know what I mean. :P

Next up is an Ulta polish that I am *cough* just getting around to trying out. :/  It's called Envy.  Ooooh.

Envy is a little more hunter green than Skip the Gift Wrap.  It's also a metallic shimmer, but it doesn't have as much shimmer as Skip the Gift Wrap.  It also doesn't have that frosty look.  I liked the application on this a lot.  It may have to do with the tiny Ulta brush that is more suited to my toddler-sized nails.  Sometimes, those wide OPI brushes make me feel like I'm using a spatula. :P

Last on our emerald tour is last year's Zoya Giovanna...loved my some, disliked heartily by others.

I was one of the ones who loved Giovanna.  It's got all that lovely blue in it!  It's not what I would call a true emerald green.  Maybe a created emerald.  No.  Make that a blue indicolite tourmaline.  Trust me on this one.  But YIKES...I look at my pics, and I should have used 3 coats instead of 2!  That is some bald-looking mess going on there.  Okay, if you're going to be out meeting people in macro, use 3 coats. :D  Giovanna has that pleasant frostiness about it too.

Are you an emerald green fan?  How about emeralds in general? :)  What was your first gemstone jewelry?

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

Saturday Night Smackdown: Indigo!! OPI vs. L'Oreal

Hey everybody!  In the mood for some more brutal battles for the fabulous title of...uh...favorite nail polish color? :)  I don't know about you, but I love me some indigo shades.  I'm not talking about blurples; while I love blurples, they are mostly purple with a tinge of blue.  Today I'm talking about blues with a tinge of purple.  I hope that clears it up.  BUT, in case it doesn't, here are today's contenders!!

In the OPI corner, representing The Amazing Spider-Man collection 2012, is a shimmery goodie that's SO shimmery, my camera lens went nuts:  Into the Night!  *rahhhhhhhh*

When I picked up Into the Night from the Ulta clearance rack, I had forgotten the reviews I'd read about how sheer it is.  I used FOUR coats to banish Mr. VaNeLi..  I'm not gonna lie...this is a weird polish.  It's like a frost, but it isn't like a frost.  It's not brushstroke-prone, but there is so much silver shimmer that you simply have to call it a frost.  I could not get a pic of this polish that did not convey anything less than a glowing nimbus.  But even with its strange qualities, this is one beautiful polish!  It's a denim blue color with a slight indigo undertone.  AND I put this on last night, got up this morning and groomed both my puppies and shampooed my hair, and I had ZERO tip wear.  Yes, reader, you read that right.  Well done, OPI.

Aaaaaaand next we have in the L'Oreal corner, representing Electric Fantasie Project Runway 2012, is The Mystic's Fortune! *rahhhhhhhh*

I have to say that I don't know WHY these two polishes were so hard to photograph.  Ugh.  Anyway, The Mystic's Fortune is a true indigo metallic with a lot of blue shimmer, but not so much that it morphs into a frost (a la Into the Night).  I used two coats, and the application was very good.  I really love the color of this polish.  It leans a bit bluer than the photos...about *this* close to navy, but with enough violet in it to not actually BE navy.  I think this makes a nice alternative to wearing black IF you feel funny about wearing black. :)

So...what do you think?  Which one has your vote?  I'm torn on this one...I think I'm going for L'Oreal for the color.  And OPI for that fantastic wear time! :P

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

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

A Soft Shower: Orly Angel Rain

Hey everybody!  Have you all seen the Orly Surreal collection this fall?  Orly has been releasing some really pretty stuff lately (Sparkling Garbage, anyone?).  I happened up on the Surreal collection on sale and snagged a multichrome beauty called Angel Rain.

Angel Rain shifts from blue to pale green to lavender to pink.  This is one of the most interesting polishes I've seen lately.  I think it's a perfect fairy tale in a bottle...the kind of fairy tale where you don't want glitter and sparkle...just that glowing nimbus quality.

Angel Rain is a bit frosty, but fortunately, it doesn't leave all those pesky brushstrokes with the flashing red signs reading "Totally Tubular!!" 

Angel Rain is very sheer.  I used 3 thin coats for the photos, and I still had visible nail line, although you probably won't...unless you're like me and your nails are 84% calcium or something. :P  You can layer it over a color, but I prefer it on its own.  Be sure to let each coat dry thoroughly to avoid those dreadful little frost bubbles. :/

I had a rather difficult time getting Angel Rain to play nice and show the camera all its beautiful colors.  So much for an angelic personality...

Lavender shift in outside light

It's...turning...green?

 

 

Ahhhh...shift to green:  SUCCESS!

Angel Rain is one of those polishes that you have to see for yourself to truly appreciate.  My paltry photography skills simply can't do the amazing multichromosity justice. :)

What do you think of Angel Rain?  Does the lovely color/colors outweigh the frostiness for you?  I will say that I was sitting next to my sister this morning in church under halogen lighting, and she saw this polish on my nails and thought it was pretty special. <3

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: L'Oreal VIP Status

Hey everybody!  Okay, show of hands:  Who out there feels like they just don't fit in?  You're just a square peg in a round hole?  You're just always going to be an outsider who doesn't belong in any specific group?  You're not alone.  Meet this charming young lady...L'Oreal VIP Status.

L'Oreal VIP Status

L'Oreal VIP Status was released in early 2012 as part of the Color Riche Trend Setter Collection.  What is it about me and trendsetting?  Next I'll be sporting suspenders and a bow tie.

L'Oreal VIP Status

As you all know, VIP means "very important person."  In this case, VIP should mean "very inconclusive polish."  I mean, help me out here...what color is it?  I'm serious.  What color is this polish?  I have read it described as blackened teal...as dark steel blue...as bluish-gray.  What do you think?

It IS teal.  Or is it?  It's charcoal gray!  Well, maybe not?

Let's go with what we do know...VIP Status is a frost.  And it is a very attractive frost.  It has a shimmery look about it.  You can turn your hand one way, and the polish is sorta green.  Turn it another way, and it's kinda black.  Wiggle your fingers and it bursts into flames!!  Just seeing if you were still paying attention. :)

Can't put a label on this baby!

I used 2 coats of VIP Status for the photos.  The formula was a bit thin, but I like that because it makes it easier for me to work with...and I like L'Oreal's little flat, pseudo-stiff brush too. :)

So there you have it...a polish that marches to the beat of its own drum.  And it just goes to show you that sometimes the misfits are the most interesting ones around. ;)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely evening!

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! :)