Financial Responsibility, Part 1: Sinful Colors

Hey everybody!  I have been really busy this week, but I did manage to do something I've been meaning to do for a long time.  I made a list of all my unworn polishes.  I feel rather ashamed of myself.  I won't give you a number, but let's just say that facing an addiction is pretty sobering. :P  SO...that being said...I'm ushering in a new series here at my Reverie to feature said polishes.  It's the Era of Financial Responsibility!

Another thing:  you may have noticed that I do not like using typical nail polish language.  I will not use the words "dupe" or "stash", and don't even get me started on "lemming".  Another term I really dislike is "untried".  I mean...who came up with all this stuff anyway?  Who invented the nail polish language??  Anyway, as I always call my terms by a different name, I am officially calling my unworn polishes my never-worns.  I think it lends a sort of elegance to my unhealthy habit. :D

Today's post features two polishes by Sinful Colors that were both *meant* to be a Blogger Made Me Do It post blaming the ever-charming Liesl Loves Pretty Things.  So I guess you're gettin' a two-fer!  First off, let's hear it for Graine de Poivre.

Graine de Poivre (translation: peppercorn) is a mushroom taupe creme, introduced fall of 2013.  I fell so in love with this when Liesl featured it that I went looking for it right away.  I have some close-but-no-cigar colors like it.  Graine de Poivre turns really grey on me, but I still like it.  The formula is very good on this one.

I did a little comparison shot of some taupe-ish and greige colors, just so you can see about where Graine de Poivre falls in the spectrum.  Oh, and I have no idea why Berlin There, Done That looks matte...:/

The other Sinful Colors offering that I just HAD to have after Liesl's feature is Hot Chili, a sort of "texture lite" introduced around May of 2014.

See how pretty this is?  Would you believe me if I told you it's even prettier in person??  Hot Chili is a barely pink-tinged red metallic with textured bits of something and small holographic glitter.  Yeah, this is nice.  I was surprised that the formula was super runny.  My results after one coat were disastrous, but two coats seemed to help quite a lot.

Well now.  I feel better already.  Two down from my long list of never-worns and many, many more to go.  At $1.99 each, these two SC polishes don't induce *that* much of a guilt trip.  I blame Liesl anyway. :P

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

Coming Around...

Hey everybody!!  Wow, I've missed you all! 

I am slowly getting back into the swing of things after my 3 month long hiatus.  So much has changed for me personally since my last blog post...I'm still trying to get over it. :/  I thought I would show you some of the things I've been wearing since June.

butter LONDON Shag - metallic and shimmery and gorgeous and chipped all over the place...

Orly Star Trooper - coffee-colored jelly and white glitter!  Yikes, it's pretty!! Oh, and this...

Zoya Payton - imagine blackberry jam where the seeds are holo.  Yep.

China Glaze Optical Illusion - my absolute favorite microglitter!

Zoya Aurora (complete with tip wear!)

I hope you all have enjoyed your summer and are ready to listen to me whine about the slow-poke arrival of our Southern autumn. :)

And a special thank you to my co-bloggers and friends Liesl, Yadi, Christine, and Emily for checking on me over the past weeks.  It means more than you know. <3

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day. 

Sally Hansen XTreme Wear Indi-Glow

Hey everybody!  You may have guessed that life has gotten a wee bit busy for me lately.  If you did guess that, you'd be correct! :D  I have some hefty things on the horizon, namely taking care of my Mom after knee replacement surgery next week.  I wanted to try to squeeze in a post before things got too crackers...so how about a super-pretty jelly?

Sally Hansen XTreme Wear Indi-Glow kinda sneaked up on me.  I have only seen this in one Walgreens, ever.  I wasn't sure if it would be as pigmented as it looks in the bottle, when I opened it up and pulled out the brush, I knew I had to have it. :)

Isn't this pretty?  Indi-Glow is a true indigo, a deep violet blue full of delightfully squishy attributes.  It's also full of color-changing glitter that was impossible to capture on film.  Just look at the bottle shot, and that's what it looks like on the nail.  I'm wearing three coats, and application was pretty much perfect.

Of course, you know I'm always singing the blues (uh, no pun intended) when it comes to my jelly tip wear.  It's just always there, much like my famous non-friend, Mr. VaNeLi.  Indi-Glow isn't this transparent in real life either.  And it's crazy how the photos just don't show the plethora of glitter in this polish.  I guess you could say this photographic journey a la jelly was a total flop.

But I DID manage to get a pseudo-decent macro shot that (somehow) shows all the glitter.  Okay...just imagine this glitter not only being abundant, but glowing and color-changing as well! :D

Well.  Best thing I can say about this post is that my cuticles look fairly good.  You all might be glad you won't see me next week. :P

Indi-Glow is a part of the XTreme Wear Limited Edition Spring 2014 line.  I highly recommend it for anybody who is addicted to jellies! 

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you all very soon. <3

My New Sinful Colors Picks! Embers Only and Peppered Amazon

Hey everybody!  It's Friday!  Isn't that nice? :)  And talk about nice (I love segues), our favorite super-affordable-but-unfortunately-named brand, Sinful Colors, has come out with some beautiful new shades for summer!  I was on my monthly drugstore polish shop fest with Mr. Sweets looking for Hot Chili, thanks to Liesl Loves Pretty Things and the way she makes me want AWL the polishes, and not only did I find Hot Chili, but I also picked up two of the new shades.

First up is Embers Only...heh heh heh!!!  Embers Only!!  Do you all remember Members Only jackets?  Of course you don't.  You weren't born back then.  But I digress.

Ooooooh.  That's mighty nice.  Embers Only is a true red...to me it doesn't lean orange or blue...it's just red.  It's bright too, and it's got a pink shimmer and sparse pink and gold glitter.  This one is a crelly and a little thin.  I used 3 coats of Embers Only for pretty good opacity.

My best high school bud Todd had a Members Only jacket back in 1983.  He wore it with his parachute pants and looked totally awesome!  But again, I digress...

I made the comment to my friend Yadi at Night Swatcher that I am making the BOLD prediction that this next shade will be the coveted Sinful Colors shade of the year:  Peppered Amazon.  Peppered Amazon??!!  :/

My bottle had spottitis wonkimus for some reason, but try to overlook that and look at how utterly fantastic Peppered Amazon is!!  It's a creamy, dreamy, slightly dusty jade that's loaded with more silver shimmer than an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras.  This is an unusual shade and finish of green, and it's gorgeous!  Application was fabulous on this one, and I used 2 coats.

What do you think of these Sinful Colors shades?  I'm loving Embers Only, but Peppered Amazon is SO lovely that I am anticipating the possible arrival of Salted Nile for autumn? :P  I purchased these at Rite Aid. 

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

The Blogger Made Me Do It: Sally Hansen Open Mica Night

Hey everybody!  I know you all are ready for my special little blame game in which I don't accept responsibility for my polish buying.  Today's guilty culprit is Yadi of Night Swatcher!  I am not usually somebody who is drawn to glitter toppers, but when I saw Sally Hansen Open Mica Night on Yadi's blog, well...I knew it should be mine.  After all, she specifically said we needed it in our lives. :)

YIKES!!  It's holo AND square!!  What a gor-gee-ous topper Open Mica Night is.  Look at that bottle shot!!  This lovely glitter spread well, but since it's so chunky, it needed a little help with landing in all the right places. ;)

I dabbed on Open Mica Night over Nicole by OPI Back to Reality...TV, which is a rather strange little number.  It's a dusty, deep periwinkle with a sludgy look about it, and it's got a pink shimmer.  It's very unusual, but I like it.  I debated on using such a flashy topper as Open Mica Night over it because of the shimmer, but I love the result.  Rule #3:  Shimmer makes the world a happier place!

Now, once more, let the colors and flash assault your eyes!!

AND...let me add one more thing to the awesomeness of this mani:  I used OPI's new Glitter Off as my base coat, so no worries about busting out the old foil tonight when I change.  I have read some negative reviews about Glitter Off, but I have to tell you that it works fantastically with my chemistry.  So, if you're like me, and butter LONDON chips like crazy on you, check out Glitter Off for all your non-foil, glitter-friendly needs! :)

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

Sally Hansen Triple Shine, Chapter 2

Hey everybody!  I hope this week is going well for you. :)  My sister Melanie and I recently won a fantastic prize of 16 Sally Hansen Triple Shines in a photography contest, and I have some to show you today.  I've already posted about Red Snapper and Wavy Blue, so today's post is a continuation.  And now that I have so many, I'll probably continue even more. :P

Let's dive right into it, shall we?  What an awesome segue...first off I have Dive In! 

Ahhhhh, isn't it lovely??  Dive In is a turquoise blue cream that is probably my favorite of all the Triple Shines.  It's just so happy.  And for all you girls who just LOVE the arrival of spring, this is definitely a springy polish.  I am still a bit surprised that I don't have this color already, but I don't.  I used two coats of Dive In.

Next I have Kelp Out, which is a medium green crelly.  This is a really nice color that I could have posted about in my grassy green comparison if I hadn't wanted to keep my Triple Shines separate.  The formula was easy to work with but a little thin for my desire to avoid Mr. VaNeLi, so I used three coats.

And in case you were wondering, Kelp Out is quite the shiny little number.  And I know my coloring looks a little strange(r) in these pics, but I wanted to capture Kelp Out correctly. :)

There are several glitter toppers in the Triple Shine line.  I layered Sparks Fly, a silver/blue glitter combo, over Kelp Out...and I'm kinda loving this look.  It's like Swamp Thing goes to Vegas.  This is one coat of Sparks Fly, and the formula was very good on this one.

And if Dive In is my favorite Triple Shine, Flame On has got to be a *very* close second. 

Flame On is a BEAUTEOUS hot pink metallic with a subtle shimmer.  And it looks just like shiny vinyl on the nail!  Seriously...you see a teensy weensy bit of brushtroke stuff in the pics, but you cannot see any in real life.  It's just like you wrapped your nails in plastic.  LOVE!!  I used three coats of Flame On for opacity.

I love the application and colors of Triple Shines, but I have the same problem will all of them:  inordinate tip wear.  I don't get it.  Have you all tried any, and what has your experience been with them?  Is it just me having these issues??

Stay tuned for more Triple Shines in all their glory!  Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)

Blogger Bud Love!! Hare Polish Pegasus

Hey everybody!  Yes, I have been suspiciously absent over here at the Reverie.  I have been doing some coursework that has left me not a whole lot of time for the blog this week.  Oh, and my cuticles are like an obnoxious CRUST that I shall blame on tax season.  Why not?  Grrrrrr...but I simply HAD to do a post about the lovely present I received from my dear blogging bud Christine of Polished Marvels.  She sent me not one, but TWO of my wish list polishes all the way from Switzerland. <3

Christine gave me a heads up that she was sending a package and had accidentally left out her handwritten note (that she found on her table when she got home from the post office).  She told me that she "tore the note to shreds in despair" when she discovered this, LOLOL!  Well, of course I couldn't wait to see what was in my package, and I was completely surprised to receive Hare Polish Pegasus! <3

Pegasus just looks so fairytale-esque.  It's soft and girly, but it's magically sparkly as well.  Something about this polish brings to mind Medieval jousting tournaments and pennants snapping in the breeze.  And fair ladies wearing braids and conical hennins. :)  What?  Sleeping Beauty was my favorite Disney movie! :P

Pegasus is a grey-lavender crelly loaded in silver glitter of varying sizes.  The glitter is very shiny and reflective.  I used three coats of Pegasus to get complete coverage, and it applied smoothly with no glitter issues...except that whole super-shiny thing. :)  The color is more grey in real life than in the photos.  It's quite unusual and I really love it.

So we have another beauty marked off the wish list, thanks to a very sweet and thoughtful friend.  Oh, and speaking of SWEET, look what else my favorite Swiss Miss included in my package:

Yeah.  Blogging buds are the best. Thanks again, Christine.  And thank you all for stopping by! :)

 

What a Surprise! Hare Polish Hooky at the Hamlet

Hey everybody!  You know something?  Blogging buds are the best!  I have a modest little wishlist on here, and my sweet friend Emily from Em's Polish Paradise noticed that I was craving a certain polish that she happened to have...so she sent it to me, all the way from Australia. <3

I've had my eye on Hooky at the Hamlet by Hare Polish ever since it came out, but due to some reason or another (out of stock, bleeding bank account, allergies), I never picked it up.  So, I got home from work, the night before my birthday (!!!), and there it was, in all its strangely-hued glory...

The legends are true.  This color of this polish is nearly impossible to capture correctly.  The top picture comes the closest...I know my skin looks a bit more anemic than usual, but I at least wanted you to see what the color looked like.  Hooky at the Hamlet comes from the 2013 Last Queen of France collection.

After careful consideration and much ogling, I would have to describe Hooky at the Hamlet as 50/50 green and blue.  There are small and medium white hexes, with some little white squares as well.  There is also a blue shimmer that's quite pretty.  I've read that this polish is a jelly, but it seemed like a crelly to me, and it dries sort of matte.  I'm just full of nailed-down details today! :D  I used 3 thin coats with 2 coats of top coat...just because I like shiny things. :)

What do you think of this crazy color?  The combination of the unique color, problem-free formula, and the BUNNY make Hooky at the Hamlet a total winner!  Hare Polish can be purchased on Etsy.

And the only thing better than scratching another one off the ol' wishlist is the feeling you get when a friend gives it to you. <3  Thank you again, Emily! :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day!

Shimmer, Shimmer Everywhere: Julie and Sarah

 *Press Sample*

Hey everybody!  How is everyone on this Friday?  I've got some dreadfully lovely Shimmer Polishes to show you today...so how about let's take a look? :)

Behold...Julie!  And my pseudo-attempt at nail art. :D  Julie is a multicolored glitter in a clear base.  The glitter is small to micro, which I love. <3  Shimmer Polish describes Julie as a "rainbow mix."

Even though I am NOT a nail artiste, I do love how this turned out.  I used Essie Ballet Slippers as my base color and then sponged Julie on the tips.  It looks like I've been playing in magical Italian salad dressing!  Oh, stop complaining...I haven't used a food analogy in ever so long!! :P  Just look at it...14 different herbs and spices...all served up by the Salad Fairy! :D

Next we have Sarah, or, the Peacock Who Turned Herself Into a Polish.  What?  You don't remember your mother reading you that classic??  Quite simply, Sarah is a peacock in a bottle...a flawless, fabulous, fine-feathered fowl in one perfect sparkletini!!

My goodness.  Do you see what I mean?  Of course you do.  My readers are super intelligent! :D  I love, love, LOVE this polish.  I used 3 coats of Sarah for opacity.  In real life, not only is the color beautiful, but the glitters, especially the micros, absolutely twinkle.  Ahhhhhh...

As with all the Shimmers I've experienced, neither Julie nor Sarah feel like you're wearing glitter polish.  A couple of coats of top coat, and there's nothing but a marked absence of lumps and bumps. :)  Shimmer Polish can be purchases on Etsy.

Stay tuned in the very near future for more shimmery Shimmer goodness. <3  Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely weekend! 

*Press Sample*

A Wonder in Glitterland: Shimmer Polish Alice

*Contains Press Sample*

Hey everybody!  Well, we in the deep south have survived a fluky weather event that only happens once in a blue moon.  And make that a periwinkle blue moon, which is even rarer. :P  I'm referring to the ice and snow that hit everywhere this past Tuesday and Wednesday.  And of COURSE, we didn't get snow (I think the snow line stopped about 2.5 feet north of us), but we got sleet.  So it's an extra special treat when I get to wear some faux fur for three whole days in a row!! :D  But get this...tomorrow's high is 75.  Grrrr.

Well it's a good thing I can always turn to some frosty-hued polish to keep me at least *looking* somewhat wintry. :)  I recently won a giveaway from the fantastic Shimmer Polish, and I was graciously asked if I would like some polishes for review as well.  One of polishes I received was Alice, a silver and holographic glitter.  I did a combo with butter LONDON Sprog that faintly reminded me of Alice's dress as she perused Wonderland...

Shimmer Alice is the loveliest stuff.  It sparkles and glistens like crazy.  

Do not adjust your monitor...look at all that holo flash! <3

I used 3 coats of butter LONDON Sprog (which happens to be a gift from a dear friend <3) for this mani.  I discovered that Sprog is on the watery side, but it's such a lovely shade of periwinkle (moon) blue. :)  I added 3 coats of Alice on my ring finger.  For the other fingers, I dabbed on Alice near the cuticle and lightly dragged my brush down the nail for the look of seriously sensational scatted snowflakes.  :)

And do you know the thing I love most about Shimmer Polish?  Even with 3 coats, the glitter was not one bit coarse, or even lumpy.  It's pretty amazing.  This is the only full coverage glitter I ever wore that was so smooth.

What do you think of Alice?  She is gorgeous!  How'd you like that I just answered for you? :D  You can purchase Alice and other amazing Shimmer Polishes on Etsy.  Just prepare for eyes for a glorious shock! 

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

*Contains Press Sample*

Happy Birthday to Me: Different Dimension Orion Nebula

Hey everybody!  Yes, it's my birthday.  January 14 is the worst possible day of the year to have a birthday when you work in the field of accounting.  But I'll cut Mom some slack because she couldn't possibly have known this fact back when I was born. :)

There's just nothing like buying yourself a birthday present off your own wish list.  I believe I am the only person in my family who is aware that I have a wish list.  It's kind of along the lines of when I turned 30 and decided to throw myself a party to lament my lost youth...it had never occurred to anybody in my family to have a birthday party, and so after that first one, a grand tradition of my family actually throwing birthday parties began.  So the moral of the story is when nobody else does it for you, do it for yourself! :D

I have wanted Orion Nebula by Different Dimension since first I laid eyes on it, so I bought this little gem for myself!  

Can't you see why??  Can't you??

Look at that.  Just LOOK at that.  Hot pink in a black jelly, and ALL the glitter is circle...and some are even holographic! <3  Sure, I had to fish a bit for the big pieces...but when I had the finished product, all I could do was stare.  I guess you could say the POLISH did the fishing...because it got me hook, line and sinker. :D

I layered Orion Nebula over black because the black jelly base is quite sheer.  The photos show two coats.  There was plenty of smaller glitter with each dip of the brush...it was only the very large pieces that took a little more effort. :)

Want to guess why I adore this polish?  Is it because it's a jelly?  Because it's loaded in fabulous circle glitter? Because black and hot pink are, like, totally 80's??  None of the above.  I love this polish because it looks like a lava lamp.  I can just hear it...blub...blub...blub...

I got my Orion Nebula (and some other lovely Different Dimension goodies!) on Etsy.  

Thanks for spending time with me on my birthday...I did my partying on Saturday, so I'm probably just going spend time with my puppies tonight.  And paint my nails. :)

Have a lovely day! <3

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