Pretty Jelly Which Way? and Curiouser and Curiouser

Hey everybody!  Last week when I was blogging about the new Back to School Brights collection by Pretty Jelly, I remembered that I had also purchased a couple of polishes several months ago from the Alice in Wonderland-themed Spring Curiouser and Curiouser collection.  While I've worn the polishes, I didn't get the chance to post about them yet due to "life happening."  So here they are, languishing no more!

I love Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and all things Alice-inspired.  The original illustrations by Sir John Tenniel have without a doubt produced style icons unlike any others in Alice and her Wonderland friends (and foes).  

First up I have the namesake polish from the collection, Curiouser and Curiouser.

"'Curiouser and curiouser!' cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English)." - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Curiouser and Curiouser is a gorgeous bright blue metallic linear holo.  It's somewhere between light and medium blue.  Just imagine the color of Alice's dress.  Then plug it into a magical electric socket!  The photos show two coats with topcoat.

I'm LATE!

Next I have Which Way?, a lilac scattered/linear hybrid that looks very faintly grey-tinged in indirect lighting.

"Soon her eye fell on a little glass box that was lying under the table: she opened it, and found in it a very small cake, on which the words `EAT ME' were beautifully marked in currants...She ate a little bit, and said anxiously to herself, `Which way? Which way?', holding her hand on the top of her head to feel which way it was growing..." - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Which Way? is a soft and different sort of neutral.  I always say that my personal neutral polish is purple, and Which Way? is an especially good option if you're in the mood for a paler hue.  The tiny smattering of grey gives it an elegant feel.  This is also two coats with topcoat.

Well...if you insist...

Aren't these colors delightful? :)  You can find the Curiouser and Curiouser collection and many other fabulous offerings by Liz and Pretty Jelly on Etsy.

As always, thank you for reading, and have a lovely day. <3

Rimmel Sweetie Crush Collection

 
Hey everybody!  

Do you all like sugar as much as I do?  What a fib...nobody could possibly like sugar as much as I do!  I am a moderately ashamed sugar addict.  I should be more ashamed than I am, but that would only depress me and cause me to stress eat more sugar.  What a dilemma.  Fortunately, I have a sweet offering today without the calories and ensuing guilt complex! :P  Rimmel London has released a limited edition texture collection called Sweetie Crush, a yummy set of pastels.  I will say up front that all the colors were pretty sheer, and I used 3 coats of each.

First is Sherbet Sweetheart, a pale yellow.  This was a surprise favorite for me.  Could it be because it looks like butter cream frosting?  Hmmm...

Next is a gorgeous blue called Blueberry Whizz.  It's a true pale blue...no aqua undertones.  The sheen gives this one a blue fairy look. :)

The pink (!!!) of the Sweetie Crush collection is called Candyfloss Cutie.  Let me just say that the British have the most adorable name ever for cotton candy.  Come on...isn't it? :)  Candyfloss Cutie is a light pink with the *tiniest* touch of rose, but not enough for it to appear indecisive and annoying.

Ahhh, pale green texture!  And such an unusual color at that.  I wore Fizzy Applelicious to the office today,  and it's such a pale color that you have to look closely to see it's green.  It's pretty though and looks a bit like a neutral.

Violet Swizzle...what can I say about this lavender except that it's beautiful?? :)  This is actually very pale too, paler than the photos show.  Springy and girly.

The Sweetie Crush collection bottles are small at .27 oz., but I paid a whopping $1.29 a bottle for each.  I found these at Kmart and have not seen them anywhere else.  I like their pale, ethereal colors and their silvery sheen.  As far as the texture goes, I would say they are somewhere between Zoya Pixie Dust and Julie G Gumdrops.

Have you seen the Sweetie Crush collection around?  I would have to say my favorite is Blueberry Whizz. :)

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

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! :)

 

Zoyas I Love: Crystal, Perrie, and Edyta

Hey everybody!  Have you heard about the serious epidemic going around this week?  It's called Zoya Fever! :)  Zoya is running their buy 3 for $12 promo, and I'm telling you...it's really hard to decide what you want...isn't it??  I love Zoya to bits, and when I look at their colors, it's a bit overwhelming when you know you get 3 and they have about 867 that you love. :P

So...here am I...donning my public servant cap to *maybe* help you arrive at a decision!  Isn't that nice of me? :)  First up is, without a doubt, one of Zoya's loveliest polishes, Crystal.

I LOVE Crystal.  It's a beautiful ice blue metallic foil with a very heavy gold shimmer.  The gold is so highly visible in Crystal that on the nail, this polish looks mottled...almost like a Saran wrap mani.  Just gorgeous!!

I think I am one of the 6 people on the planet who doesn't own Zoya Charla. :)  For me, Crystal has that magical feel that everybody ascribes to Charla...it's ethereal and flawless.  And of course, just the fact that it's a Zoya foil should tell you how fantastic it is!  The application is wonderful and the formula perfect.

Another of my Zoya faves is a polish that I don't think has gotten much airtime...Perrie.  Perrie is sort of like the creme version of the my shimmery love Dannii. 

Perrie is a cool-toned medium orchid purple....YES there's that very popular word again!  Zoya describes this color as lavender, but it just doesn't look very lavender on me.  Don't get me wrong, it looks FABULOUS...just a bit deeper than lavender. :D

Perrie's formula is a little thin, but it's easy to work with and levels out pretty well.  I didn't have any flooding with it.  I like this color better and better each time I wear it...and I predict a lot of gals will pick this one up this week. :)

Last up, I have a Zoya that's textbook me:  strange!!  Meet the complex and incomparable Edyta.

Oh myyyyy.  My own photos are renewing my amour for Edyta.  This is the perfect non-shade to confuse and delight all your friends!  Is it brown?  Maybe.  Is it green?  Possibly.  Is it AWESOME??  Oh yes.  It's a delicious metallic shimmer multiple personality in a bottle! :)

Look at that sparkle!  And what color IS said sparkle?  Who knows??  Yes, Edyta is that confusing.  And how I LOVE it!!  Let's see what Zoya has to say about this color:  "A complex mixture of gold, olive, blue-green and smoky grey with a sparkling metallic finish."  Clear as mud!  Hey!  It kinda does look like mud!  An oh-so-glamorous mud. :)

You love this one, don't you? :)  If you love crazy shimmery, and if you love weird, Edyta is your girl.  You will be in love with the bizarre elegance and cock your head to the side more than once as you try to figure her out...

Have I assisted you with any choices?  I doubt it, but I flatter myself to think I could *possibly* sway somebody to choose my recommendations... :)

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! 

A Very Popular Post of 2013, Version 2.0: L'Oreal Color Riche Gold Dust

Hey everybody!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  I had a lovely time with my family, and now I'm back to the blogosphere as 2013 winds down.  I contemplated doing a year end "best of" post like a lot of other bloggers are doing, but I decided against that because 1) I didn't start blogging until April, and 2) I don't get press samples and don't have nearly the choices that others do.  So what I am doing is a big ol' continuation of one of my most popular posts of 2013, L'Oreal Too Dimensional? from the textured Gold Dust collection.  I loved Too Dimensional? so much that I purchased 4 more Gold Dust polishes.  And now seems to be the perfect time to show them off.  So, without further ado...my swan song of 2013! :D

I will keep my introductions to each of these succinct and say up front that all 4 had terrific formulas, zero cleanup, and a major glitter wow factor.  I used two coats of each for the photos.  The texture of the L'Oreal Gold Dust collection is just like Julie G Gumdrops textures, which I love as well. 

First off is the lovely lavender called The Reign of Studs.  I confess, I have no idea what that name means.  It sounds like some weird play on Game of Thrones.  Or The King of Queens.  I don't know.  It looks a bit similar to Too Dimensional?, but it's more of a true purple hue with silver glitter instead of gold.

Next is a *really* elegant gold texture...I mean, this is one pretty color.  It's not an out there, in your face gold...it's muted and delicate and ohhhh so pretty, the appropriately named The Statement Piece.

Did you catch that reference to being "appropriately named"?  There's a reason for that.  Next up is possibly the worst named polish of 2013...and frankly, I thought nothing could top Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!  And it's a shame too, because I Like It Chunky (???) is one of the most gorgeous textured numbers ever invented.  The pink glitter in the coppery base creates an overall look of rose gold.  I guess it likes its glitter chunky.  I hope so anyway...I Like It Chunky looks really, really rotten on me, but I don't care.  It's soooo pretty.

And you all know me by now...I'm gonna save the vamptastic shade for last!  Feast your eyes on Sexy in Sequins, a blackish-purple with lots of pink, lavender and gold glitter.  This one has it all.  I was worried that its dark base would made it troublesome to work with, but nope...another winner. :)

I have resisted (thus far) the temptation to just go ahead and finish purchasing this collection.  But who knows what tomorrow may bring?? :D  There is something about the L'Oreal Gold Dust polishes that really connected with people.  They are all exceptionally pretty, long-wearing, and inexpensive...and something tells me that when this limited edition sells out, the polishes will be the sought-after prizes of tomorrow.  I got all of mine at Rite Aid.

For those of you curious about my Top 5 Popular Posts of 2013, here they are:

1)  Comparison:  butter LONDON The Black Knight vs. Hard Candy Bite of Black
2)  How Bloggers Influence Me:  Sinful Shine Yours Truly
3)  Sally Hansen Sugar Coat Comparison:  Bubble Plum and Red Velvet
4)  Maybelline Color Show Brocades:  Gilded Rose
5)  L'Oreal Does Texture:  Color Riche Gold Dust Too Dimensional? 

Notice anything in particular about all these?  Girls love drugstore brands. :)

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

Understated Elegance: China Glaze Strike Up a Cosmo

Hey everybody!  How has your weekend been?  Mine was good...my sister is a volunteer at the county animal shelter, and yesterday she and I took a sweet little dog on a three and a half hour road trip to go live with his new owner.  Nick, a Miniature Pinscher mix, was an adorable boy, but my goodness, did that little dude ever smell bad.  He hadn't gotten a bath since he'd been at the shelter...Melanie and I were dying laughing because it was so bad.  I never thought a car ride with a thoroughly smelly pooch could be so hilarious. :D

But on a MUCH more elegant note, today I have a polish from the China Glaze Autumn Nights collection that has completely stolen my foil-loving heart.  I pretty much fell in love with the whole Autumn Nights collection, but one of my favorites was Strike Up a Cosmo, a gorgeous, golden lavender-pink.

Look at that beautiful rose gold color!  UGH, I love this.  It sparkles and glistens and looks ever so Christmas party-ish. :)

I used 2 effortless coats for the photos...true to typical foil application, you pretty much can't mess this one up.  What a huge plus this always is in my world of kindergarten paint jobs. :D

This polish reminds me so much of the holiday season...I think it's the faint resemblance to sugar plums or something Victorian.  Uh, does anybody know what I'm talking about, or do I just need some cocoa and a good night's sleep? :P  

See?  Look!  Strike Up a Cosmo is all ready for the punch and presents!  Wow...I hadn't realized I was THIS ready for Christmas season...

And I have a question for you all:  I have read that so many people just detested the Autumn Nights collection, but I am crazy about it.  Am I in the minority?  Becoming unfashionable?  Reading the wrong blogs?  Wait...I guess that was technically three questions, huh...

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely evening! 

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! :)