OPI Taylor Blue

Hey everybody!  

Hmmmm...I was TJ Maxxing the other day (you didn't know that was a verb, did you?) when I found a mysterious bottle of OPI there in the buckets o' polish.  I already had a heads up about said mysterious bottle when I had read a post in one of the Facebook polish groups that Taylor Blue, a polish that was created to be an exclusive charity polish for the Taylor's Gift Foundation for organ donor awareness and registrations, was spotted at TJ Maxx and Marshall's here and there.  Well, I have no idea how these bottles ended up at a discount retailer, as Taylor Blue was (and still is) sold on the charity's website, but I purchased one of the two bottles I saw.

Taylor Blue is a beautiful turquoise creme with, honestly, one of the most wonderful formulas I've ever encountered.  I have historically had trouble with cremes.  I'm not sure why they don't cooperate with me, but it sure is a pleasant surprise to get one like this!  Makes me feel way less untalented.

I've heard that differences in Taylor Blue and OPI Fly are practically imperceptible, but I don't have Fly and couldn't say yay or nay.  (That sounded almost like a Mother Goose line.)  I used two coats and see Mr. VaNeLi in the pics, but it's not out there in real life.

While I was on a roll feeling less untalented, I decided to do some stamping.  I used a giraffe pattern from MoYou London Pro XL 05 and stamped with OPI DS Radiance.  The color of Taylor Blue looks quite a bit greener is this photo than in real life.  The actual color is closer to the first photo.

If you're interested in purchasing Taylor Blue from the Taylor's Gift Foundation, it is available for $10.  Otherwise, there's no telling if or how this will turn up elsewhere. :/

As always, thank you for reading, and have a lovely day! 

OPI Designer Series Radiance and Magic

Hey everybody!  I hope your weekend has been fantastic.  Hurricane Joaquin is skirting by us, so we're nice and cloudy and gloomy.  And that makes me happy. :)

I am wrapping up my posts of the OPI Designer Series polishes that I got from the Ulta clearance rack.  I spent between $2 and $6 on these, which was pretty exciting.  Exciting to me, anyway. :D

First up is DS Radiance, arguably the Queen of All Silver Polishes.  This metallic polish applies like butter and is probably a one-coater, but I used two because I'm me.  If you're in the market for a silver lame for your nails, this gal's for you.  It's a white silver with no pewter undertones.

Oww!  My eyes!!  And I'm kinda digging this with my skin tone.

The last Designer Series polish I was able to snatch up for cheap is Magic.  This polish has a lot going on, but it's all good stuff.  Magic is a violet-tinged royal blue glass fleck shimmer with color-shifting flakes.  Not recommended for girls who don't want to be noticed!

You can see the heavy purple shift in the bottle.  This is less pronounced on the nail, but it's still there.  Wow, I just love the non-color I turn whilst sporting blue polish! 

I totally did not see that bald patch on my middle finger...?  Oh well...SHIMMER!

I used two coats of Magic, but as I'm spotting a bald patch, I'm thinking I could have used three.  My bottle's formula was a bit thin.  Magic wasn't too bad of a stainer either. 

I'm quite happy with my OPI Designer Series selections I was able to get for way cheap.  I would love to find a stray bottle of DS Sapphire that wasn't a bazillion dollars.  Do you have any Designer Series favorites?  Do you think they're as special as they used to be before the plethora of indie choices that we have today?

On a side note,  in case any of you are perplexed at times with my blog terminologies, I have added a tab called "Lacquer Reverie Glossy of Terms" to clear up any confusion. :) 

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

Nail of the Day: Zoya Seraphina and Zoya Vega

Hey everybody!  How has your Saturday been?  I've been quite busy with housework and the like, and I've finally broken down and started wrapping presents.  As a side note, Marshalls/Home Goods/TJ Maxx have the best wrapping paper, period.  Their Christmas paper always appeals to my fancy side...which is really both sides. :D

I've got a very pretty duo on today, Zoya Seraphina with Zoya Vega accents.  I purchased these two bottles about six weeks ago at Ulta, where they were $2.50 each.  Yep.

Seraphina is a silvery-white shade with silver shimmer from the 2013 Zenith Collection.  I liked Seraphina from the very beginning, even though shades like this don't really look all that swell on me.  Seraphina was a naughty girl on me...very, very sheer.  What you're looking at is FOUR coats, and opacity may as well be a fairy tale.  The good thing is the coats dried very quickly.

Vega is a light blue/aqua textured holo Magical Pixie Dust that was released in their first collection of Magical Pixie Dusts, which according to many people, seem to be constantly morphing in terms of formula and finish. :)  I confess, I was kinda on the fence about Magical Pixie Dusts.  I thought a couple of them were a total crusty-looking mess.  But I picked Vega and Cosmo up (at $2.50 I pretty much HAD to try them, right?), and whoa!  Changed my mind!  Vega is like OPI Tiffany Case-does-Vegas.  

Oh, and I'm currently in the process of decorating the house.  Did I give myself away?

I really love this duo.  It's an icy-snowy-frosty-just plain cold look to which I'm always attracted.  Living in the tropics during perimenopause will do that to you.

Don't forget to enter my Pretty Jelly giveaway!  The prize is the entire A Novel Christmas collection, which I personally guarantee you will love. :)

So, my question for you is...where do you like to buy your Christmas gift wrap??  :P  

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day!

Drugstore Halloween, Part 1: Bonita Eat, Drink & Be Scary

Hey everybody!  I hope you're doing superbly on this Monday evening.  

I spent the weekend out of town with Mr. Sweets, so you know what that means!  Drugstore shopping! :)  Walgreens was having some amazing sales, but more about that later...tonight's polish was 100% Rite Aid certified.  I suppose I should add that Rite Aid was also having amazing sales. :P

I have never tried anything by Bonita, but I have been seeing them pop up more and more at Rite Aid.  I spotted a Halloween display of Bonita polishes, and the one that really stood out to me was this one.  And I'm telling you now that it's got the best name ever:  Eat, Drink & Be Scary!!! :D

Eat, Drink & Be Scary is an interesting polish all the way around.  It's sort of foil-ish with a heavy silver/blue shimmer that looks like velvet.  The application on this is really good.  It could be a one-coater, but I did two because I'm me.  

The color of Eat, Drink & Be Scary is rather complicated.  In the store, this looked like a navy shimmer.  But in certain lighting it can look teal or even black.  

Eat, Drink & Be Scary is a very rich-looking polish for $2.49.  Yes kids, I said $2.49.  But wait...there's more!  This was on sale for $1.86.  Yep.

What do you all think of this color?  I rather love it.  I recommend checking out the Bonita Halloween Witches Ball collection at least for Eat, Drink & Be Scary.  And admit it:  you love the name.

Stay tuned for MORE drugstore finds brought to you by me and Mr. Sweets!   Have a lovely day! <3

The Cheapskate Files: Milani 3D Holographics

Hey everybody!  It's been a while since I got all cheap on you, hasn't it?  We all spent too much money at Christmas, so we're in the mood for something cheap, right?  RIGHT!  You might remember that I told you about a store in NC that I love to visit when I'm there that sells perfume, tobacco, and discontinued cosmetics (go ahead and chuckle...it IS rather funny).  Well last summer, I had the pleasure of visiting said store...and there is was, bathed in sunbeams...a huge bin of Milani 3D Holographics for $1.50 each.  I wiped the drool off my chin and snagged the entire collection!  YAY! :)

I won't tire you with loads of pesky details after every picture.  Let me just say that the 3D Holographics collection are jellies with a wonderful, mistake-free formula.  I used 3 coats of each polish due to my persistent friend stalker, Mr. VaNeLi.  These holos twinkle in every kind of lighting!

First up is Digital, a rosy pink.

Next is HD.  This polish is silver in the bottle...but see how not-so-silver it is on me?  I thought, "Ugh, are my nails THAT discolored?"  Of course, they ARE, but it made me wonder why this one looked so gold-ish...well, the blurred bottle shot shows quite a lot of gold holo particles!  So it sort of looks in-between gold and silver.

Next is Hi-Res, a medium purple.  Looks good enough to eat!!

Now this one is as gold as it gets:  3D.  This one looks like liquid gold on the nail.

And I saved my favorite for last...a light blue beauty called Cyberspace. <3  Look at all the colors peeking through in this one...

There was one more polish in this collection, a yellow-green called Hi-Tech, but I gave that one to my stepdaughter, who was helping me scoop all these up from the magic bin. :D

You may have read about these before...the holo effect is different from other polishes because there is something about the particles that looks slightly irregular, almost like tiny shards.  They are like a linear/scattered hybrid, with the linear effect being strongest on Cyberspace and HD.  Another bonus is that you don't need sunlight to watch them glow. 

I was so pleased with this Cheapskates Files score...not only are these awesome, but they're antiques too...these came out over 4 years ago! :)

I hope you've enjoyed today's attempt at making you feel better about your out of control hobby.  Have a lovely day! <3

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*

Sinful Colors Silver Belle

Hey everybody!  My name is Melissa, and I run a humble blog called Lacquer Reverie.  When the lovely Dani asked me to do a guest post for her while her nails are in rehab, I was only too happy to oblige!  Dani is a sweet girl with two terribly cute little boys, and she is forever posting on Facebook delicious photos of some gourmet dish she's whipped up.  Maybe one day she'll post some food pics on here! ;)

Today I have decided to appeal to the cheap in all of us nail polish collectors.  Nail polish is great.  We already know this.  But when a nail polish is pretty AND inexpensive, well, that's even better.  Sinful Colors is a line that I have had very good experiences with as far as wear, application, and interesting color choices...and the whoppin' $1.99 price tag just can't be beat.  This year Sinful Colors introduced quite a few new polishes for Christmas, including a frothy little delight called Silver Belle.

Silver Belle is a simple polish.  It's a muted metallic, not shiny, and not quite what you would call frosty.  It looks like pearly fabric.  It's got a medium amount of small silver hexes. 
 

Silver Belle is quite sheer, so I layered two coats over a light grey creme.  The polish applied effortlessly with no glitter issues or patchiness.

Isn't this pretty?  It's a Christmas party.  It's a winter's night.  It's a magical snowdrift.  It's $1.99!  Sorry...my enthusiasm got the better of me. :)

How could you NOT be the belle of the ball whilst wearing this lovely holiday polish?  I found my Sinful Colors Christmas polishes at Walgreens on a very large end cap display titled "Glitz and Glittered."

Thanks so much for reading, and many thanks to Dani for having me here today! 

Happy Howlidays from Tawdry Terrier! (Pic Heavy)

Hey everybody!  Well, as you know, the holiday season is in full swing everywhere, including the world of nail polish. :)  My first Christmas polish post today is three lovelies by one of my favorite indie designers, Tawdry Terrier.  These are from the new Happy Howlidays collection...so grab a cup of cocoa for yourself and a liver treat for Fido and enjoy the show!

I always like to show a photo of my beautiful package: 

First up I have the last one...chronologically speaking, that is...New Year's Barkin' Eve, graciously gifted to me by the Tawdry Terrier ladies. :)

New Year's Barkin' Eve is fireworks against a night sky conveniently captured in a bottle for you to wear whenever you feel like having a party.  Or exploding...if you've been overeating during the holidays, that is. :D

Tawdry Terrier describes New Year's Barkin' Eve this way:  "a black holographic jelly polish with a mix of black, red, gold, silver, orange, pink, purple, blue, and turquoise glitter. This polish was inspired by the explosion of fireworks on New Year's Eve."  The glitters in this are very reflective, and application is easy.  It's a perfect mix of colors, and the amount of glitter is just the right amount and doesn't simply look like a glitter bomb.  You know how some glitter polishes just look like they have tons of glitter just for the sake of having glitter?  Yeah, you know. :)

Another thing I want to add about New Year's Barkin' Eve is that the black jelly base is very pigmented.  I've found that black jelly bases sometimes look a little brownish and have to be layered over a black creme, but this was an opaque, rich black in two coats. 

Next up is an absolutely beautiful green glass fleck called Yappy Hollydays Ya'll.

Yappy Hollydays Ya'll is such an unusual green.  It's not yellow enough to be grass and not blue enough to be mint...it's just a true medium emerald green.  It's got a lovely holographic shimmer.  There is also red, silver, and gold shimmer if you can get past the holographic goings-on. :)

Ahhhh!!  It's so pretty.  And the application was fabulous...two coats and no cleanup.  This color makes me think of holo and mistletoe.  What's that?  OH!!  I meant HOLLY and mistletoe!!  See, I told you it's hard to get beyond that holo shimmer! :P

And finally, I have my very favorite polish from the Happy Howlidays collection, Bark! Harold the Angel Sings.

Heh heh...it turns out that Tawdry Terrier co-owner Kimberley, as a little girl, thought the words of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" were "Hark! Harold the angel sings." :)  I don't know about Harold, but I'm sure loving this beautiful silver with all that lovely Christmas red and green glitter!  I used three coats for the photos, and the application was great.

Bark! Harold the Angel Sings is such a festive polish.  The inspiration behind it was silver tinsel decorations, but it makes me think of caroling in the snow under glittering lights.  At least I think it does...I've never seen that much snow in person.  Let's just say that in the Currier and Ives world in my head that it reminds me of all that.  So there! :P

You can purchase the Happy Howlidays collection on Etsy.  And today is Kim's birthday, so be sure to check out the special birthday promotion going on just for today!  Happy birthday, Kim! <3

Tawdry Terrier is also having a great Black Friday promotion starting on Thanksgiving (11/28) and going through Monday (12/2) which will include free shipping on orders over $35, previously exclusive polishes for sale, and a free bonus polish with all orders of two or more polishes.  Uh...did you catch that "previously exclusive" part?  Four words:  Harvest Moon Possum Hunt.  It has the distinction of being my favorite polish of the entire YEAR.

I hope you have a lovely evening and a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for so many things in my life, including you all! <3

Nail of the Day: OPI Not Like the Movies

Hey everybody!  A couple of weeks ago I was doing some cheapskate polish shopping at TJ Maxx and found several interesting things (including an Orly duo of Beautiful Disaster and Sparkling Garbage for $6.99.  I figured that HAD to have been an accident but bought it anyway.). :D  The store had several OPI duos, and I purchased a lovely Katy Perry Collection duo of The One That Got Away and today's polish, Not Like the Movies.

UGH!!!  How gorgeous is this??!!  It's just amazing.  Not Like the Movies is a green/purple shifting duochrome, but it's got that little extra something in the form of *shimmer*!  You see, shimmer makes the world a better place.  The end.

Awww, just kidding...I'm back! :)  Not Like the Movies has also got this silver undercurrent going on that gives it a fantasy feel.  Why is it that nail polish addicts love that?  Do we have a problem facing reality?  Or do we just feel better with magic sauce on our nails? :P

I used 3 coats of Not Like the Movies to cover my visible nail line.  Now for some color shift angle attempts!

(Midget Pinky regrets that she was unable to appear in today's post.)

I hope you can see the delicate sparkle.  It's more obvious in real life.  I am not always super in love with every duochrome out there, but Not Like the Movies is a truly beautiful polish.  There's something about the finish that reminds me of a ballgown from the 1950's.

What do you think of this glamorous polish?  It's old Hollywood meets the Age of Technology.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)

OPI Cuckoo For This Color and The Living Daylights

Hey everybody!  Today I have a lovely fall combo to show you.  I recently snagged the shimmery gem that is OPI Cuckoo For This Color from the 2010 Swiss Collection.  I also picked up The Living Daylights from the Skyfall Collection at the same time.  And I got them both off the Ulta clearance shelf! :)

Cuckoo For This Color is SO appropriately named.  Because you see, I am.  It's a blue-leaning pine green, and I am nuts over it!  It's got the shimmer and the exact same formula as my beloved Suzi Loves Sydney.

The Living Daylights is a clear-based glitter topper made up of teal, silver, and copper glitters.  I'm sorry for all the glaring light on my ring finger, but every photo looked like this due to the intense reflective quality of the glitter.  I love this polish!

It's the 3 Amigos with their sidekick, Midget Pinky!

In my opinion, it's the copper glitter that makes The Living Daylights so special.  And copper + teal = autumn loveliness! :)

More photos.  I can't stop admiring this combination.  It's so autumn that it almost makes me want to drink cocoa or rake some leaves.  Almost.

*SHIMMER ALERT*

Wasn't that Swiss Collection great?  Cuckoo, Diva of Geneva...need I say more?  And I think The Living Daylights is one of the loveliest mainstream glitter polishes out there.

So there you have it...another fall offering during this week of 90 plus temps, LOL. :)  Ah, I'll just wipe away the perspiration and wear my cozy autumn colors anyway. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a lovely day! :)