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

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! :)

Vintage Barielle for Autumn: Putt-E On Me and Lava Rock

Hey everybody!  This morning it actually sort of felt like fall outside.  However, that didn't stop me from experiencing my standard personal sweating attack within a couple of hours.  Blast you, hot flashes.  Oh well...that doesn't alter the fact that it actually IS fall. :)  And when you know it IS fall, you just want to wear some fall colors!  Today I have a couple of Barielle polishes from the 2009 All Lacquered Up collection that I just recently purchased and discovered with much delight are thoroughly autumnal. 

First up is Putt-E On Me, a beautiful, shiny creme.

Let me first say that I purchased both polishes I'm showing today at TJ Maxx in a variety box of 5 for $7.99. I love Barielle polishes, mostly because you can almost always find a crazy strange one in your box.   Putt-E On Me is said crazy strange one.  

When I saw the bottle and read the name, I thought it was probably like your standard greige on the nail...you know, some harmlessly uninteresting putty color.  Wow, was I wrong!  I don't know if it's my skin tone, but this lovely creme has undertones of smoky mulberry.  I love this polish!

Putt-E On Me is definitely a greige-ish neutral, but it's so much more interesting on that you think it will be.  I used 2 coats for the photos, which do not show just how shiny this polish is.  Very, very pretty and versatile.

Another obviously autumn polish from my superbly priced Barielle set is Lava Rock.

Well, you don't have to be a neurosurgeon to know that I fell in love with this one too.  Lava Rock is a dark, vampy, blackened plum with a red shimmer.  It reminds me of OPI Every Month Is Oktoberfest.

The bottle shot looks like there is blue in the shimmer too, but I looked and looked under a bright light, and I couldn't see the blue.  I suppose the polish gremlins were playing a trick on me. :D  I used two coats for the photos.

Even if the blue shimmer was merely in my head, the red shimmer is blatantly there.  There is also an almost duochrome look about Lava Rock.  This polish apparently thinks it's funny to fool the eye. :P  No matter, you sly little jester...you're still delectable! 

I love both these Barielle fall colors.  Barielle polishes can be purchased on their website.  They sell for $8 each and your second one is $4.  And of course, you can always go stalking your local TJ Maxx and Marshall's for great deals on Barielle multi-packs. :)

What's your favorite autumn nail color?  

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! :)