Franken: Across the Ocean

Since it was released, Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe has been a favorite for many polish addicts. I briefly succumbed to the hype, but realized pretty quickly it wasn't actually my thing, so it went off to someone who would appreciate it more. I am a big teal lover though, and figured I would like a similar polish in that color scheme, so I decided to make one. Because I am so super creative and original (/sarcasm), I'm calling it Across the Ocean.

That is 5 coats. I kept it really freaking sheer because I didn't want to lose the glitter.

It's got quite a bit of depth. Not sure why I've got a bottle of Essie drying drops in the above picture, but we'll just go with it.

Boom. Glitter. It wore really well on me too- 5 days, no chips, no tip wear. Just the expected growth at the cuticle end. It makes a pretty great base for Pahlish Toxic and Timeless, which I'll be showing you on Friday.

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

SHCSM Guilty Pleasure

SHCSM Guilty Pleasure is one of the core colors from the Complete Salon Manicure line. It's also one of the colors that started my polish addiction. It's more of a muted gold, and one of those colors I reach for when I'm trying to be a little less obnoxious with my manicures. 2 coats, with top coat.

See that fill line? Right above the word complete. I'm going to need a second bottle of this, very soon...I love it for pedicures too. I know many people have trouble with the CSM brush, but it works very well for me so I had no trouble with application. It isn't frosty either. In the sun:

Love. I don't think there's a particularly well-known gold polish quite like this. Most golds are brighter, flashier, and yellow-er. I think the new version of A-England Holy Grail is similar, but it's a foil, and has some greenish undertones. Guilty Pleasure is core though, so no worries!

Have you tried Guilty Pleasure, or a similar gold? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

Reswatch: William Tell Me About OPI

Well, this isn't really a reswatch per se, but I wore William Tell Me About OPI again recently and wanted to share, since it's been a year and two days since I posted it the first time.

Awesome color, awesome formula. Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great weekend!

China Glaze Little Drummer Boy

China Glaze Little Drummer Boy was released with the Holiday 2010 collection, 'Tis the Season to be Naughty and Nice. It's a very opaque dark blue shimmer. Like VIII, it was almost solid in one coat. I can get away with one thick coat if I'm in a hurry, and it dries quickly too, so I quite like that. 2 coats, plus top coat, in the shade:

It dries pretty dull, so top coat is a must. Good formula, but I should also note that because it is a dark blue, cleanup is a huge PITA. Don't get it on your skin. In the sun:

This is definitely my favorite dark blue, especially because it's so different from the others. This is a faded, almost denim-like blue, whereas most dark blue shimmers have definite purple/navy leanings. CND Blue Blood is close, but long discontinued. Little Drummer Boy has also probably been discontinued, but since it's only been 2-3 years you might still be able to track it down online.

Have you tried Little Drummer Boy, or anything similar? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!

China Glaze VIII

Today I will show you China Glaze VIII. It's a basic eggplant creme that was released with China Glaze's X collection in Fall 2007, to celebrate their tenth anniversary. The colors were all named with Roman numerals, and frankly they are pretty much as boring as the names. I do like this one though. It's very opaque, almost solid in 1 coat but perfect in 2.

I didn't bother with shade pictures, because it just looks black in the shade. The formula was ok. Thick but manageable, for the most part.

As you can see, I had some difficulty getting a clean line at the cuticle because of the thickness of the polish, so I'll definitely thin it before I use it again. It's a very elegant color though.

I don't feel that this color is particularly unique, but most of the similar colors I can think of are much much warmer, like SHCSM Pat on the Black. OPI Lincoln Park after Dark is darker and warmer. Zoya Monica is lighter and cooler. VIII is core at Sally Beauty Supply though, so if you're after it, nothing to worry about.

Have you tried VIII? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great week!

China Glaze White Cap

China Glaze White Cap was released with the Anchors Away collection for Spring 2011. It consists of yellow-gold flecks in a sheer white base. It works well as a layering polish, especially over Sea Spray (from the same collection), but I wanted to try to replicate the look in the bottle. I started with 3 coats of OPI Ridge Filler, and used 3 coats of White Cap on top. In the shade:

In the sun:

Totally not my usual kind of look, but I dig it.

For some reason, when I started writing this post, I figured, "Oh, White Cap probably has tons of dupes out there." Except now I can't really think of any? CND Jade Sparkle has a very similar look, but is in a clear base, so it's more versatile. Aside from that...I got nothing.

Thoughts? Have you tried White Cap, or anything similar? Did you like it? What kinds of base colors would you pair with it?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and have a great weekend!

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma was released with the Generation Q Collection for Fall/Winter 2012. It consists of a berry base with red and gold shimmer. This is 3 coats, with top coat, in the shade.

And in the sun:

The formula was great. It's solid in 2 coats, but I found that a third added depth. I'm one of those people that never ever matches my tips and toes because I find it boring, but I love this color enough that I sported Charisma tips and toes for a week straight. Here's another sunlight pic, because...why not.

OPI Diva of Geneva is similar, but it's much cooler-toned, with pink and purple leanings. Charisma is definitely warm. As it's a berry shimmer, I'm sure there are other similar colors, but Diva of Geneva is the only one I can think of at the moment. Either way, it's awesome.

Have you tried Charisma, or any similar colors? Thoughts?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you're having a great week!