Water Marble: Essie Brooch the Subject and Ole Caliente

Goooooood morning! I water marbled again, as you can see.

No top coat, because I am impatient and accidentally smeared the nails on my right hand when I applied it. Look:

Smearing aside, I am pretty happy with how these designs came out!

One thing that bugs me about water marbling: pretty much every time I do it, I get at least one tiny bubble. Here, you can see it on the ring fingernail of my right hand. It's tiiiiiny, but it bothered me, so I tried carefully popping it with the very tip of my cleanup brush, and of course, the base color now shows through. Oh well.

Thoughts? Would anyone happen to have any tips on avoiding those tiny bubbles?

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

Reswatch: Essie Ole Caliente

Essie Ole Caliente was from the Spring 2012 Navigate Her collection. I wore it again as a pedicure recently and thought, eh, it's been over a year since I first blogged this polish, why not reswatch? I'm still not crazy about it as a manicure, but like Where's My Chauffeur, it looks even better with a tan.

Last time I wore this, I noted that four thin coats was the way to go. Ole Caliente has thickened up in that time, and was nearly solid in 1. I should have given it time to dry between coats though, because I wound up needing 3 coats to even it out anyway because of the streaking.

Oh, and just a quick note about the color: Ole Caliente isn't this orange on me IRL. It's more pink, and it's definitely brighter. My camera apparently had trouble with this color, too.

I remember reading last spring that Ole Caliente is either identical or very very similar to OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where? which was released at the same time. And this year's Resort collection brings us another near-dupe, called Come Here. Let's be honest, this isn't a very unique color, lol.

Have you tried Ole Caliente, or any of the countless similar colors? What do you think? Do you like bright pinks and corals on your fingernails, or are you like me and reserve them for pedicures?

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

Essie Where's My Chauffeur?

Essie Where's My Chauffeur was released with the Leading Lady collection this past holiday season. I also bought Leading Lady, which you will hopefully be seeing...sometime in the near future. Where's My Chauffeur is a bright aqua creme, not really what you'd expect for winter but very bright and cheery, especially with a summer tan.

Where's My Chauffeur has a pretty standard Essie creme formula, almost perfect in 2 coats but still requiring a third to even out some streaking.

The formula was thick, but manageable, and I didn't need to do much cleanup on this mani, which was nice.

I typically dislike these kinds of colors because they're so white-based, and I don't think they're flattering on my skintone at all. But this is so saturated and cheery, I can't help but love it! I really want to water marble with this one. Maybe with OPI Vampire is Buff, or something.

Where's My Chauffeur is very similar to China Glaze Aquadelic, from last spring's Electropop collection. It's also similar to China Glaze For Audrey, which is very very popular. Personally, I prefer the Essie, as it's a smidge darker, and definitely more saturated.

Have you tried Where's My Chauffeur, or any of the other similar aqua cremes? Thoughts?

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

Revlon Chic + Essie As Gold As It Gets

Today I've got for you a layering combo that is a little different, but I'm pretty pleased with how it looks. 2 coats of Revlon Chic, and 1 thin coat of Essie As Gold As It Gets. Chic has a perfect formula, nearly opaque in 1 coat, and very smooth.

I know people tend to layer As Gold As It Gets over darker colors so the gold stands out more, but I personally like it best over mid-toned colors, especially dusty ones like Chic.

No sunlight pics today, because the sun just washed out all the shimmer, so I figured they would be sort of pointless.

I need to dig through my stash for more murky cremes to layer this over. I've definitely got Revlon Guest List and SHCSM Greige Gardens in mind...maybe I'll also try it over a light grey...

What are your favorite bases for As Gold As It Gets?

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

Essie Lapis of Luxury

Today I've got for you Essie Lapis of Luxury. It was released with the 2010 Resort Collection. It's a super squishy periwinkle blue creme.

So smoooooooth. So pretty. In the sun:

Here's the problem: it took me 5 coats to get this result. There is no reason a creme should require 5 coats. I've posted about this in various places on the intarwebs, and while most people said that their bottle needed just 2-3 coats, there were a few who had the same problems as I did. So I guess, be wary of the batch from which your bottle comes? I used Essie Fill the Gap as a base coat, so I don't think there was a compatibility issue in that regard...

Oh well. It's shiny and periwinkle, so who cares.

As far as dupes and near-dupes go, I have a very hard time distinguishing between colors in this family (indigo, blue-toned purples, periwinkle, etc.), but China Glaze Electric Beat looks quite close. Lapis of Luxury would be easier to get ahold of though, since it is core, whereas Electric Beat is no longer available in most stores.

Have you tried Lapis of Luxury? Was it as much of a pain for you as it was for me? If not, how did you make it work?

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

Top 30 of 2012! (part 3)

I don't post a whole lot of layering combinations, but that's mostly because I don't get around to photographing them. Here are the colors that I've reached for the most. First up, the base colors.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Dorien Grey

A nice, simple, clean light grey creme. It's so versatile!

Ruby Kisses Regaled Out Blue

Dark blue goes with a lot of things, and I can't resist a nice jelly.

China Glaze VIII

An excellent basic eggplant creme. Smooth formula, dries quickly, completely solid in 2 coats.

Nails Inc. Kensington

Inky teal jelly, almost black. Works really well for water marbling, too!

New York Summer Hot Sky Blue

Another squishy blue jelly! This is great for jelly sandwiches, and also looks awesome under flakies.

And my favorite layering polishes:

Lynnderella Connect the Dots

Yep, it's on two of my lists. It's that good. With black and white glitter, there are so many layering possibilities!

Nails Inc. the Wyndham

This has the distinction of being my first flakie polish, and it remains my favorite. The green is so vivid, and there is a very evident blue shift.

Finger Paints Asylum

It has blue flakies!! I have been lusting after a flakie with just blue, but since I loathe Nfu Oh bottles and find Inglot to be too much of a hassle to get ahold of, this is as close as I will get for a while. It is lovely though.

Essie As Gold as it Gets

Sheer gold flecks. This is really delicate and pretty, especially over dusty, mid-toned colors.

Essie Shine of the Times

A basic orange-green flakie. It's very dense, so you don't need  much at all for a single manicure.

So, there you have it! My 30 favorites from last year. Thoughts? Do you like layering too, or do you find it troublesome?

Top 30 of 2012! (part 1)

So, about a year ago I showed you my all-time favorites. I was going to do it again on the same day, but obviously that didn't happen because I am lame. I was also going to show you how my all-time favorites have changed in the last year, but I don't think they've changed a whole lot, so instead I will show you three lists over the next three days: my ten favorite polishes released this year, my ten favorite indies, and my ten favorites for layering (both base colors and layering polishes).

Several of them, I have not yet blogged about, so you'll be getting a sneak peek of some upcoming posts. And there are a few polishes for which I've not even taken photos, so you'll get a few bottle photos here and there. So, let's get started!

OPI Did You Ear About Van Gogh?

This year, I tried nude cremes! I'm still overwhelmed by all the combinations of hue, undertone, etc. but this one kinda works! It's greyish and cool-toned, but I think it has enough yellow in it that it sort of works. Regardless of my skintone weirdness, this is a great color with a great formula.

Revlon Urban

LOVE. Shiny, squishy dark blue creme with slight purple undertones. Great formula.

Essie Penny Talk

I've told you of my weakness for coppers, and this pretty much epitomizes it. One of the worst formulas I've ever worked with, but I can't resist the color! I'm even willing to forgive some brushstrokes for it.

Illamasqua Charisma

As you probably know, I'm not a pink fan. But this dark berry has some reddish undertones, and that shimmer. I just love it. Great pedicure color, too.

OPI I Have a Herring Problem

This is definitely one of OPI's better names, and one of their better colors too. Despite the sheerness, I love the finish and color, and the application is great.

Essie Ole Caliente

Coral is not really my thing but this is so pretty. It's reddish enough that I don't feel that weird wearing it, and Ole Caliente makes for an awesome summery pedicure.

Deborah Lippmann Cleopatra in New York

I'm not sure how she does it, but Deborah Lippmann really nails the balance of base color to glitter. The black base is opaque, but the gold still shines through, and the end result has so much depth. Plus, you can't go wrong with black and gold. (cue Sam Sparro playing in the background)

Essence Walk on the Wild Side

Really, I could have put all four of the new Colour & Go's on this list, but since I only left space for one, I chose this. Formula could be better, but the finish is great.

Nails Inc. Baker Street

I bet no one was expecting this. /sarcasm
Seriously though, how can you resist such a bold blue?

Revlon Guest List

In addition to nude cremes, I also tried an olive green for the first time this year. The formula is less than stellar, but I really like this.

Thoughts? Do we have any mainstream/mass-produced favorites in common? Tell me about yours!

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

Essie Wicked

Today I'm going to show you Essie Wicked. I don't think this came out with any particular collection, but it's widely regarded as a classic, and with good reason. Wicked is a squishy, vampy red jelly that is just full of win. 3 coats, plus top coat, in the shade:

In the sun:

You do have to be careful with application, as it can stain your cuticles red if you get the polish on your skin. And because it is a jelly, it can be a bit streaky, so you would do well to give it a few minutes between coats.

But just look at that shine! So cool. So awesome.

To be fair, this isn't exactly a unique color. Between Essie, Revlon, and OPI, you have tons of alternatives available. I think the OPI colors are mainly cremes rather than jellies, but Revlon has Devil's Lure, and Essie has many many vampy jellies out there. I'd list them all but...

Have you tried Wicked, or anything similar? Thoughts?

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

Essie Penny Talk

Essie Penny Talk was released with the Mirror Metallics collection earlier this year. Aside from Penny Talk, the collection consisted of silver, gold, blue, and lilac chromes. They're supposed to impart a mirror-like finish, hence the name of the collection, but they were mostly unsuccessful, I think. They are fairly reflective, but based on swatches that I've seen, the Layla Mirror Chromes did a better job. Of course, I've not actually seen the Laylas in person, so I could very well be wrong!

Anyway, on to the Essie. 2 coats on most of the nails, but my ring fingernail wound up needing 4, and I'll tell you why in a moment.

It's a bit frosty, but VERY opaque. It barely needs a second coat for opacity, and it dries very quickly. Unfortunately, those qualities also mean that Penny Talk is extremely streaky.

First of all, the fact that it's frosty means that you've got to be careful with application to manage the brushstrokes, but the combination of that much pigment and that quick of a drying time....basically, if you try to be careful with application you'll wind up with a ton of bald patches.

And second, if you try to go back over the patches to fill them in, you'll have a raised spot that just does not want to even out. It took me a great deal of effort, but I got it looking half-decent. Here it is in indirect light. Pretty cool effect! It actually looks somewhat smooth here.

Oh, and did I mention that chromes/metallics highlight pretty much every flaw in your nails?? Ridges, bumps, any sort of inconsistency in the surface will be highlighted and emphasized. In order to counteract this, I started with 2 coats of OPI Ridge Filler and let it dry overnight. I still had a few bumps, so I buffed the surface the next morning, since I didn't want to directly buff & weaken my nail plates. And yet, we've still got this:

See that lumpiness at the top edges? See the brushstrokes? Bleh.

Given all that, somehow, I still really like this polish. Not only that, but I now want the gold one from this collection, Good as Gold. What. To be fair, Layla doesn't make copper or gold chromes, but I'll probably go there for the silver/gunmetals I've been craving.

The formula is among of the worst I've ever used, but the color...I really do have a weakness for nice metallics. And while it looks pretty freaking terrible up close and in macro mode, at an arm's length, it looks really cool. Maybe I should finally invest in an Aqua Base, to help the application. I've got a few of the China Glaze OMGs, and I know it would help with those too.

How do you feel about chromes and metallics? I know the frostiness is a big turn-off for lots of people, and the tricky application must not help. Have you picked up any of the Essie Mirror Metallics or Layla Mirror Chromes?

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

Essie Pink a Boo

Essie Pink a Boo was released with this year's Resort collection. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed by the collection. The shimmery magenta one, Sure Shot, is pretty, but not unique and not my style. The lavender one, She's Picture Perfect, has disappearing shimmer, and is light enough that it would look chalky on me. No More Film, the indigo one, is pretty, but since I already have Zoya Pinta, I passed on that.

Oddly enough, I am really liking the sheer, sparkly light pink one. What the heck? It's so sheer that I can't wear it unless my nails are nubs, and even then it needs 4 coats over Essie Fill the Gap. When I posted this on MUA, I got several messages asking how I was able to get it opaque. That's how sheer it is. And yet....I like it? In the shade:

Light, cool-toned pinks generally look terrible on me, but I think the lack of opacity gives it the softness that it needs. That way, it's not as harsh as I was expecting. I do really like the shimmer. It's so prominent!

At an angle, the blue does shift to a bright pink, but I was unable to capture that with my camera. Maybe one day I'll learn to photograph color shifts, LOL.

I didn't have any issues with the formula, but I have heard that light colors tend to streak, so I preemptively let each coat dry completely before adding the next, and application was therefore not difficult at all.

I think Pink a Boo is fairly unique. The closest color I can think of off the top of my head is Chanel Frisson, but that's a great deal more expensive, and also quite different. Frisson has a warmer base color, with golden shimmer. So....not really close, but a similar concept.

Thanks for looking and commenting, and happy Friday!!

Jumping on the Gradient Bandwagon...(and SHXW Sun Kissed)

AKA one of the few instances of nail art you will probably ever see here, lol. I knew going into it that sponging would be difficult, but jeez :| Nail art is just not my thing. Luckily, after 3 or 4 rounds of sponging (and a thick coat of Gelous afterward), I got this result:

I used 1 coat of Essie Ole Caliente for the base, and as you can see, SHXW Sun Kissed is the other color. In retrospect, I should have sponged the orange onto the tips rather than the base, because I can see a few spots around my eponychia where Ole Caliente is still visible...I also had issues with flooding, because I put too much polish on the sponge. Cleanup was a nightmare, but I think that's kind of to be expected. I wound up just picking off the excess polish in the shower.

Despite the difficulties, I can see why gradients are so popular right now! All the flaws you can see in the macro shots aren't visible from a normal distance, so it looks really cool in person. Kinda reminds me of some sort of fruity summery drink.

I've already shown you Ole Caliente, but here's a photo of Sun Kissed that I took a while ago, under artificial light. It's actually a lot more yellow-toned than you'd think based on my photo of the gradient.

The formula is...not good. It's really thin and watery, and needs 4 coats for opacity. It is very bright and fun though, and the drying time wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

Thanks for looking and commenting, and enjoy your weekend!

Revlon Chic + Nails Inc. the Wyndham, Finger Paints Asylum

Recently, Revlon revamped their nail polish line and added a bunch of new colors, and Chic is one of them. It's a dusty blue with a fantastic formula, smooth and opaque in 2 coats. It dries glossy on its own.

I looooove this color, as evidenced by the fact that it's in my Top 20. I bought it last December, and I've worn it several times since then. It's fantastic as a base color for layering, so versatile! Of course, being the space case that I am, I forgot to take photos of most of the layering combinations that I tried, but here are two of them, both glossy and matte:

I've shown you the Wyndham before, but it's just so freakin' pretty! I love the green-blue shift, which is even more prominent when matte.

And here is Chic with Finger Paints Asylum. Indoors, Chic turns into a dusty teal, but I think that also might have something to do with the slightly milky base of Asylum.

Of course, I had to try this combo matte, and I think it's my favorite combination so far!

It doesn't really translate in the photos, but the blue flakies in Asylum show up really nicely. 

Thanks for looking and commenting!