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!

Zoya Blaze

Hah, after a month straight of an indie, it almost feels a little odd to post a commercial polish! But this one is an absolute stunner. Zoya Blaze is from the Ornate collection, Zoya's offering for this past holiday season. The Ornate collection had the distinction of containing Zoya's first holos: Storm, Aurora, and Blaze. Predictably enough, I'm not crazy about the purple, but I was surprised to find that not only did  I not care for the black, I fell for the red/pink/berry/whatever you want to call it!

Prior to this, I had been having some trouble with my manis. Lots of disappointment. Unlike Eclectic, Valerie, and Kelly, Blaze was just delightful to work with. Smooth formula, with a good drying time. I found that Blaze was even in 2 coats, but a third added depth. Here it is in the sun:

I did apply top coat before taking these pictures, but I want to point out that it was quite shiny alone! You could forego the topcoat if you were so inclined. It's weird and unexpected how much I like this color. When I wore it, I even did my pedicure to match. That almost never happens.

Oh, and for the record, the holographic bits are a lot more rainbow-y in person. More camera problems...

So, my 3 year-old niece has picked up on my ever-changing nail color, and always grabs my hands to inspect them when she sees me. She seemed to really like this one, because when she looked at it she grinned at me and said, "Naz! Pretty color!!"

I can't think of any dupes for this. I know Picture Polish recently released Shocked, but that is a lighter and brighter pink. There's Ozotic Pro 621, which is definitely red with slightly orange-y undertones, Picture Polish Monroe, which is a vampy red. Not to mention, 621 and Monroe both have different kinds of scattered holo finishes! They are all pretty colors in their own right, but I'd still choose Blaze over them.

Have you tried Blaze, or any of the other Zoya Ornate colors? Thoughts?

Crowstoes Asterope

Sooooooooo. I have decided to make this month, Crowstoes Month! I was recently sent some Crows for review, and I also won a bunch of Pleiades in an unrelated giveaway. I'll post more specific disclosures where they apply. As for Asterope, this was among the polishes I won, and was not sent for review. Also, I should apologize in advance for the inconsistent lighting...being held hostage by the weather is a pain in the butt, but I tried to get these to show up as true-to-life as I could.

Crowstoes Asterope is a pink-orange-gold duo/multichrome, and there's even a hint of green when you layer it over black. Personally, I prefer the way it looks alone, but it is sheer and needs 4-5 coats to be presentable.

Despite the sheerness, I didn't have any trouble with application, and there was no bubbling. Here are a couple photos to show you the color shift:

As you can see, it's nice and duochromey even without a black base! And here it is over black. I used 3 coats over Sinful Colors Black on Black.

And the color shift:

See that hint of green at the edges? Super cool. I usually don't like layering over black because there are always those little bits of black peeking out...you can see them pretty clearly in my pictures, unfortunately. But regardless of my layering woes, Asterope is really cool!

The first similar polishes that came to mind were Sally Hansen Amber Ruby and Ozotic Pro 502. Amber Ruby has much denser shimmer, and both 502 and Amber Ruby have stronger color shifts than Asterope, but Amber Ruby was discontinued long ago. And apparently many of the Ozotic 500 series were also discontinued. Point being, Asterope will be much easier to obtain than either of those, and is still quite pretty in its own right! Asterope also reminds me a bit of Sally Hansen Golden Cinnabar, but the Nail Prisms have been gone for ages. Claire's Poison Apple is sort of similar, and I do actually own that one so I can do a comparison. After I finish with the swatches, I'll put up a post with a couple of comparisons.

Crowstoes are sold at Llarowe and Shoppe Eclecticco, and Aussie customers can buy them at Femme Fatale Cosmetics. I believe they are also sold on Overall Beauty, but interestingly enough, when I tried to access the page to link in this post, my antivirus marked it as unsafe.

Have you tried Asterope? Thoughts?

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

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!

Grey/Magenta Water Marble

So, I was so stoked about my first water marble that I just had to do another one! This time I chose OPI Miami Beet and SHCSM Dorien Grey. Grey and pink is a fun color combo, and I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. I started with a base of 2 coats of Dorien Grey. My left hand, in the shade:

Unfortunately, the design smeared a bit when I put on top coat. :( I should have waited longer. In the sun:

And here's my right hand! I decided not to top coat this one because I was happier with these designs (especially the pinky) and I didn't want to risk smearing them. Sorry about the wonky nail shapes, and I don't know what those little bumps on my middle fingernail are. Oh well.

I had fewer translucent patches of Miami Beet on this hand. One of these days I'll figure out how to get rid of those altogether.

Thoughts? Feelings?

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you had a great New Year's!

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! 

OPI Rose Petals

OPI Rose Petals was released with the 2005 Soft Shades collection. It's a mauve-y, pinkish nude sheer that needs 4 coats for opacity. I borrowed this from my roommate, and I'm quite glad I did so instead of buying this, because it is just...not good.

See what I mean? It's too cool, and waaaaay too pink for me. The formula is fine, pretty standard for a semi-sheer polish, but this is not a flattering color. In the sun:

A little bit better now, but still. Bleh. So, there you have it. If you're tan, warm, and yellow-toned, stay awaaaaay.

Have you tried Rose Petals? Thoughts? Feelings?

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

Reswatch: Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle

I didn't feel like my last post of this polish did it justice. I don't think these photos do either, but I figured since I gave it a shot, I'd go ahead and post! Razzle Dazzle consists of 2 sizes of very small magenta hex glitters in a dark berry jelly base. 3 coats, plus 1 coat of Gelous.

I. Love. This. Polish. And I'm sure I've told you before of my distaste for pink, but this is just fantastic.

Bummer that Lippmanns are so expensive, because they are truly awesome (aside from Wicked Game).

So yeah. Not much to say today. I'm going to go take a nap. Have you tried Razzle Dazzle? What were your thoughts on it?

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

Some Random Catch-Up Spam

Soooooo. I thought I got into a bit of a groove with the posting, and then exams started. I also wound up with a sinus infection (that is just starting to go away, after 2-3 weeks), and an impacted wisdom tooth, as well as a cavity on the molar right next to the impacted wisdom tooth, so I've been having fun, LOL. I haven't really painted my nails much lately, but I post from a backlog of photos, so it's really a matter of working up the motivation to write up a post.

Here's some "Sorry-I've-Been-So-Unmotivated" spam. This will be a fairly long post.

Wet n Wild On a Trip in the sunlight. FYI, this is...not accurate. On a Trip is warmer and dustier, but it looks periwinkle in my photos. Do not believe them. Someday I'll figure out how to accurately photograph this sucker. Good formula though. Thin, but smooth. 3 coats.

Got bored of it pretty quickly, so I slapped on a coat of NYC Starry Silver Glitter. Not really feeling it. I think On a Trip is too dark of a base color, because the silver is too prominent for my liking. I should have used Connect the Dots instead.

Next up, Borghese Stellare Notte. Is it just me, or does this thing take FOREVER to dry? I didn't have any bubbling, but this took a loooooong time. 2 coats of nail polish should not need an hour and a half of dry time.

Despite the long drying time (and the crazy paddle brush), the formula was good, and there is a definite color shift, which was very difficult to capture on camera. It's really cool though. In some lights, it's a dark shimmery green, and it looks straight-up plum in other lighting situations.

Next, OPI Miami Beet. Not one of my favorite colors for manicures, as I feel that bright pinks are very weird on my hands, but it looks awesome on toes. Oh, and I decided to try out square/squoval nails for a while. You'll see my nail shape change quite a bit over the next few weeks. 3 coats, plus top coat.

Great formula, but as you can see, Miami Beet is more of a jelly-ish creme, which means that in direct light you can still see VNL. It's not at all visible otherwise though.

And last but not least, China Glaze Glittering Garland. It's dark green, and full of shimmery flecks, so obviously, I love it! 2 coats for opacity. I tried getting a macro shot to give you a better look at the shimmer, but it just wasn't happening that day. As always, you can click on my photos to get a closer look.

Thanks for looking and commenting, and I hope you've all been doing well! Happy Friday! I'm going back to bed.

Revlon Whimsical

Revlon Whimsical was released earlier this year when Revlon revamped their core line. Many of the colors are rereleases, but Whimsical is new. It consists of light pink and light blue hexes, smaller silver hexes, and small blue microglitter in a light blue jelly base. It's quite sheer, so I've layered 2 coats over 2 coats of China Glaze Sea Spray. In the shade:

Totally not my usual kind of color, but I love it! In the sun:

The formula, I will admit, is not great. It's thick, and the big hex glitter tends to slip off the brush, so you have to wipe off the brush and dip it back in a few times until you get the amount of glitter you'd like. And placing the glitter is a bit difficult. Sometimes, when I'd try to move a piece into a spot where there's less glitter, the blue base would glob onto that spot and leave a few thick areas. It's not terrible though. Just not as good as Facets of Fuchsia was.

And we've got another Lippmann sort of-dupe on our hands! This is very similar to Lippmann's Glitter in the Air. There are also Korean versions of this from Tony Moly and Innisfree, called Milky Way and 84, respectively. I'm sure they have their subtle differences, but they're quite similar, for all intents and purposes.

A few months ago, I tried wearing Whimsical on its own, but found that it was more sheer than I had expected, so I layered 3 coats of it over 2 coats of Essie Fill the Gap. This was the result:

You can still see my nail lines pretty clearly...And to be honest I don't like how this looks. It's too stark for my tastes, so I'll definitely stick to layering.

What do you think of all these dupes, considering Glitter in the Air came out first? Safe to say Ms. Lippmann isn't too happy....not that I blame her! I'm just a bit surprised to see her publicly acknowledging and reacting to it.

What about these types of milky glitters? Seems like some love 'em, and some think they look downright gross. Tell me how you really feel!

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!!