M: Mystery, OPI Designer Series

Hey ladies!

Sorry I've been missing for a bit, but life has just been a bit crazy.  First for today's ABC challenge, "M" I chose Mystery by OPI, part of their designer series, number 037 if your a collector.  I'm in the mood for pastels, but I don't have many M polishes so I apologize if this really isn't spring appropriate.  Below is two coats.

Mystery is a dark purple jelly with gold flakies.... supposedly this has "diamond dust" in it.... whatever, I'm NOT impressed.

I missed the letter L, last week.  I spent a few days in Montreal, Canada for my birthday.

View from our hotel room.  We stayed at Auberge du Morency, St. Hippolyte, Quebec.

Hubby and I in front of Notre Dame, Montreal, Canada.

Me at the biodome.

I caught a nice picture of two beavers swimming in the water together.  Also at the Biodome.  Here they come.

There they go!

Yes it was cold but we had a nice time. I've been back for several days, and it still feels like winter down here too.

How's the bedroom coming along? We are stuck at a stand still, waiting for miter saw parts. When it rains it pours.  Aside from going away, and working.... we have been distracted with a three broken toilets, (yes three), a leaking water heater and malfunctioning water pressure valve. The water heater and toilets are all 28 years old, so it was just a matter of time that they all stopped working, at the same time! Not to worry, we got a plumber in and he fixed everything, for $2400. So now I have three brand new toilets, and when ever I turn on a faucet, or flush a toilet, I don't hear a fog horn sound, and thankfully I have hot water too! Gotta be grateful right?

Plus my wireless router started to die and I did not have internet access for a few days. I bought a new router which took me 10 minutes to install and work, but the printers were not picking up the signal, so I spent four hours one evening to get every piece of technology in sync with the new router. Let's just say my patience has been tested the last couple of weeks.

I installed a Linksys N900 dual band router.  If anyone has that router, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  I went from a single band 802.11g to a dual band 802.11n, but I haven't noticed any improvement in speed or range. I'm thinking I should have gotten a cheaper one. ??

Well that's it for today!

G: Grape Juice by China Glaze

Letter "G" this week is represented by Grape Juice by China Glaze.  My husband picked out this polish... I would have never gotten this on my own.  It's not too bad, Grape Juice is a sheer, but super sparkly purple shimmer.  I think this might be good to layer over a bright blue creme polish... Anyhow, this is my first time wearing it and today I'm just posting a simple swatch.

I picked up a couple of new Revlon glitters from Walgreens a couple of weeks ago and decided to test them out on Grape juice..... only the big glitters stood out, the small glitters just got lost in the shimmer.  Oh well, fail.....

Below left to right is Hearts of Gold Fx, it has holographic heart glitter suspended in micro gold glitter.  In the middle is Celestial Fx which has holographic star, moon, and diamond glitter in micro holo and silver glitter.
Last is Grape Juice.  The Revlons were $5.99 each.

Here is how the room is coming along.

Here is two coats of Benjamin Moore's Ballet White.  I still have to paint the trim in oil, but I was thinking I should wait for the window sills to be fixed.  Next we rip out the nasty carpet!!  More to come!

D: Dirty Berry by Catrice

Hey there!  D is today's ABC Challenge and I'm showing a swatch of Dirty Berry by Catrice.  DB is another bottle I got in a swap with Criminal Nails!  Catrice is not available in the US, so this is extra special to me.  This light purple polish has some micro holo glitter in it.  However, it's not a very strong holo, and tends to only show up in super bright sunlight, which we hardly are getting these days... cold, dark, winter.  Although the last two days have been unseasonable warm, but today it's really cloudy and going to thunderstorm with tornado watch... so I might lose power. UGH!  Oh and the temperature is going to drop 30 degrees so now we can all get sick from the wide temperature swings. Nice~!

Anyhow here is two coats of Catrice, DB.

Also, I went up to Sally's the other day and picked up this bottle of Rush top coat on a whim.  It was on sale for $3.99 for one whole ounce!  I've only tried this top coat once but what I can say so far, is that it dries to touch in one minute and after 10 minutes I was able to go about my business. Impressive!  This might become one of my top coats that will be in regular rotation.

There's a smaller bottle, but this one was on sale, so that's why I got it.  Since the bottle is big, the brush is really long and weird to work with.  I probably just need to get accustom to using it.  Lastly the formula is a bit runny so I got top coat all over the place and had to do a second cuticle clean up. Ooops.  Now that I know that, the next time I use this top coat, I'll just be more careful.

Below are the ingredients.  I think ingredients are important.  Whenever I see a cosmetic review (same goes with food) and the ingredients are left out, I say in my brain, "minus 5 points out of 10"!  I can not completely evaluate a product without knowing what's in it.  With nail polish I just look for the big four, DBP, toulene, formaldehyde and camphor... no big deal, since most nail polishes are big three or four free these days anyways. With skin products however, I do look for petroleum based products, sodium lauryl sulfate and synthetic perfumes, mostly, and will avoid those. I look for other stuff too, but those are the basics.

Here's how the room is coming along.  Take two steps backwards.  We painted one coat of Benjamin Moore's Cream Silk and it turned out to be a very light yellow, lemony yellow.... At the first brush stroke I knew I didn't like it.  My husband said, well just paint one wall and see.  So we ended up painting the entire room, and spent two days evaluating it.  Oh boy, we could not convince ourselves to like it.  So one day of labor and $100 worth of paint down the drain, not literally, just figuratively.

Below is the paint chip, second to the top, Cream Silk.  I thought it would be a warm white, not a light lemon color.... so we shall see. Benjamin Moore has 140 different shades of white to choose from so its a daunting task, to say the least.

Well that's it for today.  Next I'll show you what color we ended up with.

Essence Twilight Breaking Dawn - Alice.....

I'm not into vampire movies or shows, but I do like a good vampy polish and I do like Essence.  I got this bottle in a swap with Criminal Nails! Special editions from Essence are released in such limited amounts in the US, that I was really excited to get this in the mail.  I did a quick swatch of number 02 Alice Had a Vision - Again.  Alice is a purple jelly with purple and green micro glitter.  Two super easy coats and it is dark yet sparkly!

I wish I knew who Alice is but I don't. I did try to watch Twilight when it first came out but I was so bored I couldn't make it through the first half.... sorry Twilight fans out there..... I have to say the only vampire movie that I really enjoyed was Interview with the Vampire, with Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and the very young Kirsten Dunst.

Well, here is how the bedroom is coming along.  We cleaned all the walls and the ceiling.  Then repaired all the holes and dings (there were a lot) with joint compound, sanded and painted one coat of primer.  Whew!  It was a lot of work just getting this far.  This took three days.  What took so long?  Repairing walls is just like icing a cake and painting nails, it takes two coats of joint compound for a smooth finish after sanding.  I never knew this before and found out by watching some videos on the internet.  I used to only apply one coat of compound, sand then prime.  Instead, this time one coat, wait 24 hours, the apply the second coat, wait 24 hours, then sand, then prime. It makes all the difference in the world!

After primer.

Painting the ceiling.  Look how gray and dingy!

If you just tuned in and want to see before pics just click back one post.

That's what I have so far.  See you Wednesday when we do letter D!

NO H8 - Funky Fingers - Sugar Plum Fairy

Wow, I did, three posts in the span of 36 hours!  I don't want to miss out on supporting No H8. Luckily I have the day off from work to join in!  Here is a nice lavender with gold shimmer from Funky Fingers, the same company as Color Club.  There should be a Color Club dupe to Sugar Plum Fairy.  Two coats.

In this photo, the gold shimmer is more apparent.

Now it is obvious why bullying should not be tolerated, and the person that started this mess should understand why people start blogs and why people read them.  Part of it is getting away from picture perfect magazines and to see how real women, in real life, wear and interpret fashion and what not.  Everyone has a special talent that they bring to the table, and if the "clean up or die" group can look past messy cuticles then maybe they might be able to see where someone's strengths are.  AND hey if you can't stand to look at messy cuticles then just click off.

The main reason why I support No H8 is because we should move towards a kinder world and it starts with being kind to each other, tolerating differences, and embracing diversity.  When we keep moving forward and evolving, culture changes for the better.  Bullying used to be though of as a rite of passage, wearing eyeglasses was not attractive, and smoking indoors was the norm... Not anymore.  It is amazing where we can go when we have an open mind and do the right thing.  Even when the right thing is not popular.  Luckily anti-bullying is popular.

Speaking of cruelty, Color Club and Funky Fingers is one of the few nail polish companies endorsed by leapingbunny.org - an organization that endorses cruelty free cosmetics.  Some people will say we "need" to test on animals, or we will end up testing on humans.  Well we do/did test on humans and we were barbaric with that too, just look at the Tuskegee trials in Alabama back in the 60's and 70's, and that is not an isolated incident.   If we (us nail polish consumers.. consumers in general) don't start to demand that cruel practices stop, it will continue.  The manufactures will not find other methods of testing if we don't demand that they stop the cruelty. The market will meet the demands of customers or go out of business.  Cruelty free for a kinder world for humans, animals and the eco-system.  No more bullying, human to human kindness will hopefully translate to human to animal kindness and human to eco-system kindness.  That's the message we need to send.

I first heard about No H8 here.

Sandwich with OPI - Care to Danse?

How was your Monday?

I've actually worn today's manicure a few times.  It's become a staple work mani for me.  Nubar's White Polka Dot is the glitter in between layers of Care to Danse?.   Clean looking and delicate.

OPI's Pirouette my Whistle is a similar glitter to White Polka Dot but it has added silver glitter.  Which you can use if you don't have White Polka Dot. 

What are some of your favorite sheers?

Finger Paints - Fall of Surprises

Happy autumn equinox!  Fall is my favorite season, the weather cools, the haze and humidity leave us, the leaves change colors, we all have to get out of our flip flops and put our clothes back on... thank goodness!

Here is a spicy little manicure for fall... Finger Paints, Fall of Surprises over OPI, Every Month is Oktoberfest (EMIO).  Fall of Surprises is densely packed with a mix of copper hex glitters in a clear base, so this is just one coat.

In person the glitters contrast against EMIO more so than in these photos... I just couldn't reduce the glare without making the pictures too dark.  So I included these three at slightly different angles.

This week I'll be away at the beach, where I may or may not post anything.  I'm going to take my laptop with me so we will see how it goes.

I know I mentioned putting away our flip flops... I will be wearing mine for one more week, but I wasn't able to get anytime off from work this spring or summer.  Gotta squeeze a beach vacation in somewhere once a year right?  I am so, so grateful my boss let me go this week, she controls my schedule...

Have a great week and I'll see you guys later!

OPI - Every Month is Oktoberfest

Holy smokes!  I cracked and bought me some OPI!  Since OPI was bought out by Coty, I've been boycotting them, because of animal testing..... sigh! OPI does not animal test but Coty apparently does.  I use Burt's Bees products and later found out they are owned by Clorox, who are not eco friendly nor cruelty free.  So should I stop using Burt's Bees too?  I started to figure, if I continue to use Burt's Bees, and that division of the Clorox company has strong sales, Clorox might catch on that there are consumers out there who will buy products because they are eco-friendly and cruelty free....  I hope.

Well, I have to say this is not a simple issue with clear boundaries.  I have been doing a bunch of reading about eco-friendly, vegetarian and vegan products.  The more I read the more confusing it becomes and I don't even know sometimes if the information I am reading is even reliable.  One thing I have figured out is trying to go eco-friendly will compromise the use of animal products and going vegan will sometimes compromise being eco-friendly.  Trying to do both is damn hard to near impossible.  I'm not going to give up, I'm just going to make the best decision possible with the best information I have at hand.  The last thing I want to do is sound like an alarmist and send out the message that we are all going to die...   Also, I am far from perfect, I make mistakes, I have polluted the earth, eaten animals, used petroleum based products; yes my hands are covered in blood just like everyone elses'....  I'm just trying to do the best I can, and hope you do too.

Now, Every Month is Oktoberfest (EMIO) is the polish that made me break down. That says a lot!  It looks very close to ANNY's The Answer Is Love, which I can't get a hold of because I'm not in Europe.  EMIO is a nice dark indigo based polish with red/gold shimmer... dark and gorgeous!

Two easy coats and the formula is excellent.  EMIO is definitely one of my new favorite dark polishes.

Comments section is, of course, open to discussion!

Color Club Sweet Pea

Hey guys!  Post number 100, amazing.  Today I have another work mani/swatch to show you.  Color Club's Sweet Pea from this Spring's Blossoming Collection.  This was the only color I got from the collection, because I don't really have another color like it.  I would describe it as a slightly dusty pastel purple-pink. 

I wore this for three days, and over that time I decided, I really don't like it.  I felt like an old lady wearing it and its kinda boring.  Pretty in the bottle, boring on my nails, go figure.  I got a few compliments at work though.  I guess it depends on your personal taste.

Formula on this is like other pastels, a bit chalky, and settles in every crevice.  I don't have noticeable ridges but this polish shows that I do.  I used two coats of base coat, three coats of polish and a thick coat of Seche Vite for a smooth and even finish. 

Chevron French with Revlon's Red Bikini

Here's my very first chevron french manicure.  I used Orly's Velvet Rope for the tips with plain ol' Scotch tape.  I really loved how this turned out.  Funky frenches are a great way to recycle an old mani by rescuing tip wear. 

How did I do this?  Easy.

Pull about 9-10 inches of Scotch tape and cut them into ten pieces, make sure you cut off the jagged edge from the tear line off so you have a smooth edge.  Place the corner of the tape in the center of the nail, tip facing the edge. 

I know there is very little tip wear here.  After two days, Revlon's quick dry top coat  holds up.

Make sure the edges of the tape are a smooth as possible.  Here you can see it is still not that smooth.  I used a cuticle pusher to smooth mine down.  Pull the tape taut if that doesn't work.  Tape stretches, so just pull. 

If still can't get the tape down smooth and paint seeps underneath, just dip a small brush in acetone, dab on a paper towel and lightly remove the seepage.

Paint the tips.

Pull the tape off right away.  Do not wait for the polish to dry or you might pull off more polish than intended.  Use tweezers to pull the tape if your other hand is wet.

Clean up with a brush and acetone.  Apply top coat.  I used Seche Vite here, because it is such a good leveler, China Glaze's Fastforward top coat is another superior leveler.  The final effect looked as if the purple and red are a seamless layer.  Very smooth and shiny finish. 

The thumb came out perfect, no seepage, and perfect tape placement  Probably because it is my biggest and flattest finger.

There you have it, V French.  I am going to do this again!

Tony Moly - GS09 - Shooting Star

I have a few posts lined up but I'm skipping them for now, because I'm totally excited to show you Shooting Star from Tony Moly!  Check it out!

Shooting Star is light lavender milky jelly with multicolored hex glitters.  There's some really tiny yellow glitters scattered in there too which I think adds some dimension to this polish.  Shooting star is sheer but the base color builds up nicely.  Three coats will probably give you full coverage but I liked the sheerness so two coats is fine for me. 

I thought the lavender would stand out more but it is actually really soft and blends in with my skin.  Next time I'm going to try to layer this over a solid pastel lavender polish for more contrast.

I thought about recreating this on my own, with Ulta's Pina yada yada, but that glitter has lots of orange hexs and not too many large green hex glitters.  Plus I don't have a sheer light purple polish, so I went ahead and bought Shooting Star.  I couldn't be happier, so pretty!

I thought I would show you a picture of the brush, its a little different than what I'm used to.  The brush is short, soft and blunt.  It actually works really well.  I skipped the clean up process entirely and the soft brush was really good at picking up lots of glitter and depositing them on the the nail. 

Tony Moly is a Korean cosmetics brand that's not readily available in the US. I found mine on eBay, for $7.95 with free shipping from Hong Kong.  It took 10 days to get here (east coast US), and the seller enclosed a free skin care sample, some tape/stickers, (I don't know what I'm going to do with them), and a really nice thank you note.  Don't you just love it when sellers add some nice extra touches? 

Lastly, I want to add, I just love the ultra modern bottle design, and pearly white cap.  The bottle I got is 10 ml. 

Have you tried this brand?

Zoya - Chloe - Layering experiment - Part 2

So here is part two.  Orly's Rock the World was another polish I thought would go well with orange-green mylar flakies.  Rock the World's base color is purple where as Space Cadet's is green, so I thought it might be better with Sinful Color's Fig. 

Zoya's Chloe

Orly's Rock the World - purple base with strong gold shimmer.

Overall.

Macro shot.

Instead of two coats of Chloe this is just one coat.  Topped off again with Seche Vite, and the base is still the same, Sinful Colors Fig.

Between the two I liked Chloe with Space Cadet better.  The flakies stood out more against the purple shimmer and more color shifting was apparent.  Rock the world was more monotone with gold being very prominent and the orange shifting was lessened.  Its not too terribly different from yesterday's post but small differences sometimes are noticeable. 

Click on yesterday's post to see part one, in case you missed it.

Are you going to try this?

Zoya - Chloe - Layering experiment - Part 1

This post will be part one of two series on my layering experiment with Zoya's Chloe. Its pretty sheer and I don't think its intended to be worn alone.

Chloe's mylar flakies shift from mainly green to orange, but sometimes you can spot some aqua blue in there.  I picked up Chloe because I don't have very many flaky polishes.  However, when I got it home, I did not know what I was going to do with it.   So it sat for a couple of months while I hemmed and hawed over what to do. 

What looks good with something that looks like a clumpy oil slick?

I know, Orly's Space Cadet!?

Two coats of Chloe on there.

At a sharp angle.

Space Cadet.

Up close.

The base color I used was Sinful Colors Fig, but any medium purple underneath Space Cadet would produce the same affect.

So here's what I used, 1 coat Cult Nails Get it On base coat,  2 coats Sinful Colors Fig, 1 coat Cult Nails Wicked Fast top coat, 1 coat Orly's space cadet, 2 coats of Zoya's Chloe, 1 coat Seche Vite.  Eight whopping coats of nail polish. 

I didn't do all of this at once.  I was wearing Sinful Colors Fig for a couple of days alone.  So this was an easy recycled mani.

Side note: For those readers who are big 3 free, Seche Vite is not, it contains toluene. 

Please feel free to comment.  I love comments!