Month: April 2012

Of Life and Lacquer > 2012 > April

Polish Moratorium

Posted on by Cynthia

My nail polish boycott begins now. Since I was so close to the end of the month, I just decided to start everything May 1st. I will not buy nail polish for one month. I think that I have enough new polishes to last me a month or more and I want to save up some money for other things. Today I bought a few new polishes and some “interview shoes.”

I had never heard of this brand so when I saw these at one of my nail places, I picked up a couple to try them out. They had about 4 other colors that looked pretty interesting, but I’d rather wait and see what the formula is like before I buy more. The first one is supposed to go from Teal to Turquoise and the second one is supposed to go from Blue to Neon Blue.

I didn’t see too many Essies that I wanted. Neither of my main nail places have the new bridal collection or the poppy razzi collection so I am just going to wait to get a couple of colors after next month. The two colors I picked up are Watermelon and Haute As Hello. I almost got Tarte Deco but I liked Haute As Hello a little better. They look pretty close from the bottles so I didn’t want to get both.

I also got two new Orly polishes from two new collections. Mysterious Curse was the one polish that really drew me in from the Dark Shadows Collection. There was another one that looked cool but I just picked one. I can’t wait to see the movie because who doesn’t like Johnny Depp? The other one I purchased is called Skinny Dip and it is from Orly’s Feel The Vibe Summer 2012 Collection. The whole collection is full of super bright colors and one dark glitter. I loved this one because it’s one of those blues that I adore, and it has some purple microshimmer. I suspect that it’s not going to show up much once it’s on my nails but I’ll probably still like it.

I am really loving Poshé way more than Seche Vite. I never thought I’d say that but I just really like it. I got the professional size and it came with an extra regular size bottle. Best of all, I only paid $11 for it. For those who have used Poshé for a while, does this thicken up the way Seche  Vite does? Do you need to buy thinner for it?

Here are the shoes I bought:

I got them in black and beige so I can wear them with anything. They are a little “grandma” but they are a perfect height and I like the cut out on the sides. They are SUPER comfy so I’ll be able to walk around for a long time. I bought two new pantsuits: one in black and one that is light lilac with brown pinstripes. I may not be confident about many things, but one thing I am 100% confident about is job interviews. Maybe it’s because I have hired a lot of people in the past…I just know how to work the interviewer.  And maybe I’m weird, but I really like going to interviews.

And these just for fun:

I love flats, and I love peeptoes even though I hate my feet and really don’t like feet in general. I know I’m not alone on this so at least I don’t sound like a total freak.

I don’t know what to do with my nails today. There is zero sunlight…it’s all overcast and windy. I love this kind of weather but it’s not good for taking pictures of my manicure. I’ll see what I come up with. I can’t believe I haven’t cut my nails yet. I think this is the longest they have ever been, and I haven’t broken one yet. I am using this new Nail-Aid Strengthening/Growth thing so maybe that’s made a difference.

How is your Monday going?

Jessica Show Stopper

Posted on by Cynthia

Here is another polish to add to my Baby Poop Color Chronicles. Granted it’s no China Glaze Trendsetter but it has that weird quality that always makes me think of baby poo as soon as I look at my nails. Yeah, totally not a good image. I got some random stranger compliments on this polish so I guess it looks more interesting than I thought. These pictures make it super obvious that I don’t wrap my tips and this polish really needed it!

The shimmer is very noticeable on my nails and I wasn’t expecting it because the bottle color just looks dark and without shimmer. I also think that the polish did not react well with my topcoat. Once I put Poshé on it, it started to look streaky which was really weird! I do like this polish I don’t see too many of these dirty olive colors, but they are certainly cropping up more often in random collections.

Do you have any similar colors in your collection? What do you think of this color?

Thanks for reading, and I hope you had a great weekend.

SpaRitual Meditate On This

Posted on by Cynthia

I made it through wearing my last manicure for a few days. I was really itching to take it off and try one of my new babies so I picked the SpaRitual shade I recently picked up at Sephora. Now, before I talk about the new nail polish, let me show you the aftermath of OPI Fly.

This was the staining left behind. What.A.Nightmare. This was AFTER I used pure acetone too! I had to break out the baking soda, whitening toothpaste and toothbrush to get rid of all the staining. As much as I love Fly, I am in no hurry to deal with this any time soon.

Back to the new nail polish! I have to say that I was pretty disappointed with this nail polish because it looked so amazing in the bottle but lost most of that purple tone on my nails. It’s so hard to see the duochrome effect on my nails, and the duochrome was the main reason why I wanted to get it in the first place. Look at a bottle shot:

This is a pretty sheer polish so I think maybe next time I will wear a dark base. I applied 3 thick coats and still had some VNL.

As you can tell from my pictures, you can’t see any of the purple in direct sunlight. It’s only visible in the following pictures that I took in the shade.

Is this a pretty polish? Absolutely. Was I expecting more? YES! I will be trying other SpaRitual polishes for sure but will make sure to try cremes next. That is my test of an awesome polish brand: if they make an awesome creme, they go on my favorites list.

What do you think of this polish? Have you tried SpaRitual?

Don’t Hate Me! I Have A Sickness.

Posted on by Cynthia

Master enabler Nicole “convinced” me that it was ok to start my no-buy policy this Saturday instead of in the middle of the week.  And when I say that she convinced me, she just agreed with me when I put it out there. I needed no further justification to jump in my car and head over to Little Saigon for polish therapy. I told myself that I wouldn’t spend more than $20 and I stuck to it much to my surprise. It’s a good thing that everything is so cheap there or else I would have been in big trouble.

So, this is what I ended up purchasing today:

Enchantress, Showstopper

 

Jazz, A Crewed Interest, Funny Face and Turquoise & Caicos

Once I had my polish fill, I decided to stop at Sephora. Bad idea. I had gotten a few samples of Korres Wild Rose Moisturizer, and I freaking loved it so I wanted to go check it out. Since I had some store credit, I decided I might as well get something useful like moisturizer. Even though it’s starting to get hot and I have oily skin most of the time, I have noticed that my Clinique gel moisturizer isn’t helping some of the weird dry patches I’ve been getting lately. The Korres moisturizer is really thick but it feels great on my skin and best of all, it doesn’t make me break out. Of course they didn’t have it in store so I have to buy it online. Poo. I started walking around, and of course I ended up at their nail bar. My Sephora is now carrying Julep as well as SpaRitual. I was curious to see if they had Ciaté but it wasn’t available yet.  Then I remembered how much I wanted Illamasqua Nomad. No bueno. I picked it up and also grabbed SpaRitual Meditate On This and ran to the check-out before I could change my mind or grab more things.

These are new brands to me so I can’t wait to try them out. So excited!

Remember how I initially went to Sephora for the Korres moisturizer? Well, at check-out they had the usual 100pt and 500pt perks. Yawn. The perks haven’t been worth squat lately so I barely even glanced at them. The cashier told me I had like 3,000 points. I always kind of hate when they tell me my point balance because it makes me feel self-conscious like I have issues. Well, I do but still… Then I noticed that one of the 100pt perks was a mini tube of the moisturizer I was looking for. Score! I ended up taking 5 of them which is 1.7oz of moisturizer: .3oz more than the amount a full size container carries and retails for $35.00.

This is probably the most well-spent points EVER for me. When’s the last time they had any kind of full-size product even at the 500pt level? Poo to you Sephora. You have to kick it up a notch or else loyal customers, like moi, will start to go elsewhere like *cough* Ulta *cough*

Are you glad it’s Friday? Do you have any plans for the weekend? What do you think of the polish colors I got? Tell me! 🙂

What’s Up With Your Nails?

Posted on by Cynthia

My neighbor asked me this when she saw me taking pictures of my nails this afternoon. She’s about 3 years old and very talkative. I told her that I was taking pictures because I wanted to share how they looked with some friends and she thought that was cool. Invariably, someone always catches me taking pictures of my nails outside, and I always get strange looks. It used to bother me but not anymore…the light is too good.

I was messing around with the OPI drawer in my melmer and I saw Fly. I love Fly because it’s so bright and creamy looking so I decided to use it today. I actually hadn’t used it since I swatched it a while back. I know you like it. Don’t tell me it’s not gorgeous.

 

Since I’ve been trying to lay off the Konad, I played around with another color and my Jessica holo topcoat. OPI Pamplona purple is the other polish I picked for this manicure.

Frankly, this was way too much work for me. I am going to try to leave this on my nails at least 3 days because it’s a waste of time otherwise. How often do you change your nails? What are you wearing right now?

The Office by Essie

Posted on by Cynthia

EDIT 6/25/12: This post has gotten tons of hits lately so. There are some really dedicated fans of The Office out there! I hope you look around my blog and find something interesting. Thank you for visiting my little spot of the the blogosphere.

 

If this is for real, my nail polish year was just made.

Someone please tell me this is not just someone’s wishful thinking because I’m about to crap my pants over here.

Jessica Born 2 Pansy

Posted on by Cynthia

Can someone please explain to me the name of this nail polish? Born 2 Pansy? What am I missing here? Anyway, this polish is from Jessica’s Spring 2012 Collection and it’s a baby soft pink with a hint of lavender and some fine iridescent blue micro glitter. I liked this a lot more in the bottle than I did on my nails. I don’t really see the shimmer too much on my nails in regular light, but it could be that the sun has been MIA for the last week or so. I love how it looks pink, purple and kinda blue sometimes. The formula was ok. It is very sheer but buildable without any major issues. I had to apply 3 thick coats which I don’t like to do so a quick dry top coat like Seche Vite is a must. Ultimately, I do like this color but can’t see myself wearing too often.

 

Because I hadn’t done any konading in a few days, I decided to put a stamp on it. Single ladies, put a stamp on it! Cause if you liked it then you shoulda put a stamp on it. Ok, yeah…I think I’m delirious right now.

 

I liked it better without the konad on it, but it’s too late now.  Oh well, better luck next time.

PS. My nails are growing. Any bets on how much longer I can go without cutting them down to the nub?

Why I Love MUFE Aqua Creams

Posted on by Cynthia

Make Up For Ever is a brand that I think is very consistent when it comes to quality. I have yet to use one of their products that I don’t like which is pretty rare. Aqua creams are very pigmented waterproof creams for the eyes, lips and cheeks. I don’t have any of the formulas that are specifically formulate for the lips and cheeks–I stuck with those that can be used as eye shadows. In my experience, the best way to work with them is to apply them with your fingers. I find that the warmth of your fingers will soften up the consistency and will allow you to blend them beautifully. I have also used a synthetic brush to apply them, but I still much prefer my fingers.

As someone with allergies, eye make up seems to disappear once the watery eyes begin. I always forget that I’m wearing eye make up and rub my eyes. Not good. Much to my surprise, Aqua Creams do not budge. I wore some of these on a trip to Cancun where you could almost cut through the humidity and they wore immaculately…no smudging or wear the whole day.

I mostly tend to use these on their own as a wash of color on my lids, but they also work perfectly as a base for other eye shadows. The trick is that you have to apply the eye shadow while the Aqua Cream is still wet in order for it to lock in the color. Once they are dry, they don’t budge yet they come off easily with any kind of make up remover.

Now, onto the swatches!

 

1 Anthracite – silvery charcoal shimmer

2 Steel – silver gray shimmer

3 Silver – true silver shimmer

4 Snow – white pearl shimmer

 

11 Gold – yellow gold shimmer

12 Golden Copper – soft copper shimmer

13 Warm Beige – champagne shimmer

14 Satin Brown – warm brown shimmer

 

15 Taupe – taupe brown shimmer

16 Pink Beige – pinky beige shimmer

17 Plum – burgundy plum shimmer

18 Purple – light lilac shimmer

 

20 Intense Blue – bright blue sheen

21 Turquoise – vibrant turquoise shimmer

22 Emerald Green – golden green sheen

 

Make Up Forever Aqua Creams can be purchased at many retailers  for $23.00 each. I have had some of these over a year and they have not dried out which is always a big concern with cream products.

Have you tried any MUFE Aqua Creams? Do you have a favorite?

To Buy Or Not To Buy

Posted on by Cynthia

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether ’tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to? ‘Tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die to sleep,
To sleep, perchance to Dream; Ay, there’s the rub,
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause..”

As I typed the title of this blog post, I thought of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy. Yes, the title is an obvious allusion to Hamlet, but I was again struck by the beauty of it all. When I was 18, I was convinced that I would become a famous Shakespearean scholar à la Harold Bloom. Whatever happened to that? Sometimes life throws us some curve balls…many, many curve balls.

Today was a cleaning day for me. I finally got my 3 melmers somewhat organized even though my closet is still a disaster area. There are so many things that I would like to do for this blog, but I’ve been so lazy about it lately that I just finally sat down and started working on simple things. First of all, I have created a facebook page for this blog so please visit my page if you enjoy reading my posts. I don’t know how all this stuff works yet (I can’t seem to figure out how to publicize my blog and connect it to Facebook), but I guess I will learn as I go. I’d also like to change the format around, but that can wait.

I am ashamed to say that I went on some sort of polish binge this last week. Counting all my purchases, I acquired about 30 new nail polishes. My biggest splurge came when Zoya announced their Earth Day Promo. Damn Zoya and all their fabulous promos. I ended up purchasing way more than I should have because at 50% off, I’d be stupid not to…right? RIGHT?! Well, I need a nail intervention. I went to buy a new interview outfit, and I realized how crappy it will be if I end up in a stuffy office where I won’t be able to sport all my different nail polishes. That would be so stifling and sad.

Because I’ve been talking about going to the gym and working out for eons, I promised myself that I would not buy anymore polish until I lose 10 lbs. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat? Yes, you read correctly. I will NOT buy polish until I lose 10 lbs. I am jogging in place while I type this. Yes, it is very difficult. Last year I had a fantastic trainer that totally kicked my ass but unfortunately he is no longer in my budget while I look for work. You know, I’ve grown accustomed to having a roof over my head so I guess rent is more pressing than a personal trainer. There were days when I wanted to punch him in the face (which I nearly did a couple of times when we had our boxing days), but it was great to have someone to guide you and push you past what you think are your limits. Plus, he always commented on my nail polish which made me think he was gay for the first few months, but I love talking nail polish so it’s not like I cared. Now I have to motivate myself to get back on track which is not going to be easy. However, I think that the motivation of wanting to get new nail polish is really going to push me until I get used to going to the gym regularly again. It will be good for me. In the words of Elle Woods: ” Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”  Well, I doubt I would shoot my husband if I had one…I mean, unless he messed with my polish because that’s just off-limits.

My no-buy policy started today. I know there are a few collections coming out next month that I REALLY want so I better get my ass in gear. Literally.

Essie Angora Cardi

Posted on by Cynthia

I knew that Angora Cardi was a color that some might call matronly and for a momicure mauve when I first picked it up. But that didn’t make a difference to me: I love mauves dangit. I think I just like how it looks on my darker skin tone. Now that I’ve worn it, I really love it. The color is pretty and the formula is fantastic. I decided not to do any stamping today because my konad stuff needs a little break. However, I did do an accent nail using Wet N Wild It’s All In The Cut. The collection that it comes from is probably my favorite glitter ever…and that’s saying a lot because I don’t usually use the words favorite and glitter in the same sentence. Were you able to pick up any of the limited edition Ice Baby ColorIcon Collection from Winter 2011? That whole collection was just beautiful but I hate how thirsty the glitter is; it sucks up topcoat like there’s no tomorrow.

So here is what my nails ended up looking like. Once again I was forced to take picture inside with artificial light because there was zero sun today. 🙁

 

Today wasn’t a really interesting polish day. This manicure feels safe to me but sometimes safe is good. I purchased 4 Sinful Colors polishes because they were on sale for $1.00 at Walgreens. Now I’m waiting for my 14 other Zoyas to show up….