September 2013 - Of Life and Lacquer

Month: September 2013

Of Life and Lacquer > 2013 > September

China Glaze Happy HoliGlaze Collection

Posted on 30 September, 201330 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Are you one of those people who enjoy the holidays and can’t wait for Christmas? I’m not! I actually get annoyed by the craziness of the holidays, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy the awesome glitterfests that are presented to us. I was super excited about getting these early-ish so I spent wayyyyy too much time Sunday afternoon swatching the 12 piece China Glaze Happy Holiglaze Collection. This collection can be broken up into three main parts: the metallics/fouls—err…foils (Freudian Slip!), the fine glitters and the chunky glitters (including one textured polish). In each section, the polishes had pretty identical formulas so I won’t be discussing each polish individually but will offer my thoughts at the end of each section. Let the holiday swatchfest begin!

China Glaze All Wrapped Up

China Glaze Put A Bow On It

China Glaze This Is Tree-mendous

Out of the whole collection, these are my three favorites. I just love fine glitter even though it is a pain in the butt to remove without ending up with glitter in your arms, face, ears…etc. These were a little challenging to apply because I felt that if I didn’t stir, shake, roll the polish every time I dipped my brush into the bottle, I got a bunch of clear base with very little glitter. These glitters are just so pretty and sparkly! I applied 3 coats of glitter to make sure that I got complete coverage.

China Glaze So Blue Without You

China Glaze Mingle With Kringle

China Glaze Elfin’ Around

China Glaze Just Be-claws

China Glaze Santa Red My List

It’s no secret that I hate foils and metallic polishes. I don’t know what it is about that finish that makes me want to stab someone. In this case, I just want to stab Santa. This reminds me of a little of something that happened this weekend. My friend Lesley and I were polish shopping and we ended up at Nordstrom after our Sephora trip. I saw these really awesome Estee Lauder Metallic polishes and the following ensued:
Me: “OMG, I want them!” (Imagine me saying this both longingly and very whiney)
Lesley: “But you hate metallics…”
Me: “Oh yeah.”
And I totally walked away at this point. Why did someone have to remind me that I don’t like metallics? Why is the allure of pretty new polishes so strong? I guess that is a true hoarder reaction. Ok, now let’s get back to the foil polishes in this collection. I abhor metallics/foils. This is just my personal preference which is not going to affect what I have to say about the polishes themselves: they are nice. The colors are festive hues but aren’t just Christmas-y so I can see people getting a lot of good use out of them. In addition, the formula on these is pretty great: it’s easy to control, smooth and opaque. If you’re careful with your application, these could be one coaters, but I applied two coats for all of my swatches above. I also wanted to let you know that it is VERY important to let the first coat set and dry a few minutes before you apply a second coats—otherwise you will have a lumpy mess when you drag some of the polish off.

China Glaze Bells Will be Blinging over So Blue Without You

China Glaze Your Present Required over Mingle With Kringle

China Glaze Be Merry, Be Bright over Santa Red My List

I consider these three polishes glitter top coats. I wouldn’t really wear them on their own just because it would be kind of annoying and time consuming to push around the glitter to make sure you had complete coverage and ain’t nobody got time for that! Out of these three, I am seriously loving Your Present Required. They are all pretty, though…even the one with bar glitter (ick!).

China Glaze There’s Snow One Like You

And lastly, this is the polish I knew I would love to hate: There’s Snow One Like You. There aren’t enough words to say how horrid this polish is. Look at it: it’s lumpy and gross. Basically it looks like the Abominable Snowman took a dump on my nails. This is one of those polishes that I had to get just to satisfy my morbid curiosity so call me satisfied and horrified.

So what do I think about this collection overall? If I liked metallic/foil polishes, I think I would like this collection overall. However, being that there isn’t a single crème in this collection (the horror!) and I HATE foils, I can’t say that I like it. The three fine glitters are so pretty and sparkly so I definitely approve of those. Now, for the love of God, do not get There’s Snow One Like you unless you just want to confirm with your own eyes what an abomination this polish is. In fact, I think this is the same exact finish as those horrid Nails Inc. Beaded Polishes—they were horrid when Nails Inc. did them and it is just as horrid now. Just say no. I think this collection will be available sometime in October, but I’m not 100% sure. Unsurprisingly, this collection is up on my blog sale so check it out if you’re interested. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Pure Ice The Art Of Nail Noir Collection – Fall 2013

Posted on 25 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Remember how Fall started? Well, apparently California didn’t get the memo because I feel like it’s still way too hot. I actually get in a crappy mood when it’s hot so of course I’ve been irritated. The only thing that I’ve been happy about is all the delicious Fall polishes. Have I told you how much I love Fall collections? This year I am somewhat disappointed by all the icky foil and metallic finish polishes, but there are still plenty of other gorgeous shades to keep me entertained. Oh, before I forget: in case you don’t follow me on youtwitfacearest, I updated my blog sale with a bunch of stuff so check it out. I need to destash because my room is being overrun by polish…and my living room as well. I can totally see myself on a future episode of Hoarders with mounds of nail polish cluttering every room in my apartment. Scary thought or dream come true? Now, moving on to today’s pretties, I have two beautiful polishes from the Pure Ice The Art of Nail Noir Collection.

First up is Pure Ice All Night Long. OH MY GLOB. Yes, this is gorgeous but we’ve seen so many similar polishes this Fall! Hey, I’m not complaining because if you are on a budget, this one is the way to go. I am planning to do a shimmery blues smackdown post later this week so you can see what I’m talking about. The formula on this polish was a little thin, but it builds up very nicely. I applied 3 thin coats here and the finish was just beautiful. Best of all, this didn’t stain at all despite how dark and pigmented the polish is.

Don’t you just love polishes that give you the impression that they are glowing? Pure Ice No Means No has that glowing quality about it. This color reminds me a lot of OPI Purple With A Purpose which is one of my favorite purples EVER. Formula was thin but nice so nothing bad to report except that I didn’t want to take this off.

The Art Of Nail Noir Collection has 4 awesome shades:

Not Now – Forest Green Shimmer Finish
No Means No – Royal Purple Shimmer
Iced Merlot – Oxblood Red with metallic shimmer
All Night Long – Navy Blue Pearl

Not Now will be mine…because who in their right mind can resist an awesome green?? All Pure Ice nail enamels are free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP. Retailing at only $1.99, Pure Ice nail enamels are available at Walmart.com & Walmart stores nationwide. For more information, please visit Pure Ice on their website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will catch you on the flippity flip.

Dior Galaxie

Posted on 23 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Well hello there! I’ve been a little neglectful with my posting schedule so I haven’t been around much–primarily because it was my birthday this past Sunday. Suck it, 34! Everything was pretty low key and I didn’t do much except go to dinner with the family. Today I spent the day with my bestie, Daniel, so we went shopping and completely pigged out on seafood as you will see below. I dragged him with me to Sephora because I wanted to buy one birthday polish. He was helping me pick out the color but I already had so many of the ones that he recommended that I just ended up grabbing one from the Dior section. Let’s take a look at Dior Galaxie.

I definitely have a soft spot for Dior, so much so that I don’t even care how dupable this color is. Yes, it’s pretty but not so pretty that you should run out and pay $24 for this polish–especially if you have something similar already. Dior Galaxie is one of the two polishes from the Mystic Metallics Collection for Fall 2013. The other polish was a big no for me because it’s metallic and brush stroke-y. Ick. The formula on Galaxie is full of the usual Dior deliciousness: super opaque, creamy and very easy to control. The one thing I didn’t like is that it dries rather dull, but a good top coat will fix that right up.

Now…let me show you the seafood destruction that ensued:

This was an eat all the things moment. This is what 1 lb of crawfish, 1lb of shrimp, 1lb of sausages, rice and chowder looks like. Yes, we ate all of this. Yes, it was just the two of us. Yes, we are disgusting but damn it was good even though I know I am going to be paying for this for the next few days. My stomach is already laughing at me. Instead of screaming “Exterminate!” the Daleks in my bowels will be chanting:

All in all, I think I had a pretty kick ass birthday. You may be surprised that I only bought one polish for my birthday, but that’s only because I am saving up all my repressed polish urges that will be unleashed this weekend. Yep, Lesley will be in town and we are going to GO TO TOWN. Polish Mecca round 2 is coming up. Let’s hope we both make it out in one piece. I’ll keep you updated.

Color Club Girl About Town Collection

Posted on 19 September, 201319 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Sweet baby Jesus, every time I think that things are going well, I get socked in the face with a studded glove. All I have to say is that I am so looking forward to tomorrow being over so that I can start my three day weekend. I’m excited because on Saturday morning I’m going to a Baby Shower Brunch for my sister-in-law. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it too much on my blog, but I am going to be a first time aunt in November. Little Vincent is due in early November so I am seriously psyched because I am going to have the opportunity to spoil that little kid rotten and then let his parents deal with him. Muawhahahaha. They are still trying to pick his middle name and they are looking for a very Austrian middle name since my sil is from Austria. I personally think they should call him Wolfgang so I can call him Wolfie for the rest of his life. Evil, right? I actually do like the name Wolfgang, but it’s not really up to me. I kind of gave up on trying to name the kid since they kept saying no to naming him Alfie…

Anyway, I have a bone to pick with Color Club. I found it IMPOSSIBLE to find the rest of this collection. As a rule, I don’t purchase polish online because I am cheap and refuse to pay for shipping. Since they sent me two polishes from the Color Club Girl About Town Collection, I wanted to get the rest so I could do a full collection swatch post, but the other 4 polishes remain elusive. Not only that, but the other two polishes that they sent me from the Ruby Wing Collection perished during transit. Womp womp. Now that I have gotten a chance to try these two polishes out, I really wish I could find the others. Anyway, let me show you the beauty of Silver Lake and Williamsburg.

When I first saw Color Club Silver Lake, I was already anticipating loving it because I love white polishes overall. I always approach whites with a lot of caution because I just don’t know how they are going to apply. (I just realized that sentence sounded racially iffy!) The first coat of Silver Lake was pretty streaky, so I applied 2 more thin coats and that gave me pretty good results. I love the kind of gray white look of this polish because it doesn’t look chalky or harsh–in fact it looks creamy and delicious. Fross0 from Lacquer Me Silly did a comparison post between Silver Lake and My Boyfriend Scales Walls so check that out!

Color Club Williamsburg is breathtakingly beautiful. This polish has such a complex look because of that gorgeous shimmer and peeks out when you least expect it. I’ve noticed quite a few similar polishes coming out this fall so I’m planning another smackdown post. Do I love this? Yes! Best of all, it did not stain and I only needed two coats.

I think I am giving up on trying to find the rest of this collection locally. To be honest, I don’t REALLY want the rest of the polishes in this collection because the collection overall seems very disjointed–like there is nothing tying all the polishes together. I think that individually the polishes are very pretty, but they do not look like a cohesive Fall collection. If you want to stay up to date on all Color Club news, make sure that you follow them on their website, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I will talk to you soon!

The Devil Wears Polish Part 2

Posted on 18 September, 201318 September, 2013 by Cynthia

I’m super duper excited that tomorrow is Thursday because that means that my weekend is ALMOST here. Wooot! I don’t know what kind of trouble I’ll be getting into this weekend since Sunday is my birthday so I guess I’ll be doing birthday stuff . And by birthday stuff I mean crying in a corner because I am entering my mid-30’s, getting totally drunk and/or buying a billion polishes because there’s no better excuse than my birthday to go completely nuts. I’m only kidding! Of course I can’t buy A BILLION polishes, but watch me try!

I am so glad that I did a bunch of swatching last weekend because who knows when I will have time to do more. I’m super glad that I finally got a chance to swatch the last two polishes that Tami sent to me. Have you guys gotten a chance to check out all her creations? Well if you haven’t you better do it soon because she did a lot of reformulations (drooling over the new holos!!!) and will have new collections coming out. Let’s take a look at Get Your Pop Rocks Off and Nice Melons.

The Devil Wears Polish Get Your Pop Rocks Off is a fun yellow based polish with various sized circle glitter. It can be very difficult to get the bigger glitter on your nails but I kind of like the sparse large glitter. The formula feels a little sheer so you will need 3-4 coats for full coverage. Is it just me or does this remind you of marshmallow peeps?

The Devil Wears Polish Nice Melons reminds me of kiwis! Well, except for the pink squares.hehe This polish is my favorite of the two but it has a very interesting finish. Without topcoat, it feels very meal-y. Almost like gritty and bumpy but it does get smooth with a nice top coat. I needed 3 coats of this polish for complete coverage.

Let me know what you think of these polishes. Better yet, make sure that you follow Tami and The Devil Wears Polish on her shop, blog and facebook. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I will talk to you soon.

Orly Satin Hues Uniquely Satin

Posted on 17 September, 201317 September, 2013 by Cynthia

I am on weather cloud 9 today. It has been an absolutely gorgeous day so I really have nothing to complain about. I had a pretty nice day so I’m trying to keep the good vibes going at least until the end of the week so I can really have a fun weekend. I’m not feeling super talky today so I’m just going to jump right into the polish talk. You may remember that about a month or so ago, I went on a polish shopping binge with Lesley. One of the places we went to was this massive warehouse that had so much polish I thought I was going to have a heart attack brought on by pure polish awesomeness. I am always drawn to old polishes so I had 5 shits when I saw a bunch of Orly Satin Hues. I already have a few that I love but had resigned myself to not having other colors. Well color me obsessed because I was able to add two more colors to my collection. Let’s take a look at Orly Satin Hues Uniquely Satin.

Yes, this needed 3 pictures. I had about 10 pictures, but I figured that would be overkill. I was actually surprised by how much I liked this polish since I am such a fan of glossy and shiny cremes, but seriously: look at it and drool along with me. I felt it would be sacrilegious to topcoat this baby because the beautiful satin finish is what these polishes are all about. Orly Satin Hues Uniquely Satin is a very VERY sheer polish so I needed 4 coats for complete coverage, and I can honestly say that I would gladly do 4 coats again for a polish this lovely. The good part is that these bottles are so ginormous at .75 fl oz that you don’t have to worry about running out.

Let me know what you think about this polish: do you think it’s swoon-worthy? I seriously can’t wait to wear it again! Thanks so much for the visit, and I will talk to you later.

P.S. I put up a bunch of stuff on my blog sale so take a peek here.

Jessica Explosives Collection – Summer 2013

Posted on 16 September, 201316 September, 2013 by Cynthia

September is the last true Summer month of the year as the Autumnal Equinox falls on September 22nd (my birthday!). I don’t think California really cares about seasons and such considering that I always feel October is one of the hottest months of the year. I yearn to experience actual seasons, but I guess it’s just not meant to be unless I move somewhere else. There was a time when I swore up and down that I would never live in California as an adult, but now I think that I kind of love this place. I have the beach 10 minutes away, I have nice weather year-round and I have the most amazing dusties known to mankind so why would I ever move?!

The collection I’m sharing with you today is like a stealth ninja collection that completely flew under the radar. In fact, I had a hard time finding any information about it when I first purchased it. I did eventually find information on it and it appears to have been released abroad but didn’t get much fanfare here in the US. That is a true shame because this collection blew my socks off. Let’s take a look at the Jessica Explosives Collection for Summer 2013.

Jessica Radioactive is a lime green polish made me think of a refreshing mojito—not so much radioactive goo. I also kept humming that Imagine Dragons song while I applied this polish. Strangely enough, this is not a color that is very well represented in my stash, and I just don’t get why because I really love this type of color

I am never going to get over my love for teal polishes. Jessica Dynamite Teal is a bright teal polish with some dusty qualities. I love that it’s not so bright that it overpowers your nails. As beautiful as this color is, it’s also a major stainer so make sure that you double up on you base coat.

You probably already know that I love pink polish, so it should not surprise you that I am a fan of Jessica Pink Shockwaves. It’s such a bright bubblegum pink that makes me feel so girlie! How unlike me. I’m always trying to find easy ways to incorporate flashes of color into my wardrobe or make up, so this is the perfect way to achieve it.

Since red is the color that launched my rabid love for nail polish (I still swoon when I wear OPI Vodka & Caviar), I never tire of red polishes—especially when they are well-done. Jessica Atomic Red is a highly pigmented red that is almost a one-coater. It’s so bright and juicy looking but it’s definitely more of a tomato red-orange. I definitely approve.

Hello, yellow! I don’t think it’s a secret that I love yellow polishes, so it should come as no surprise that I loved Jessica Yellow Lightning. The formula wasn’t as problematic as some other yellows I have used in the past, but it was fairly streaky so 3 coats were necessary. This polish does stain slightly so make sure that you apply a generous coat of top coat to protect your natural nails.

Who doesn’t like a beautiful sky blue? Jessica Argon Blue has a very dreamy quality about it, and I just loved the crazy pigmented formula. However, the pigmented formula comes at a price–another major stainer here. A stainer isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me when the color is this nice, but it’s still a downer.

So what do I think about this collection? I FREAKING LOVE IT! While I don’t think that these are traditional neons, they are fairly bright and do dry satiny so a top coat is necessary if you want them shiny. The formula on all of these polishes is everything I have come to expect from Jessica Cosmetics: absolutely flawless. These polishes are everything I wanted the China Glaze Sunsational neons to be but weren’t. I had to totally search the Jessica website for these polishes as they are super hidden, but they are on there if you’re interested in picking these up. Get these. Get them now! You’re welcome.

Hit Polish – Fall 2013

Posted on 15 September, 2013 by Cynthia

Well hello there! I hope you’re enjoying a relaxing and lazy Sunday. As usual, I have spent my Sunday running errands, doing my laundry and cleaning. I’ve also spent a good deal of it agonizing about having to go to work tomorrow. That’s normal, right? Next week is probably going to be a little busy for me so I’m trying to queue up a a few posts since I probably won’t have time to do my nails–perfect time to try out one of my Fall Incoco designs, eh? Well, this weekend I swatched over 20 polishes so I am really happy about that considering my unplanned hiatus after the great nubbinizing incident of 2013 which I am calling the Nail XYZ Affair. (Winking at any fellow history buffs!) I have three fun Fall polishes to show you today from Hit Polish, and I am really excited about these because it’s my first experience with the brand. Let’s take a look at these pretties.

I was super excited when I saw the bottle of Hit Polish Swamp Thing because the murky green base color along with all that gorgeous glitter just set my heart aflutter. This would be a great layering polish, but I just wanted to try it out on its own. The formula is pretty easy to control, but I still think using the dabbing method is the best way to get good even coverage. I don’t think I was wearing my glasses when I applied this polish because of that huge bald spot on my middle finger! I know I’m totally aging myself, but all I could think about while I used this polish was:

Hahaha! That’s classic. I loved that movie!

Hit Polish Teal Abyss was a biatch to photograph. My lighting made this look a lot more blue than it really is. I first tried to use this polish when it was very hot so it got crazy lumpy. I tried it again when the weather was better, and I didn’t have any issues with it. I would you could see the holo glitter in it, but it’s barely noticeable here. In sunlight, it looks amazing! The formula was a little thick but was manageable at 2 thickish coats.

Lastly, this is Hit Polish Bronzed Beauty. This is a really summery polish in my eyes because it just looks sun-kissed. I think Mr. T would definitely approve of this mani! The formula was really great and super opaque so you will get great coverage with two coats.

Overall, I am super impressed with the quality of all three polishes. I didn’t think that they would be so easy to apply and control since they are very glittery so I am pleasantly surprised. I think that my favorite of the three is Swamp Thing because it’s so unique! I don’t think I have anything like it in my stash, and that’s saying a lot. Make sure that you check out Hit Polish on their website, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for all their latest news and creations.

Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you have had a nice weekend. Talk to you soon!

Marc Jacobs Blue Velvet

Posted on 14 September, 201314 September, 2013 by Cynthia

What a freaking lazy Saturday. Last night I just couldn’t fall asleep, and it was around 3 am when I finally passed out while watching a dumb movie. For whatever reason, my allergies have been acting up really badly so I’ve been feeling kind of miserable despite taking some allergy meds. Oh well. It’s been ridiculously hot here which is typical since we are heading into Fall. Oh you silly California, when will you ever get the temperatures right?

Now that my nails have grown and I am back on the swatching train, I swatched a crapton of polishes last night so I will have plenty of new content for you lovely people. The polish I have for you today is one that I was very, VERY excited to finally try: Marc Jacobs Blue Velvet. I don’t know about you, but I kind of really love Marc Jacobs…maybe a little more than Tom Ford because TF seems like such a smug bastard in the most delicious way possible, of course. When I first read that Marc Jacobs was launching a line of beauty products at Sephora, I nearly expired. When I finally got a chance to see the products, I think I felt a little let down. Before I rattle on and on, let me show you one of the polishes I picked up from his line.

Marc Jacobs Blue Velvet is a highly pigmented blue shimmer polish with the slightest duochrome. In the bottle, you can see some slight pink/purple flashes, but that doesn’t really translate to the nail. Considering that these polishes are supposed to be “Hi-Shine” I was very surprised with how dull-looking it dried. This isn’t really a problem for me since I always use Seche Vite and that makes every polish crazy shiny. The formula is decent: it’s highly pigmented and has a good consistency which gave me great control. I did notice that it was very easy to create bald spots so I do recommend giving this polish a little extra time in between coats. As far as the packaging is concerned, I think the bottles are just weird. I am a sucker for beautiful packaging, but I can’t say that I really like this bottle shape because it just looks awkward. The cap does come off so you don’t have to worry about dealing with the huge cap. My friend Lesley commented previously that if the bottle was a little taller, it would look like deodorant. Hahahahaha! So true!

And this is what happened when I removed Blue Velvet. Arrrrrghhhhh! This polish really stains but on the Cynthia Stainer Scale it’s nowhere near thermo nuclear stainer rating–that is reserved for OPI Fly. I recommend doubling up on base coat so you don’t have to deal with this when you remove your polish.

Overall, I would have to say that I am glad I picked up a couple of polishes from this line, but I am not sure that I will be getting more. I have to admit that I like the allure of luxury polish because you can still experience a little bit of the haute couture magic without spending thousands of dollars. At $18 for a .43oz bottle, these aren’t cheap but they are also more reasonably priced than other luxury polishes. I found the choice of colors painfully dull–not as dull as the colors from Michael Kors’ polish line, but definitely not unique or exciting. Have you picked up any polishes from the Marc Jacobs line at Sephora? Let me know what you think!

Duri Cosmetics Insidious: Chapter 2 Collection

Posted on 11 September, 2013 by Cynthia

I am a movie buff. I love watching tons of movie and don’t really have a favorite genre. If I gave you a list of some of my favorite movies, you’d probably laugh. Actually, let me give you a small list: Dersu Uzala, Billy Madison, The Rock, A Heart In Winter, Anchorman…and the list goes on. I have always been a follower of horror movies—even as a child. I don’t know if this is strictly a cultural thing, but my mom was always telling us ghost/demon stories when I was a kid. I remember being 4 years old and begging my mom to tell me about the time she thought she saw Satan in the family cornfield. I’m not kidding. Coming from a traditional Mexican background meant that all of our family stories involved supernatural events. As much as I liked hearing those stories, I was also scared out of my mind to the point that I would have nightmares every night. I wouldn’t tell my mom about my nightmares because then she would stop telling us the stories and I would miss them. Vicious cycle, I tell ya…

So today I have something to share with you that involves two of my favorite things: horror movies and nail polish. This is my very first experience with Duri so I was very excited about trying out their products. Without further ado, let me show you the Duri Cosmetics Insidious: Chapter 2 Collection.

Duri Lady In White looked like a traditional white cream in the bottle so I was already inwardly groaning thinking about most of my past experiences with white polishes. However, once I applied the polish, I noticed that it had a beautiful pearly sheen to it. While the formula was fairly streaky, I was able to get a good opaque finish with 4 very thin coats, and I would imagine that 3 regular coats would do the job. I really liked this white but it is a little too streaky for my liking. I also liked that the pearly finish kept the color from looking chalky and severe, because who wants White Out nails?

Duri Shocking Twist is one of my favorite colors in this collection because it’s kind of ugly but kind of awesome. The formula on this polish was pretty awesome as it is almost a one coater. It is very pigmented, smooth and shiny. I think the color looks a little off on my darker skin, but that has never stopped me. Because of the green shade (more of a chartreuse?), this polish seems like more of a Spring inspired color. Other than that, really like it!

Duri Red Door is a bright red jelly. Holy Toledo it’s bright! The name of this polish reminded me of my mom using Elizabeth Arden’s perfume, Red Door. I remember how cool I felt trying out her perfumes and such. I got pretty good coverage at one coat, but I don’t really like VNL so I applied a second coat to make the color more opaque.

Duri Steel Shadows looked kind of strange when I was looking at the bottles—strange but promising. I ended up really liking this polish because it has that steely look to it. I do wish that the polish hadn’t dried so dull, but a coat of Seche livened it right up. The formula is thick and easy to control so one coat is all that I needed. One thing to mention is that this polish had a slight odor…I couldn’t quite place it but it didn’t smell like the other polishes.

Hello blue polishes! Haven’t we seen oodles of blues this fall? Duri Nightfall was the polish I was most excited to try and it did not disappoint when it came to the look of it. Just like Steel Shadows, it dried very dull looking—almost like a matte or satin. That’s not really a complaint because I always top coat my manis, but this one had a really bad odor. It smelled like bug spray or something along those lines. Once the polish dried down, the odor went away but it was very unpleasant! I can overlook the odor issue because this polish is so dark and glowy—definitely my favorite.

Remember when black nails were all the rage? Duri Into The Further is a great black crème that applies easily. This could be a one coater because of how thick and opaque the formula is, but I opted to apply 2 thin coats. This color dried to a satin finish which I top coated for a shiny and glossy finish. This is a pretty traditional black crème so I don’t have much to say about it.

Overall, I am pleased with my first Duri experience. I liked the formula on these polishes, and I can’t wait to try more because you know how I love me some creme polishes. These polishes are available now so go get ’em! Are you going to be watching Insidious: Chapter 2? I am!!!! I’ll be watching it on Friday the 13th just to further temp fate since I know how it likes to play cat and mouse with me. If you’re interested in learning more about Duri Cosmetics, make sure that you check them out on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for stopping by today!