Swatches Archives - Page 72 of 111

Category: Swatches

Of Life and Lacquer > Swatches

Contrary Polish Ain’t That A Beach Trio

Posted on 1 July, 20131 July, 2013 by Cynthia

Great Odin’s raven, it’s hot and muggy today–the worst combination.

Milk was definitely a bad choice.

I literally started sweating as soon as I walked out of the office and I kind of wanted to run back into the building. Holy hell, I wanted to go back into the miserable building where I work?! I guess it really is that hot. Besided the disgusting heat, I am still freaking sick! Ugh…I can’t take this anymore. I can’t afford to miss work anymore and I’m pretty sure they’re going to fire me if I keep missing work. It’s not like I’m just being an asshole and deciding to call in sick for no good reason, but I still can’t continue to call in sick even though I am sick. Anyway, I guess I’ll just have to deal with it. Despite the disgusting heat, I am super excited about the wonderful polishes that I am about to show you. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but this is my first Contrary Polish purchase. WHAAAAAAAAAT? I know what you’re thinking. I have no excuse except to say that I just get so overwhelmed with all the gorgeous indie polishes out there that I just don’t even know where to start. When I first saw swatches for the Contrary Polish Ain’t That A Beach Trio, I kind of went nuts for them. Being that it’s my first experience with Contrary Polish, I decided to order minis. Let me show you how gorgeous these are:

Sand is such an awesome neutral. Seriously….look at it! I found that the formula was nice but somewhat thin. I think I also experienced some problems with application because the brush on this polish was useless. It was like twisted and wonky so it really didn’t promote easy application. What a bummer. Is it just me or do mini bottles always have the worst brushes? Anyway, I still love this polish despite the craptacular brush. I applied 3 coats for the swatches above.

When I applied Sky, I think I heard the angels singing. What an incredibly gorgeous blue! Once again, the brush was a pain in the ass on this bottle so the application was somewhat problematic. The formula was nice and pigmented and I applied 3 thin coats. I suspect that two regular coats would have been enough if I had a workable brush.

I think that Surf is my favorite of the bunch but not by much since I love all three. The brush on this bottle seemed normal and flat so I don’t have anything bad to say about it. I just can’t get over how gorgeous this polish is. That color, that shimmer….ghhhaaaaaaaaaa! If there is one polish from this collection that you must get….IT’S ALL THREE OF THEM.

So what do you think of this lovely trio? Have you tried any other Contrary Polish beauties? If you’re interested in purchasing some minis, Carrie, the genius behind Contrary Polish, sells them on her blog on Fridays. You can check them out here. If you want to purchase a full size bottle, you can check at the following stockists: Llarowe, Femme Fatale Cosmetics and Shoppe Eclecticco.

Anyway, I hope I’ve created a brand new circle of enabling. I’m sorry and you’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by today and stay cool!

P.S. What do you think of the new site design? I’m not done with it yet. I think I need a nice header and maybe a cool background or something.

Morgan Taylor Lacquer Nautically Inclined

Posted on 27 June, 20135 July, 2013 by Cynthia

To be honest, I have no idea why I even fussed with my nails today. I don’t know how I made it through work today because I had the worst cough that barely allowed me to do my job. I am now completely exhausted from all the coughing and my body is sore and in pain. Great! Just what I needed: to get sick just as the temperatures are going to be nearing the triple digits in parts of So Cal. Last night I took 3 cups of Nyquil and that KNOCKED ME OUT. I was able to sleep ok last night because of this, but this morning I felt like I got run over by a school bus multiple times. Since I’m apparently missing too many days at work, I dragged my phlegmy, hoarse and feverish self to work…those were 8 hours of pure misery. I don’t think I’m going to put myself through that again so I’m probably going to call in sick tomorrow. What really bites about all this is that I don’t get any sick days so each day I don’t go to work I get my pay docked…that’s going to hurt at the end of the month. I guess that means no crazy polish binges for the next couple of months while I play catch up. This could be a good thing for me! So today as I watched bad daytime tv, I got the itch to do my nails. I don’t know why since I was feeling so craptacular, but I decided to pull out one of my new polishes: Morgan Taylor Lacquer Nautically Inclined.

I know I’ve shown you a few Morgan Taylor polishes before so it will be no surprise to you that I really liked Nautically Inclined! I’ve purchased so many of these blues lately, but this one has a very subtle shimmer throughout so I love how it has that slight difference from the typical creme. I found the formula a little thick so I recommend applying thin coats and letting each one dry before you apply the next. I think I could have gotten away with two regular coats, but I felt 3 thin coats worked for me the best.

I don’t even know how long it has been since I’ve done some stamping. This was one of the first creative nail techniques that I ever used on my blog so I will always have a special place in my heart for stamping. I don’t know about you, but stamping can be really hard so I always wonder why some people are so anti-stamping saying that it’s nail art cheating. This awesome design comes from MASH Plate MASH 44. I used Konad Special black polish for the stamping because I just can’t find a black that is as good as this one.

Well, I hope that you liked this mani. I’m kind of in love with it and don’t want to take it offffffffffffffffffff! I may leave it on for a few days, but I will be trying out some 4th of July Incoco Polish Strips next week. Since my giveaway for the OPI Couture de Minnie Minnies is ending in a few hours, I’ll try to choose a winner tonight–if I haven’t passed out by 9 pm. But don’t fret if you don’t win….I bough two Jindie Nails Jindie-Pendence glitter toppers so I’ll be giving one bottle away next week so make sure you check in! Talk to you soon.

EDIT 7/5/2013: As you may know, I won a bottle of Nautically Inclined from a giveaway on Morgan Taylor’s Facebook page. Since I already have this color, I decided to hold a quick giveaway for the people who are on my FB page. I asked that you come and leave a comment in order to be entered. The people who had already left a comment before I launched this mini-giveaway got two entries because they are my regulars and I love them! (I love you too, don’t worry!) So the winner is…..

YANIRA

I have sent Yanira an email and she has 24 hours to respond or else I will be picking a new winner. Thanks for participating everyone!

Sation Beyond Bubblegum Pink

Posted on 26 June, 201330 June, 2013 by Cynthia

Any time I wear pink–especially super hot pink–I tend to get a lot of compliments. Maybe it’s because neon colors really POP on my dark skin? Either way, I love how hot pink look on me and some of my favorite lipsticks include NARS Funny face, Illamasqua Eurydice and MUFE #36–yep, all eye-searing pink. Yesterday my friend coaxed me out of my sickness coma and we went out to get some lunch and then we went to Michael’s to pick up some melmers. They are currently BOGO Free so how could I resist? You may recall that early this year I had some massive blog sales where I think I probably got rid of close to half my stash–I think I sold over $1,000 in nail polish!!! In 6 months, I think I have pretty much bought back the quantities I sold off and then some! That’s pretty scary and I’m in a delusional frame of mind where I am telling myself that the reason I have acquired so much new polish is because I’ve gotten a lot of them for review. *cue delusional music*

Anyway, today I was working on putting together my two new melmers and also wanted to consider a new way of organizing my stash. Well, I saw this pretty pink polish and couldn’t resist taking it out for a spin. Sation Beyond Bubblegum Pink is a beautiful bubbleyum-bubblegum pink with a lot of shimmer in it which makes it look a little frosty. Let me show you what I’m talking about:

This polish so full of shimmer that it does have a sort of frosty look to it. It is a very bright pink and it acts like a neon in that it dries to a satiny finish. I applied 3 thin coats for the swatches above and did not top coat it.

Miss & Makeup is a super fun glitter topper from their I Love Miss-self glitter collection. There is something about that shard black glitter that really makes this look unique. It’s a really easy glitter to apply and I didn’t have trouble getting a nice even coat. I did notice that I had to shake it up real well because the glitter in the bottle had settled.

So what do you think of this pink polish? Is it something that you would wear? How do you feel about bright pink polish and make-up in general? I am still super sick so I’m not looking forward to going to work tomorrow. My throat is bugging me a lot and my cough is really dry and painful. I am probably going to have to drink some hot tea at work tomorrow to soothe my throat and be able to get through work. Why did I have to get sick just as the summer season is starting? It’s supposed to get outrageously hot in the next few days so I’m dreading it big time. Thanks for catching up with me today, and I’ll talk to you soon!

P.S. Have you entered my giveaway for the OPI Couture de Minnie minis? Click on the image below to be taken to the giveaway post!

Jessica Bright Wings Collection

Posted on 25 June, 201316 September, 2013 by Cynthia

I’m not feeling too well today. In fact, I came home sick because I was coughing so much that I could barely concentrate on my work and calls. The other night I had this weird gurgling and wheezing sound coming from my chest when I was trying to sleep: I actually woke myself up with the weird noises I was making! Anyway, I hope that resting up today and tomorrow will help me get better because I’ve been missing work too much lately. I’m so bitter about not having health insurance right now because this just seems to be a rotating sickness that keeps coming back, and I just can’t afford it! This could potentially affect my polish budget! Haha!

As some of you may know, I am a total Jessica fan so I’m always super excited when they put out their new collections. Imagine my delight when I saw their new summer collection at my local beauty supply store! Saweeeeeeeeeet! Of course I picked up every color in the 6 piece collection which I am sharing with you today. This is the Jessica Bright Wings Collection:

Fanciful Flight

Fierce Flyer

Floating Beauty

Social Butterfly

Nature’s Fairy

Wing Woman

If you follow my blog, you probably know that I cannot resist a beautiful creme polish so I was in creme heaven with this collection. Jessica makes some of the BEST cremes out there and this collection just highlights this even more. All of these polishes are creme perfection: they are buttery, smooth, pigmented and dry super shiny and gorgeous. The only polish that I felt had a somewhat thin formula is Nature’s Fairy, but it built up nicely with 3 coats. All of the other polishes only needed 2 regular coats and I topped them with Seche Vite for extra shine. Let me say this about this collection: the colors aren’t all that original. I am sure I have dupes for almost all of these, but the formula is just so perfectly glossy and smooth that I do not regret picking these up. My two stand-out favorites from this collection are Social Butterfly and Fanciful Flight. I could have done without the red and the orange in this collection, but they are still great colors if you don’t have something similar in your collection

What do you think of this collection? Are you as excited with gorgeous cremes as I am? Do you have any favorites from this collection? Thanks for stopping by today….I think I’m going to go pass out now. Talk to you soon!

The Jessica Bright Wings Collection is available now at www.jessicacosmetics.com and at salons and spas internationally.

Nicole by OPI Tink Collection

Posted on 24 June, 201329 June, 2013 by Cynthia

Hey ladies…and gents? I wonder if any guys read my blog. If they do, they’ve never commented but considering the amount of men that are into wearing nail polish, it wouldn’t surprise me. Sweet baby Jesus it was hard to wake up this morning. Not only is it Monday, but I also couldn’t fall asleep last night so I ended up going to bed after 10:00 pm which means that waking up at 3:30 am would be horrific. I actually didn’t have that hard of a time getting out of bed because I had the most horrid dream ever. I was dreaming that one of my best friends and I were taking a trip to Russia. We were on the plane and she decided we should fly in first class so we upgraded and moved to the front of the plane. The weird part was that there was no real cockpit door, we could see into the cockpit and therefore look out their window. Well, we were going down the runway gaining speed so we could take off. All of a sudden, another plane was taxing right in front of us and crossing our path. In my dream I felt this loud boom and a lot of heat. I felt like I was thrown up in the air and everything went black and I could hear people screaming. I felt like I was floating and then I things started to come back into focus and I was suddenly outside falling onto runway in the snow. Apparently we were making a layover in some Eastern European country in the middle of winter. Considering I used to work for 2 major airlines, I was never afraid of flying. In fact, being on the airplane was one of the favorite parts of my job (didn’t hurt that I always got to travel in first/business!) but, it’s like now I have this irrational fear of flying. The last time I was on an airplane, it was for a work trip and I had to like load up with a few drinks to even make it on the plane. I’m such a spaz. It was a really bad dream, and I was so grateful to wake up. However, I felt terribly uneasy about my dream all day. I haven’t started back up on my Prozac yet, but these are the kinds of dreams I have when I’m on my meds…EVERY SINGLE DAY. Eeeek…I hate that.

Anyway, now that I’ve told you about my terrible dreams, I am going to share with you the Nicole by OPI Tink Collection which is a new and limited edition collection inspired by Disney’s Tinker Bell.

Tink’s In The Pink – This happy fuchsia makes me, well…happy!

Sweet On Pete – This lime green is the “key” to Pete’s heart!

Half Charming Half Alarming – This coral is perfect when you’re feeling unpredictable

Fairy Fairy Quite Contrary – Not, it’s NOT orange…it’s tangerine. So there!

After swatching this collection, I’ve got to say that the formula on all four polishes is fantastic. I had zero issues with application and they all covered very well with two regular coats of polish. All of my swatches are two coats of polish plus a coat of Seche Vite. While these colors aren’t exactly groundbreaking, they are nice staple colors that are worth picking up if you don’t have them. My favorite color is Sweet On Pete because I don’t have a dupe for this in my collection as far as I can tell. It’s one of those weird and pretty/ugly colors that kind of draw me in. I also wanted to mention that I am missing two of the polishes: Pixie Glitter and How Fairy Nice Of You!

Pixie Glitter – This clear gloss is sprinkled with tiny rainbows.

How Fairy Nice of You! – This sweet pixie pink gives me wings

This limited edition collection will be available July 1, 2013 for $7.99 each at select Walgreens locations nationwide. For more information, visit nicolebyopi.com. Follow Nicole by OPI on Twitter @NicoleByOPI and become a Facebook fan!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you’re having a nice Monday. Let me know if you’re a fan of Tinker Bell and/or all things Disney. I’ll leave you with a picture of my gluttony….ceviche and a giant Tecate. I feel kind of ghetto with that giant beer but it was in my fridge and Guinness doesn’t really go with ceviche tostadas. Ha!

Greens Smackdown

Posted on 22 June, 20131 July, 2013 by Cynthia

Guess what, chillens? I’m done with work for the weekend so that definitely deserves a little bit of a celebration…which means that I bought some polish. I bought a few colors at my local beauty supply and I also ordered some minis from Lush Lacquer. I’ve never tried that brand before so I’m super excited because their new collection of bright polishes is right UP MY ALLEY. I wasn’t super happy with how long it will take to get my polishes, but I don’t have to be an impatient asshole…I can definitely wait since I have plenty of stuff to play with and swatch in the meantime. For those of you who read about my head banging episode yesterday, I am glad to say I feel a lot better. My head is still a little sore where I hit it but I don’t feel sleepy or nauseated any longer…well, no more than usual after having to be at work on a Saturday at 6 am. Thank you for all sweet messages on here and on twitter.

So for today, I have a fun post. My Blues Smackdown post got a lot of hits last time so I know that people are always looking for dupes. Being that emerald is the Pantone Color Of The Year, I decided to do a comparison post for some gorgeous greens. I hope you enjoy this and that it can save you a few bucks if you’re wondering if you have a dupe or not. Let’s get ready for my Greens Smackdown!

Color Club Abyss – Illamasqua Venous – OCC Chlorophyll – YSL Vert d’Orient

I don’t think that any of these polishes are 100% exact dupes, but OCC Chlorophyll and Illamasqua Venous are pretty darn close. They are the exact same size (.5 oz) but Illamasqua retails for $17 while OCC retails for $10. In terms of formula, I think that OCC Chlorophyll is just a tiny bit thinner, but it’s not a huge difference. The priciest one is YSL Vert d’Orient and it is also the darkest one of the bunch. I reviewed it here yesterday. Now, is it really worth $25? That’s up to you to decided. Color Club Abyss is the brightest one here and at $8-it’s a steal!

Here is another comparison of 4 more gorgeous greens:

Color Club Wild Cactus – Nubar Into The Wild – Sation RV There Yet? – Sinful Colors Rise And Shine

What do you think about these? I feel pretty confident in saying that Sation RV There Yet? and Color Club Wild Cactus are 100% dupes in terms of color. The Sation ($5.00) has a super sheer jelly formula that takes a lot of coats–4 here–to build up while the Color Club ($8.00) only took two. They are both gorgeous! The base color of the Nubar ($8.00) and the Sinful Colors ($1.99) is very similar but the Sinful Colors has a lovely shimmer throughout. I also found the Sinful Colors formula to be very thin but it was very buildable.

I hope that this post was helpful. I kind of dread doing these comparison posts because I realize how many dupes I probably have and don’t even realize it. However, I know that these posts are good in helping you decide if you really need a particular polish. Let me know what you think in the comments! Do you end up purchasing a lot of dupes? Do you regret getting them? Let me know if you have any other polishes that you think might be good dupes for these.

Have a wonderful weekend, and I will talk to you soon!

YSL Vert d’Orient

Posted on 21 June, 201329 June, 2013 by Cynthia

Well, hello kids! I think I have a concussion! Ha! So this morning I was in a rush to get ready for work and I had opened up a cupboard, bent down to pick something up and I stood up way too quickly and I slammed my head on it. Fun times. I was at work all day feel like someone had taken a hammer to my head, and I felt very nauseated. Of course my co-worker convinced me that I would die if I fell asleep so he was “keeping an eye on me” all day. haha–he cracks me up. Anyway, I think I’ll be ok since I’m going to try to get extra sleep tonight. I couldn’t help giggling about my head trauma considering one of my favorite episodes of The Office involves Dwight getting a concussion while trying to render aid to Michael who Foreman Grill-ed his foot. I still miss The Office so much!!!!

Anyway, today I have ANOTHER super pricey polish to share with you. No, I’m not rich…I am just a cheapskate in every other facet of my life and spend all my disposable income on nail polish. Sad? Hey, in the words of Sheryl Crowe: if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad.

Let’s take a look at YSL Vert d’Orient…

I get such horrid lobster hands with these green polishes, but I love the color so much. The formula on this was pretty nice–it was a tiny thin for my liking but it covered well and flowed nicely. I applied two coats for the swatches above. I would also like to note that the polish acted a little weird when I applied a top coat–Seche Vite to be exact. It got kind of wrinkled, but then it smoothed down once it dried. It was definitely a weird reaction but worth noting.

So, what say you about YSL Vert d’Orient? Are you seduced by the fancy name brand and packaging or are you more practical? I wish I could say I was more on the practical side, but you have all seen the sheer number of polishes I purchase so practicality flew out the window a long time ago. I purchase my YSL polishes on Sephora.com or at Nordstrom. You can get your hands on this beauty for $25 for a .33 oz bottle. I hope that you have a great Friday night and an even better weekend. I hope to have a Greens Smackdown post for you tomorrow in which I will compare 8 green polishes at different price points because, really, who can afford $25 nail polish on the regular nowadays?

Thanks for the visit today…catch you later!

Givenchy Mandarine Boléro

Posted on 20 June, 20131 July, 2013 by Cynthia

Man, it’s hot today. I bet I’m gonna get all gross and sweaty when I do my evening dance. Yep, I do an evening dance. See, I told myself that if I acted goofy and did something fun, that would lift my spirits. So every evening I play 10 songs and just dance around like a maniac. Yesterday I played “Blurred Lines” 3 times just because I’m really digging that song.

Yep, this is the “uncensored” version…oooh…naked girls. haha So anyway, I’ve been trying to cheer myself up with silly dancing and it actually has helped. At least I do a little exercise, right? I’m trying really hard to swatch all the polishes I buy as I buy them, but it’s kind of impossible because I just buy way too many all at once. Boo hoo…so many polishes…not enough fingers. Last night when I was feel all pathetic and down I jumped on sephora.com and I was soooooo close to buying like 5 polishes (3 Dior, 1 Givenchy and 1 YSL), but I stepped away because it’s not like I am rich. I have other important things I need to be saving up for like a car. Nail polish should be the last thing on my list but we all know how that goes…

I don’t remember when I purchased this polish, but it was probably a month ago? I’m always very curious about luxury brand nail polish because I want to know if they are really worth the crazy prices. In this case, it is $20 for a .3oz bottle. Let’s take a look at Givenchy Mandarine Boléro, shall we?

This color is a super bright tomato red/orange that is kind of perfect for summer. It’s not like a crazy bright eye-searing orange, but it’s definitely an attention getter. These are the kinds of colors that I enjoy wearing because they make me look even darker than I am. What do I think about the formula? Well, it was fine–nothing earth-shattering. It’s fairly opaque, but I found the brush just kind of strange. It’s flat and super short with a rounded tip. I did not feel that it did a good job of fanning out and applying the polish evenly because it felt a little stiff. The polish dries fairly shiny, and I applied 3 thin coats for the swatches above. Honestly, I don’t think this polish is worth $20. It’s nice and I like the pretty bottle, but if I’m going to buy more Givenchy polishes, the colors are going to have to be a little more unique to justify the price.

I’m currently patiently waiting for a shipment from UPS, and I think I figured out what they are delivery. I. CAN’T. WAIT!!!!!!!!!!! And in case you were wondering, I am fully clothed.

Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polishes

Posted on 19 June, 2013 by Cynthia

I don’t know what is up with me lately, but I feel like I have lost my mojo. I’m having a really hard time swatching polishes, or just being excited about nail art in general. I have been unhappy with every single swatch I’ve done lately and just end up deleting everything despite all the time I spent applying the polishes and then photographing them. I tried doing some simple nail art today, and it came out really ugly so I just acetoned it off. (Yes, I am using acetone as a verb now. It’s my thing. Deal with it.) I think that stressing about my job and going on a bunch of interviews to try to find a better job is taking its toll on me. I’ve been thinking for a few weeks that maybe I should take a break from blogging, but then I get all excited about something, and I just have to jump on and share it with you guys. Story of my life, eh? I just don’t really want to be one of those bloggers who is constantly negative to the point that people just get sick of my whining, you know? I should probably just take it a day at a time and if I feel like blogging, I will. I have a lot of swatches saved up from when I do my weekly swatch-a-thons so it’s not like I don’t have plenty of material, but I always like to share other stuff because I’m not just 4 fingers, damnit! haha I am a person too–crazy and all–but there is more to me than just my obsession with nail polish. I hope my silly stories amuse you because it sure is fun to share them.

Today I have these two awesome polishes to share with you. These are my first ever Barry M polishes so I was beyond excited to try them out. I was secretly hoping to hate them because they are not easily accessible. I lie. They are rather easy to get via Ninja Polish, but I really, really, REALLY hate to pay for shipping so I wish I could get these somewhere locally. Here are my two choices from the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine line:

Green Berry

Blueberry

The formula on these two polishes was identical: smooth, opaque, self-leveling and absolutely delicious. These polishes are beyond shiny–the swatches above do not have any kind of top coat and I applied 3 thin coats but 2 regular coats would have been enough. I really didn’t want to adore these, but I do and now my wallet will weep as I methodically acquire every color in this collection which has 16 other shades. Ok, maybe I don’t want all 16 colors, but there are at least 6 more that are calling my name.

I was thinking the other day that I should take a little more pride in my appearance. I am such a slob when I wake up in the morning to go to work that I rarely do more than apply some moisturizer and some concealer. The other day I woke up a little earlier than usual (I have to be at work at 5:00 am which is brutal), so I actually put some make up on–nothing major, just some lip gloss an a little blush. Well, let me tell you that everyone was complimenting me that day–I guess I really do look like crap the rest of the days so a little make up really made a huge difference. Funny thing is that I got tons of compliments on my hair, but I haven’t had a cut in about a month or so, I think. In fact, I should be getting a trim because the one thing about having a pixie cut is that maintenance is a bitch especially because my hair grows super crazy fast. I also think that the less I care about my make-up, hair, nails and clothing, the worst I feel…which makes sense because if you look like a slob, you’re going to feel like a slob. I just wish I didn’t have to be up so early because then I might actually have time to actually fuss over that stuff. Ugh, I sound like such a girl right now.

Anyway, I also wanted to share on here (in case you didn’t see my post on facebook) that I’ve put up the Bettina Picnic Collection up on my blog sale. When I ordered them, I thought they were straight up cremes (you know I’m a sucker for cremes!) but they ended up being shimmers–almost like glass flecked shimmers. It’s not that I don’t like shimmers, but I much prefer cremes so I know I’m not going to get much use out of these, and I would rather they go to a new polish-loving home. So go check them out on my blog sale, here.

This weekend, I’m planning to sit down and actually answer all the comments that I’ve gotten this past week. I’ve read them all, but my funk has prevented me from actually responding to them all. Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and comment–just know that I’ve read every single one. Thanks for sticking with me through the ups and downs.

Much Love,

Mentality Nail Polish – Swatches & Review

Posted on 17 June, 20139 December, 2013 by Cynthia

Mondays suck. There, I said it. I was feeling down in the dumps last night about a variety of things and also because I was dreading going in to work this morning. So I started to think about fun things, and I fell asleep thinking about how great it felt to be a kid without all the adult worries. Isn’t it crazy how when you’re a kid, all you wish is that you could be a grown up but when you’re an adult you look back on the simplicity of childhood with a fond nostalgia? Well, last night I had a dream about one of the funnier episodes of my childhood.

You’ve got to imagine what I was like as a child: I am the oldest child. My first words were “¿Qué es eso?” which means “What’s that?” in Spanish. I was bossy, loud and kind of obnoxious. Oh, and the worst part was that I had a crazy imagination. Since I grew up in such a bad neighborhood, my mom wouldn’t let my brother and I go outside and play because she didn’t want us running into crack whores or pimps and also didn’t want us finding another dead body. Yes, I said another because I did find a dead body when I was like 4. Anyway, this forced my brother and I to find ways to entertain ourselves. One particular day, I decided that we should jump up and down on my parent’s bed. We were literally going batshit crazy, and I accidentally jumped right on the edge of the mattress and the wooden base just snapped. Holy crap, I still remember what it felt like to realize we had just broken my parent’s bed. My brother, who was a major momma’s boy and cried about everything at the drop of a hat, started bawling because he knew we were in deep shit. I pulled him aside and told him that we were going to pretend like we knew nothing about the bed. We conspired to get my mom to go into their room and have her sit on the edge of the bed and then act surprised that she broke the bed. Only a 6 and 4 year old would consider this a good idea. We tried to act normal, but I’m sure that we looked like a couple of spaz balls. When we finally got my mom to come in and sit down on the bed, she knew exactly what had happened. I remained pokerfaced while my brother burst into tears and pretty much sold me down the river. I’ll spare you the details of our punishment, but I can tell you I’m still bitter about my brother being such a crybaby. These are the things I remember the most about how awesome it was to be a kid.

Now that I have regaled you with my ridiculous childhood adventure, let’s get to the polish. These lovely polishes were a gift from a reader (thank you, Heather!) Two of these polishes are shimmers and the other two are holos so let’s take a look at the shimmers first. Get ready for Mentality Nail Polish shimmer domination!

Mentality Nail Polish Patience

Mentality Nail Polish Vigilance

The formula on both of these polishes is identical. I am sorry to say that they are super finicky and kind of a pain in the ass. I figured out that it’s super important not to overwork the polish–they act almost like really touchy metallic chrome polishes. You may have noticed some bubbling on my swatches, and that is the result of overworking the polish. It’s too bad that they acted this way because the colors are out of this world. If you try these out, I highly recommend that you try to apply the polish in one swipe without going over the same spot while it’s freshly applied and also let each coat dry before applying another. These polishes are super pigmented, and I only needed two coats for full coverage.

Mentality Nail Polish Entice

Mentality Nail Polish Charm

These are the two holos that I was most excited about. Unfortunately, my pictures don’t really capture the pretty holo effect too well, but I can tell you that they look gorgeous in sunlight. I had a much better application experience with these because I learned from the issues I had with the shimmers. These polishes are super opaque and you *might* be able to get away with one coat if you’re careful, but I applied two coats out of habit. These two colors are so UNIQUE in my holo collection so I am seriously in love with them.

Overall, I am pleased with my first experience with Mentality Nail Polish. I wish they hadn’t been so finicky, but I definitely think they are worth the effort because these colors are gorgeous and out of this world.

I couldn’t resist sharing that because I used to watch Out Of This World religiously, and I can still sing the whole intro theme song. I know, I’m a nerd.

So, if you’re interested in seeing more of what Mentality Nail Polish has to offer, make sure that you follow them on facebook because they always have updates AND they are currently running a 25% off sale! Seriously…go buy some. NOW! You can find them at the following places:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MentalityPolish

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MentalityNailPolish

Big Cartel: http://www.mentalitynailpolish.bigcartel.com/

Let me know what you think of these polishes! I’d love to hear what you think. And one more time, a huge thanks to Heather for being so kind and awesome!