Category: Swatches

Of Life and Lacquer > Swatches

Color Club Almost Famous

Posted on by Cynthia

How do you feel about yellow nail polish? I think I have maybe 3 yellow nail polishes in total and I rarely use them. My mom always used to dress me in yellow when I was a kid because she said it was her favorite color on me. She used to dress me up so girlie: matching dress, shoes, purse, accessories.  It was brutal and I pretty much rebelled at the age of 7 and started wearing whatever I wanted. Wearing this yellow color also reminded me of a childhood story.

When I was a little kid, before starting school, we used to live in a really crappy part of town. In fact, it was outright dangerous so my mom would keep my brother and I locked up in the house. That is like the worst torture for a kid so we felt like little caged animals. Whenever we would go out anywhere, my brother and I would run around like crazy completely relishing being out of the house. In fact, whenever we went shopping we would just disappear and we almost would have to go up to a store employee to page my mom because after a while we were lost. So my mom bought us a set of matching neon yellow/orange sweat pants suits. I swear it was radioactive bright like crazy velveeta cheese, and I hated wearing it. I don’t know if it was her way of making us easy to spot or what, but I still kid her about that.

I am not so sure that I like yellow polish on myself, so you let me know.

As far as yellow polish goes, Almost Famous was not terrible to work with. I did find that it got streaky and I created bald spots if I wasn’t careful. I usually try to stick with two coats, but I felt that I third coat would help to make the color more even. This is a very bright and sunny yellow for sure, and I can’t imagine wearing this any time except summer.

 

I don’t know why I did this design because I hate it. It reminds me of a NASCAR checkered flag. This is just barfalicious and I took it off immediately after taking these pictures.

How do you feel about yellow nail polish? Is there a color that you really don’t like to wear on your nails? Thanks for visiting!

Zoya Wednesday

Posted on by Cynthia

I have way too many untried polishes. It makes me feel bad that I now have over 500 bottles of nail polish and I continue to add to my collection without having worn all the ones I already have. Wednesday is a color that I picked up during the Zoya Earth Day Promo along with another dozen or so polishes. Yeah, I know…terrible. You can’t really go wrong with Zoya most of the time.

Really beautiful and creamy, right? I’m sure there are a lot of dupes out there…Essie Turquoise & Caicos is the one that comes to mind first, but I haven’t done a side by side comparison yet. This is 3 thin coats.

 

Since I’m getting back into stamping with a fury, I used Konad M73 and the special black polish. I love the pigment in the black polish, but it is a huge pain to clean up. I still have staining on my skin.

 

Do you have Zoya Wednesday? Can you think of any other dupes? Let me know what you think!

More Sation Love

Posted on by Cynthia

Today I have for you the last two polishes I purchased a couple of weeks ago from Miss Professional Nail’s Sation line. I am giving this brand a lot of love lately because I’ve been really pleased with the color selection. By the way, Miss Professional Nail is giving away 3 piece sets of their nail polishes to a few lucky winners so don’t forget to visit them on facebook for a chance to enter.

Stirring Silver does not look silver at all. Well, maybe it’s supposed to be a blue toned silver. You can see the beautiful blue shimmer in some of the bottle pictures, but sadly it does not show up on my nails at all. I’ve said many times that these polishes seem a little too thick to me, but I find that they tend to self-level pretty well so I don’t really have issues with application.

Class Flirt was impossible to photograph. It looks radioactive in my pictures because it really is that bright and saturated. This one is described as a “radiant roseberry” and I think that’s pretty accurate. This did not strike me as a neon at first, but I do think it qualifies as one.  It doesn’t dry completely shiny and glossy but it’s not exactly a satin polish either. I’ve shown it here with a coat of Seche Vite.

What do you think of these colors? Are these colors you would normally wear?

Essence Color & Go Nail Polishes

Posted on by Cynthia

I am not one to ever turn down a good deal so I when I saw some Essence polishes at Ulta, I decided to get a few. For the $1 price tag, I wasn’t expecting anything too special and I was more than happy to try something new. To tell you the truth, I hadn’t noticed this brand even during my regular trips to Ulta. I am glad to report that I think these polishes are just fine. I can’t speak of their longevity just yet, but I thought the colors were nice, pigmented and the brush wasn’t atrocious. I actually liked the brush because it’s wide and it covers my nail bed pretty well in one swipe.  I didn’t pick very original colors, but now I know that I can purchase additional colors without reservations.

 

Nude It! is just a plain old neutral. There is nothing really special about this color but the formula is fine and was opaque with two coats. I wouldn’t really wear this color too often but it makes a good base for stamping and other nail art.

 

OPI Not Like The Movies, is that you? It’s actually not really a dupe but it has some similar properties. I do like the OPI version better because it has some tiny glitter which really makes it shine. However, I think that Where Is The Party? has a more pronounced color shift. It’s very pretty, but I definitely don’t like the visible brushstrokes.

 

Boring black? Well, I can’t remember the last time that I wore a black polish on its own. Black is Black won’t wow anyone because it’s just a staple color. Again, I don’t think I’d get much use out of this nail polish on its own but it’s shiny, creamy and pigmented.

 

Overall, I can’t really complain about these polishes. They are dirt cheap and have a good formula. These are cute little polishes that I can see myself putting in a goody bag or something similar. I’m sure my little cousins would love them for sure. You can’t go wrong for $1!!!

Nails Inc. Porchester Square

Posted on by Cynthia

It’s Sunday! Which song do you like better?

OR

Both are awesome in my opinion but I think I feel more like Maroon 5 today.  I wore the following color for two days. Yes, you read correctly: two days! I did change it up a bit today because I was bored.

I am sure that if you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you know I love nails inc. I really think that they make the best cremes around. That being my favorite finish, I can’t help but adore them and hoard them whenever I can. Porchester Square is such a nice and neutral color. It’s a grey with some pink and it almost looks a bit lavender in certain lights. I love how shiny and creamy this color is and the formula was fantastic.

 

No, you’re not on the wrong blog. This really is glitter. I bought a bunch of tiny Essence polishes at Ulta a while back but hadn’t used them yet. I pulled out this glitter to try out and was happy with the subtle look I achieved. I ended up using a mattifying top coat as well. I much prefer matte glitters IF I am going to wear glitter at all.

 

So how has your weekend been? I hope you enjoyed it and that you’re in a good frame of mind to start a new week. Every day is a new chance to start over. At least that’s what I keep telling myself……………..

Sation Miss Emo Shun All

Posted on by Cynthia

I’m still trying to figure out what the name of this polish means. At first I thought it was like an Emo girl who shuns everything/everyone and then I thought it just meant Miss Emotional.   Of course this could just be ambiguous on purpose to drive people like me crazy. Which one do you think fits better?

Well, whatever the case may be, this color is gorgeous. I think it might be a dupe for Color Club Disco Dress. They are both really bright purples and they have that really pretty satin finish. Why can’t there be more satin finish polishes? I really wasn’t expecting this to be a satin so it was a nice surprise. Besides, I can always put a top coat on it if I want a super shiny mani with this color.

I used three thin coats for this manicure. I guess that you could get away with two thick coats, but I always prefer to do thin coats for a faster drying time. After the second coat, it was rather opaque but I noticed that I could see some slight bald spots when I went outside so I applied a third coat to even out the coverage.

I’m a konad maniac even though I have been neglecting all my stamping stuff. I seriously used to konad at least every other day, but maybe I got sick of it. I am really interested in seeing the new Bundle Monster plates before I purchase them, so I’m going to wait and see some of the designs my fellow stamping friend, Nicole, uses on her blog first. Who am I kidding? It’s just a matter of time before I cave and get them too.

So how do you like Miss Emo Shun All? Do you like to use konad to spruce up your nails?

I hope you’re having a good weekend so far!

Blue Balls or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Da Bomb

Posted on by Cynthia

I doubt that the title of my post will make much sense to anyone, but I guess that will just keep my blog in the same vein of nonsensical ramblings. A while back, I purchased some mood changing polishes but I hadn’t gotten around to trying them out. Since I have a pretty blue that is supposed to change from blue to neon blue, I decided to try out it today for my Blue Balls Manicure. (:P Ciaté.) I wasn’t expecting much from this polish since it is supposed to change from one blue to another blue? LAME. However, I really liked it despite the kind of atrocious formula. It’s super sheer so I had to apply 4 coats. Yes, 4 coats! It dries matte and I didn’t attempt to apply a top coat because I was afraid I might ruin the color changing effect…and after applying that many coats, I was not about to take a chance. I just burst into song after typing the last sentence: If you change your mind//I’m the next in line//Honey I’m still free//Take a chance on me.

It was hard to take pictures of this polish because as soon as I exposed my nails to hot or cold water, by the time I dried them and went outside to take some pictures, they were already fading back to another color, so that explains the water on my hands.

 

These are pictures of my nails at room temperature or outside temperature, rather. You can see some of the darker color on the tips of my nails before the heat of the sun started to change them to the neon shade.

 

This was the result after running my hands under hot water: a more neon blue.

 

And this is the effect of cold water. It’s supposed to be a darker blue, but it starts to change almost immediately to the neon blue because it’s kind of hot outside.

 

And finally, la pièce de résistance, the thing you have been waiting for: My Blue Balls Manicure or MBBM.

 

I hope you’re having a nice Friday. Do you have any plans for the weekend? What do you think about my Blue Balls Manicure? I hope it was all you had hoped for. 😉

 

Sation Jock Juggler

Posted on by Cynthia

When I first purchased this bottle of polish, I thought the name was Jockstrap Juggler. Besides it being one of those blues that I drool over no  matter how many similar shades I may have, I also got it because I thought the name was hilarious. As someone with a wickedly overactive imagination, I won’t even mention what images danced around in my head. I would also like to warn you not to google images for jockstrap juggler because you will be scarred if you see a few of the image results. I’m not saying that you won’t see a lot of nice, uhm, packages, but you will also see things that will sear your eyeballs to a crisp. So don’t do it. Please. Just don’t.

The actual name if this polish is obviously Jock Juggler. Is that any better? When I photographed this polish, it looked sooooo much like China Glaze Bahamian Blues but Jock Juggler has green in it that makes it look a little aqua. I’ll need to compare it side-by-side to For Audrey, Gumdrop, I Need A Re-fresh Mint…ad nauseam…to see if it is truly a dupe of any of those colors. Although it looks like a full on creme, in the bottle it has the slightest flash of blue shimmer, and I really mean slight because it doesn’t show up on my nails at all. I applied 3 coats in order to level out the polish. This one was slightly thick so it was a little difficult to get this to apply smoothly right away.

 

I then sponged Wet N Wild Cost Is No Issue on my tips. This glitter is so freaking pretty.  Do you think it’s a good combination with Jock Juggler?

 

What are you wearing on your nails today? Oh, and did you google jockstrap juggler? I knew it!

China Glaze On Safari Part 2

Posted on by Cynthia

After swatching all these colors, I can’t, for the life of me, explain why I at first thought these polishes weren’t that interesting. I love all of them, and I’m so happy I got them so early. I love my nail polish place!

 

Kalahari Kiss is not a color that I thought I would like so much. I just love how creamy looking it is without being harsh. Is this considered a camel-type color? I just love it and it was not difficult to work with at all. I did find that I had to allow a couple of minutes in between coats or else I created some bald spots and streakiness.

 

This is another unexpected like. Desert Sun was probably the only really sheer kind of formula…or maybe just a little too watery. It wasn’t so watery that it flooded my cuticles or that it was unmanageable, but I could definitely see a lot of my nail after one coat. I did three thin coats of this one, and it looked perfect. I know it’s not a good description, but this makes me think of pumpkin cream cheese. Weird? Or maybe more orange graham crackers. Ok, I think I’m just hungry.

 

Adventure Red-y is not really…adventurous. Hardy-har-har! I don’t find anything that exciting or unique about this color except that the formula is dreamy. This could be a one coater, but I applied two out of habit.  If you already have plenty of reds and aren’t a hoarder collector like me, this is one you could definitely skip. Is there anything better than a shiny red creme?

 

Well, hello there Mrs. Vamp! I love fall nail polish collections precisely because we get so many beautiful, dark and vampy colors. Prey Tell is one of those really dark colors that almost looks black…almost. However, there is a very beautiful red/burgundy base that can be seen right away. I had a bit of a problems with this one only because I didn’t allow enough time between coats and you can clearly see where I created some bald spots. Otherwise, it’s just perfect and I love how this one looks on me.

 

And lastly, this is Call Of The Wild. Am I the only one who thought of Jack London’s book. Probably. This is a deep reddish chocolate brown. I love chocolate. I love this color too. I wish I had a Toblerone right now. Anyway, this one is a possible one coater as well. I don’t think it’s that interesting, but I don’t have too many brown polishes because they always remind me of poop so I usually pass them by.

Well, what do you think of the second half of this collection? Keep in mind that I am missing the two glitters and don’t plan on getting them. I have seen swatches of them layered over Kalahari Kiss and Desert Sun, and I have to admit that they do look pretty amazing. I just know that I don’t get much use out glitters so I won’t get them just to never use them more than once. I’ve heard that this collection is going to start showing up at Sally Beauty Supply in July so keep your eyes open. Snag some of these babies up because this collection is a big hit in my book.

Thanks for reading!

Orly Preamp

Posted on by Cynthia

Have you heard about the Orly Electronica Collection for Fall 2012? Yeah, me neither.

Today I found a display for this collection and couldn’t decided if I wanted them or not so I bought only one of the colors: Preamp which is the pink shade.

The polish was little sheer but it was buildable even though it got a little goopy.  It’s a blue-toned pink/purple with iridescent shimmer. Ahhhh….so pretty. I am really liking all of the iridescent polishes that are coming out lately so I was all over this particular shade. I think I might get Shockwave (blue) and Decoded (gray)  because they are matte. The other color, Synchro, is  a duochrome redish-pink but it just looks frosty to me. BARF!

Yes, you can laugh at me about my failed attempt to not buy more nail polish. Since I bought one, I might as well buy more, right? A lot more.

I have no hope when it comes to stopping the nail polish addiction.  Have you spotted this new Orly collection? Have you picked up any of the On Safari polishes yet? I have all of them now except for the two glitters.

Thanks for stopping by!