Of Life and Lacquer

When I was a kid, I used to live for Saturday morning cartoons. The ABC lineup used to be my favorite, and I would be so upset on those Saturdays when I had to go to Catholic school and miss out on my favorite ritual. Another reason why I loved Saturday mornings was because it was really the only day when I was able to spend time with my dad. Since he worked so much, I never really saw him during the week but on Saturday mornings, he would watch cartoons with my brother and I.  I loved that time with my dad even though I was such a little turd when I was a kid and would never tell him how much I missed him.  One of our favorite shows was Looney Toons because they were so old school and were actually FUNNY and not bloody and violent like the cartoons nowadays. Well…I guess they were violent but it was more for comedic effect and not to actually show gore and blood. I loved the musical numbers, and I remember that’s where I first encountered Opera.

Do you remember this? I thought it was hilarious but was also intrigued by this strange music. It wasn’t until years later that I started listening to opera as a teenager that I fully understood what it was about. One of the very first operas I listened to was a recording of Maria Callas’ La Traviata, and I just became enamored. From there, I devoured opera. One of the things on my bucket list is to see a performance at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. While I was in Milan,  I did stop by but didn’t have the time to actually see if it would even be possible to see a performance.

Now that I have bored you with my childhood memories of opera, let me tell you about the Jessica A Night At The Opera Collection for Fall 2013. Isn’t it funny how something like a nail polish collection can evoke such fond memories in your mind? It’s almost like when you hear a song and you are transported back in time and you experience those fond (or not so fond) memories from your past. This Fall collection is full of bold colors, and I was very excited to give them a whirl. Let’s take a look at the polishes…

While I wasn’t too excited when I saw Jessica Velvet & Pearls because how exciting can a black crème be? Well, let me tell you that it’s pretty fantastic. Not only is the formula outstanding, but the color is not really a true black…it has this smoky gray quality to it that really makes it unique in my stash. I know that black nails were all the rage a couple of years ago, but I still sport them because they just look edgy on short nails.

When I first saw Jessica Standing Ovation, I kind of heard angels sing. Yes, the way this polish looks in the bottle is rather majestic. From experience, I know that bottle shots can be super deceiving and I hate that bitter disappointment especially when it comes to duo or multi-chrome polishes. Well, this polish did live up to the hype I had created for it in my head. I loved it!! Not only is this shimmery green gorgeous, but you can definitely see the different colors flash depending on the angle of your nails. Just to show you how gorgeous it is, here is a bottle shot:

Seriously…how can you resist this polish. Just looking at those colors in the bottle…ghaaa!

For the purple lovers out there, I can see you going totally gaga over Jessica Prima Donna. This purple is just so shimmery and glowy that it pained me to remove it while I was swatching this collection. It’s such a rich and luxurious purple with a highly pigmented and easy to control formula.

Jessica Overture reminds me of some of the amazeballs polishes from last year’s Spicy Dream Collection. This is as close as I ever want to get to having my nails look like they are on fire.  I am a big fan of orange so this fiery copper won me over.

The only color that left me feeling kind of meh is Jessica Opening Night. It’s not that the color isn’t pretty or that the formula is subpar—because it isn’t—it’s just that it wasn’t that exciting to me. The formula on this is great: smooth, rich, great consistency and very pigmented.  It’s a nice fuchsia shimmer, but it didn’t make me get weak in the knees a la SWV:

Woot! Let’s hear it for the 90’s kids!

Are we tired of seeing these dark and smoky blues? Not me! Jessica Blue Aria is kind of “the brainchild of my brainchild.” Jessica calls this a dark cobalt…cobalt?? This is a darkened blue with a rich formula that could almost be a one-coater if you’re careful with your application. My nails definitely approve of this polish.

Jessica is one of my favorite brands and this collection continues to cement that opinion. Not only are the colors absolutely gorgeous, but the formula on all of them is superb. I applied two coats of each color for all my swatches and a couple of them could get away with one coat if you’re careful with your application. My biggest peeve about Jessica Cosmetics is that they are not as widely available as other brands so I always get questions about where to find these polishes locally after I review their collections. Please make these available everywhere!! For now, you can purchase Jessica polishes on ninjapolish.com or through their website at jessicacosmetics.com A few people have told me that they can be found at other sites, but these are the only two reliable and trustworthy sites that I know of short of getting them at independent beauty supply stores. I don’t have an exact date of when this collection will be available but it should be available sometime soon. Make sure that you follow Jessica on Facebook and Twitter for all their latest news.

So now that you have seen this collection, let me know what you think. Any favorites? Are you a Jessica fan? Let me know! Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon.

About Jessica:

A global powerhouse, the Jessica brand of nail care from Jessica Cosmetics International is available in more than 35 countries at the finest salons, spas and retailers and at www.jessicacosmetics.com. Jessica Vartoughian–founder and creator of Jessica Cosmetics–”The First Lady of Nails” by the New York Times and “Manicurist to the Stars” by Vogue. Her complete colour and treatment line has been designed to promote healthy, beautiful nails.