Of Life and Lacquer

Today as I prepared to watch the Academy Awards, I was trying to decide if I should do my nails. When I looked over at my bin of polishes to be swatched for my blog, I zeroed in on the Venique Goes Hollywood Collection. How fitting, right? Then I went with the purple which ended up being called Acting Is Living. Well punch me in the eye and spit in my Orangina fantastic! It’s no secret that I obsessed with purple, so this was a perfect choice. Are you ready to see this gorgeous and shimmery grape purple that is Venique Acting Is Living?

Venique is a new to me brand, but I had head about it through friends and other nail polish afficionados. In looking deeper into this brand, I was able to obtain some information about the formula. Venique Nail Lacquer is made with Sil-Tek, which is  a silicone-based ingredient that causes the polish to be flexible and therefore isn’t as susceptible to chipping. Additionally, each coat is supposed to dry in about 4 minutes. One of the more interesting formula points is that if your manicure loses its shine, you can lightly buff your nails and you will regain the shine.

Now, I haven’t worn this polish very long so I can’t speak about its resistance to chipping, but I did think it took longer than 4 minutes for each coat to dry. I applied 2 coats and found that the polish was very, very thick and went on streaky. I decided to mix it for a few minutes hoping that the second coat would be nicer. Once I applied the second coat, the polish was pretty self-leveling and I got an even, glossy result even without top coat. For news about Venique, make sure that you check out their Facebook page here.

You may have noticed a change with the layout of my post. I have decided to stop watermarking my pictures, and I’m am uploading them individually instead of in a collage format. I am aware of all the picture stealing issues that arise if pictures aren’t watermarked, but honestly, I don’t think it’s worth it. If someone wants to steal your swatch pictures, they will do it–watermark or not. I had decided to use a watermark after my pictures for the WNW Saved By The Nail Collection were used in videos and sites all over the net without my permission and without giving me credit in most cases. Now I just want to focus on improving my photos/photography skills and getting rid of the watermarks.

This weekend was pretty busy for me especially since I had to work on Saturday. I ended up going out with a couple of friends to let off some steam. We ended up eating a yummy dinner, getting a drink, singing some corny karaoke and then just having some intense girl-talk. I want to share something with you that was like an epiphany for me…courtesy of my friend Nancy. As most women tend to do when girl talk is involved, we were discussing men. Ah, men…yes. Anyway, I was telling them about a guy I had met whom I no longer fancied for a few reasons. I told them that he was just “weird” and that I had lost interest. Then Nancy tells me: “But you’re weird. You can’t expect to date a “normal” guy. That’s just not going to happen.” I looked at her for a moment and realized that she is 100% right. One of my best friends has been calling me “freak” for the last 15 years–he never even calls me by my  name anymore, so you know there is some truth to it. I guess I like to think of myself as unique and not weird. I’m just special. hahaha This made me  think that maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss others as weird or strange since apparently we’re in the same boat. So there you have it.

How was your weekend? I hope it was interesting and full of fun stuff. What do you think of Venique Acting Is Living?  Have you tried Venique polishes before? I’d love to hear what you think. Thanks for stopping by today, and I will talk to you soon!

Disclosure: The products featured in this post were provided to me by the manufacturer or their PR firm. For more information, please see my disclosure policy tab here.