Friday, July 23, 2010

odds and ends

Um, OK. 

I was SO wrong about that OPI DS Original. Being the little dum-dum that I am I didn't look at it in the natural light, and the secret to all holographic polishes is that it'll only really start to sparkle in the sun. When I did find the sun, I looked at my nails and DAMN did they sparkle. ALMOST as sparkly as Cher.  


Believe it or not, that's my thumbnail. BABY THUMBS! 
One coat of OPI DS Original over two coats of Diamond Cosmetics Drift Away

Look at that mother sparkle! Excuse the blurriness, it's the only way to capture the intense holo

How could I have been so wrong about this polish? It's...it's....FABULOUS. Like, Cher-worthy. No joke. Can't you just see Cher in her little Bob Mackie outfit with some holographic nail polish? droooool. The best part of this though is the fact that I took these photos after a day at work where I have to open boxes and type, which is really hard on my nails. And seriously? No chipping, whatsoever. Imagine what TWO coats of this polish is like!! My eyes will probably burn and fall out. 

Also, here's a preview of what I have coming up. These are the polishes I need to swatch:


The NARS polish I borrowed from Katherine, who's a doll and lent it to me for the weekend so I could swatch it. The two Essie neons are EYE BURNING, and I can't decide if they're so tacky they're fabulous, or so tacky they're just dreadful. I'm super stoked about the Rescue Beauty Lounge polish, it's that perfect sophisticated demure color that always makes me pee my pants in excitement. The last one is a mini bottle I got from the summer Essie collection. I really love those mini sets, it's great for a hoarder/collector like me to get my color fix, but at a reasonable price. Plus, god knows I'm never going to completely empty my bottles with everything that I have. 

One last thing for y'all, the Rescue Beauty Lounge fall collection the Real Housewives of the Tudor Dynasty. OMG. Legit DIED when I saw swatches of them. WANT. NEED. MUST. HAVE. Too bad they're $18 a pop. Seriously though I'm willing to eat ramen for a week to have these polishes. THEY WILL BE MINE. 

Siobhan over at The Nailphile has some great photos. Needless to say, I'm SUPER jealous, not just because she has those amazing polishes, but because I'm pretty sure those are the longest, strongest, meanest nails I have ever seen in my life. JEALOUS. 

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Tacky Mauve

While I really loved that Essie taupey greige Playa del Platinum, it chipped like crazy when I was making pot stickers last night. So while watching SVU this afternoon I changed it up to this smokey purple, which I thought would be super sophisticated in the same way Playa del Platinum was. WRONG.

Two coats of Diamond Cosmetics Drift Away

This is Diamond Cosmetics Drift Away. Normally I really love their stuff because it's a nice formula with a good color range for only $2.25 a bottle(!!!!!!). But this one? Not so much. Sure, it's sophisticated, but it also makes me feel old. Like, "I'm just havin' drinks with my girlfriends after work, I'm single, in my 30's, and FABULOUS! Break me off a piece of that hunk o' man!" Like ladies night gone wrong at a male strip club. Cringe

Clearly, there's nothing wrong with being 37 or single or a working woman, but the whole image was just a bit much for me. Too much of a Lifetime Sex and the City knockoff that just ends up being really, really bleak. Let me just piss on your grave, Betty Friedan, this is what you fought for and it is BLEAK. 

So obviously I did the most logical (and feminist) thing and added some holographic glitter. Nothing says young, self-actualized, assertive (but not bitchy) 21st-century woman like glitter. (I'm sure somewhere in college towns across America women's studies majors are crying out in horror, while the comparative sociology majors would argue that as a self-actualized woman I should have the right to wear whatever I choose, because it's my choice, damnit. But I digress.) 

One coat of OPI Designer Series Original over Drift Away

I've never used the OPI Designer Series before, it's $12 as opposed to $8 and claims to have real diamond dust in it, to which I say pish-posh. Frankly I had high hopes for this, and while it is nice and sparkly, it's just not quite right. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for it, perhaps I did need something taupier, more neutral and sophisticated. Instead I got "OH HI I'M 12 AND ALL OF THSE NAIL POLISH FUMES HAVE GOTTEN TO ME." Which isn't exactly far from the truth, either. 




Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Essie Playa del Platinum: A Mystery for the Ages

Shoot, girl. I tried. I really did. I tried to get this color to show up accurately, but my camera wasn't having any of that. 


Emi: 0 Universe: 57

Essie's Playa del Platinum from the Spring 2010 Resort Collection is this gorgeous taupe-y grey mystery color, I don't even really know what to call it. 

Is it an old lady color? Is it work appropriate? Is it dull? Is it grey? Is it taupe? Is it edgy? Is it trendy? Is it neutral? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!! I feel like it's this huge philosophical mystery, on par with questions like: Does gravity really exist? How does the internet work? Why do I like to eat rice? 

The world may never know. Figure it out for yourselves, kiddies. 


Please, while pondering, gasp in horror at my eczema ravaged cuticles. Also, I swear this is darker and taupier. For reals. 

In these photos it looks like a concrete grey, but it's not. For shiz and giggles, here it is next to a true dove/concrete grey, Rescue Beauty Lounge Concrete Jungle 


Playa del Platinum: A mystery for the ages. I don't even know how to say it. Playa as in player or playa as in plier? Whatevs. Don't even care anymore, because guess what? I'm going to go have a snack. Take that, Essie!!!!!

Friday, July 16, 2010

Across the Universe: OMGGZ

OH. EM. GEE.

Yes, friends, it's Deborah Lippmann's Across the Universe, the Nordstrom Exclusive. My Nordstrom only had 3, I basically peed my pants when I bought it. I got it yesterday and it was sort of a back door deal since the sale didn't officially start until today, but somehow my good karma paid off, and BOY IS IT SWEET.


I've never used Lippmann Collection polishes before, the $18 price tag isn't exactly poor-college-student friendly. The formula was fab, however, and the brush easy to work with. Despite being a chunky glitter the base is a jelly, allowing the hexagonal glitter on your first coat to shine through, in this neat effect that would seem only possible in the wizarding world. Like I imagine Hermione Granger wears this polish, except in the wizarding world the glitter moves on its own. (NERD).

What kills me about this polish though, besides the glittergasm of small glitter particles mixed with larger hexagonal particles, is the fact that some of the hexagon glitter is GREEN. Uh, yeah, you heard me right. Multi-color and multi-size glitter? SHUT. UP.

Basically, I died. I died like a thousand happy deaths and I'm still excited about it. I have a few swatches, but you'll have to excuse my dreadful cuticles, with eczema it's hard to have moisturized hands let alone cuticles. One day, cuticles, you shall be mine!


three coats, topped with one coat of seche


I'm still dying over this polish. However because of its limited availability and exorbitant price tag, I'd skip it. There are plenty of other beautiful blue sparkly glittergasm-inducing polishes. 

ALSO: This is my very first post, I hope to update regularly but we shall see. Also, thanks to all my A Phi's and housemates, who constantly have to put up with my nail blabber.