Tag Archives: nail polish

Sep21

Octopus Party Nail Lacquer: Fall 2016 Part 2

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I just figured out what marriage is for.

You know how there are times when you are taking a bath, shaving and exfoliating and whatnot, then you lay in there for about an hour falling asleep and watching YouTube videos?

Well, sometimes you wake up and forget where you left off, so you just get out and end up going to bed with soap still on your back.  Only to discover it the next morning with zero minutes extra time to spare to do anything substantial about it.

Needless to say, I got my very first sponge bath.  Hubby kind of gave me a tiny stink eye when I said I needed a washcloth.  And that he needed to get it really hot and rub it all over my back.  And that he needed to do it while I was still sitting in bed because it’s cold out there.  I’m not sure he enjoyed any bit of any of it, but because we are married, that’s the answer to everything that I don’t want to take care of myself.

Like bug killing.  Lawn mowing.  Making me a sandwich.  Doesn’t he know this by now?

While he contemplates, let me tell you about nail polish!  I received more fall polishes from Octopus Party Nail Lacquer, Fall 2016 Part 2 to be exact.  There are four holo beauties made exclusively for Ella Ann Cosmetics, and will go on presale September 24.  Let’s look!

First is called Prey For Me:

Welp, I’m dead.  Dead and hungry for some chocolate.  Do you see that luscious brown?  Another of my favorite fall colors.  Actually, it’s one of my favorite colors ever.  I’m sure there’s a color-code personality test out there having a field day with that.

Under the lamps:

Do you see that holo?  Do you see how pale I am?  Ugh.

Perfect two coat coverage.  Smooth application.  Looks delicious.  I can’t think of any reason why you haven’t bought this polish.  Except for the fact it’s not available yet.  But that point is moot.

Yep, you’re sucked in now.  I’ve officially won the day.  I’m gonna go ahead and get back in pajamas now.

Now here’s Hocus Focus:

Is it blue?  Is it purple?  It’s both.  This one has a mostly blue base but that flash of purple can be seen at all angles.  Lots of pretty holo.  For real, you guys.  You’ll love this one.  Even if brown is your favorite color.

Again, two coats of perfection.  A real pleasure to apply.  And that’s not just me being dorky.  (Okay, maybe a little.)

You can see the purple flash in this macro really good:

She’s lovely!  Also, I’m mesmerized by my own cuticles.  I can’t draw a stick in a straight line, but I dare you to tell me that cuticle line isn’t on point.  Not meaning to toot my own horn, but give me something here.  I got hit in the face with a basketball in sixth grade, so I’ve sat down the rest of my life since.  I need to claim my special skills somewhere.  OCD helps.

Next up is the steely gray beauty, Suffocation:

There’s a slight hint of purple in this one too.  It goes on a bit purple-y taupe-y mauve-y gray-y, which is probably the most amazing display of color description you’ve ever seen.  Well, I am a professional, so …

Just put a -y on the end of everything.  Nobody argues with that kind of logic.  Try it. After you finish with the -ying of all the words, you’ve confused everyone anyway.  They’ll just agree to get you to move on.  It’s pretty-y with a bit of ugly-y, homely-y beautiful-y.  Yep, no one knows what it truly is now.

SHUT UP, BRAIN.

Here’s some holo:

Looks mostly gray under the lights.  Or silver-y.

There’s that bit of purple!  She likes to hide, but she’s in there I promise.  And not that I need to mention it again (but I will in case you’ve skipped the entire beginning of this post for some [stupid] reason), but this is two dreamy coats.  And I love her.  I love her so much.

Last but not least is Butch Gardens:

If that brown one wasn’t in this collection, this teal green would be my favorite.  It’s just such a pretty color.  I thought it looked really nice on the nail, kinda classy despite not being a “traditional” office-y (!) shade.

But honestly, are there office-y shades anymore anyway?  Nail polish just isn’t nude and pink like they used to be.  And thank goodness too.  I do not look classy in nudes.  I look like girl needs a dang vitamin.  Some electrolytes.  Somethin’.

I love the holo on this color:

You better be setting an alarm right about now.  Because if you miss this pre-sale, you will be the saddest most disappointed person in the whole world.  And that’s probably not even an exaggeration because everyone knows there is UTTER HAPPINESS found in these teeny tiny jars.

Well, nail girls know.

Ugh.  Do you see?!  My heart is full.

The round up:

Goodness, those are pretty!  Each one of these polishes applied fully in two coats.  And then I had to physically tear myself away from them because I could’ve sat there all day adding another layer, another layer, another layer .. I was almost in full-fledged crazy mode, but I (somehow) managed to reign it in.

Be sure to stop by Ella Ann Cosmetics this Saturday, September 24 to place your pre-order.  If you find yourself with an effed up priority list and can’t make it Saturday for some reason, the pre-sale will be open until October 1.  Then you can sit back, relax, and wait for your pretties.

Later, loves!

Sep16

Blush Lacquers: Ballroom Bling Collection

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How to tell when you are officially old:

I have successfully replaced the majority of my heels with flats.  Ugh.  I have so many beautiful pairs of heels.  When I wear them, they make me feel tall and skinny.  I could wear my most dowdy of clothes, but pair them with some pretty heels and suddenly I am the Fashion Queen of the Universe. However, recently, my feet and knees just aren’t feeling it.  I sit down a lot during the day (or during life, in general), and when it hurt just to walk to the copy room 20 feet away, I knew it was time.

Cue sad music and tears.  And a pair of black Dr. Scholl’s.  In my defense though, I told my husband that in order for me to maintain my beauty and youthfulness, I needed a pair of Tory Burch flats.  I don’t know how that worked, but it did.  So maybe this new shoe regime isn’t so bad after all.  If I can somehow get my man to buy me designer, I’ll be short and squatty (but with amazing shoes!) all day long.  Does Christian Louboutin make flats?  If so, I’m coming for you!

Let’s talk about polish!  I had the pleasure of swatching another collection from Blush Lacquers, this time it’s Ballroom Bling:

The creator of these beauties, Victoria, used to be a professional ballroom dancer, so obviously this collection needed to be done.  The sparkling dresses, the festive Latin dances, the expressive and sometimes seductive traditional ballroom dances.  This all translates to some of the loveliest polishes you’ll ever see!  Trust me on this one.

And since I’ve been watching Dancing With the Stars for the past 11 years, I’m basically an expert.  Unlike Victoria’s expertise, but pretty close I’m sure.

First one up is this elegant soft blue called Don’t Forget Your Ballgown:

Aaaaaah, well this is soothing.  Such a beautiful, calming, satiny shade.  It’s Cinderella’s dress in a bottle!   There’s a bit of violet shimmer in it which I found a bit hard to capture in photos, but I gave it my best.  Just look real hard – you’ll see it.

I did three coats for opacity, but man was it worth the wait.  Dream. Boat.  There will probably be a Disney Princess nail art project in my future with this one.

And just for funsies, a macro.  Yes, it’s blurry.  But tell me you don’t see that violet now.  Ugh.  Have your eyes ever been happier?

Now let’s go from dainty to daring.  It’s Dance Floor Lovers:

Ummmmmm, yes please.  When’s the last time your nails looked this sexy?  Holy moly.  I love berry wine shades like this.  Soothes my need for dark polishes in a major climactic way.  There’s red shimmer in it, black holo glitter and some scattered holo, and if someone could just paint all my household surfaces with it, I’d be totally fine about that.

Inspired by the Rumba, Victoria’s favorite dance.  Here’s a shot under the lamps so you can see the sparkle better:

And of course, a macro cuz I’m on a roll now!

I physically can’t stop posting pictures.  We may never get to the end of this blog.

Okay, I’m forcing myself to move on.  There are four other stunners to share.  Below is Skintone Rhinestones:

Okay, did you just die?  Cuz I sure did.  This lovely little nude has bits of a copper rose hue, but could translate to another shade altogether on the nail depending on your skintone.  I’ve mentioned a billion times before that I don’t prefer nude polishes, but every one that I’ve used recently have been turning my head. Change is hard, people.  But I’m okay this time.

Under the lamps:

Do you see?!  I hope you got your credit cards ready.  This one is coming home to you.  Plus, as nude/neutral polishes tend to be, it would be an excellent contrast to some black stamping nail art.

Are you officially convinced?  Do I need to come over there and wave my nails in your face (i.e., completely acceptable behavior)?  Two more close-ups, just to be safe:

My job here is done.

But here is Mirrorball anyway:

It just gets better and better doesn’t it?  This looks like an actual, real-life mirrorball.  Such a gorgeous silvery-white.  I liked it even more than I thought I would.  Such a smooth application, too.  I’m very excited to use this one again.  I’m picturing all sorts of nail art masterpieces!

Under the lamps:

That shimmer is legit crazy.  I can’t even be clever right now because only half my brain is working.  The other half is hypnotized.

You can really see the silver flakies in the macro. Literally looks like diamonds.  Proof:

The next two polishes are major glitterbombs.  Let’s start with We Like to Move It, Move It:

Full of red, orange, pink, gold and blue holo glitters, this polish can be used as a topper or as a stand-alone full coverage shade when sponged on (which is what I did here).  It looks really blingy in person – it catches ALLLLL the light.  It’s a scene stealer, is what it is.  A Brazilian Carnival, as Victoria mentions.  Definitely.


Next is Jump, Jive and Wail!, a glitter full of sky blue, baby pink, sapphire and silver holographic hexes:

This one is a little more subdued than the previous, although it’s ridiculous sparkly.  Again, it can be used as a topper or a full-coverage polish if you sponge it on.  Toppers make me nervous because I’m too OCD to appreciate them.  Glitters just go wherever on the nail and sometimes they clump together in groups and you have to go pushing them around with the brush to spread them about.  And once you feel like you finally got it, you spend the next few lightyears analyzing your placement.  It’s exhausting.

And long story short, I chose the full-coverage glitter route, clearly.



The round up:

If you love pretty things, you’ll find lots of drool over in Victoria’s shop.  Every polish she makes is amazing.  I own them all, so expert level:  ACHIEVED.

The Ballroom Bling is available RIGHT NOW, so go go go!  There’s a coupon code too for this weekend only – as if you needed more persuasion.  Use MISSINGPC15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase of $27 (three polishes) or more.  Only valid September 16-18.  And then with the money you save, you can buy me a gift card of appreciation because now that you know about Blush Lacquers, your polish game will never be the same.

And then follow me on Instagram, because you are feeling very give-y and kind.

Later, loves!

Sep14

Little Nail Girl: Flashes of Fall Collection

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There is music stuck in my head that I literally can’t get out.  All day, every day, every song.  And it’s not like it’s music that makes any sense as if I’d just heard it on the radio or something.  No, it’s random in the worst possible way.  This evening as I was driving home from work, it started with the Sesame Street theme song, transitioned to Hanson’s MMMBop, then finally settled on She Works Hard For the Money as sung by I don’t even know who.

I could blame it on the acetone I inhaled the previous night for 12 hours straight (swatch party!), but I’ve been doing this for several years now.  Someone can say a word that will trigger a song verse which will stay with me until someone else says a word that triggers a new song.

What happened to the good old days when I would just read a book out loud and in a British accent, even the Southern fiction ones?  Cuz that’s not weird at all.

But we aren’t here to discuss my bizarre personality tics.  You want polish.  So I give.  Here is the new Flashes of Fall collection by Little Nail Girl.  Behold:

All your most happy moments are flooding back to you right now, aren’t they?  Ugh.  Fall colors.  The most comfy, cozy, smile-inducing colors ever invented.  I have no idea how I’ll ever finish this blog post now, what with my eyes closed in ectasy and all.

Except I am a DAMN PROFESSIONAL and that’s what we do.  Soldier on.

When Heather at Little Nail Girl offered to send me this collection for review, she asked for my suggestion for a collection name, as it was, at that moment, nameless.  I was both honored and petrified.  I can only be clever by accident.  When I try on purpose, I’m like that girl who smells her own fingers out of panic.  And then end up telling my male boss I like tube-shaped packages, when I was only referring to an actual tube mailer for a poster, but it came out of my mouth so very very wrong.

However, as soon as the polishes arrived and I fully took in the shimmery, multi-chromey, metallic-y goodness, Flashes of Fall immediately came to me.  And that was the end of that.

First up is the delicious Bronze Have More Fun:

Campfires, turning leaves, crisp air.  What’s not to love about this polish?  It has a surprising depth to it as well, and it’s basically my new favorite color.  It’s also a one-coater and amazingly smooth.  Of course, I did two coats out of habit, but for those who aren’t as annoying as me, you can get away with just one.

I was asked to do some nail art as well, and I knew I had to do something fall-related.  I had just received the new Lovely Leaves stamping plate from Uber Chic Beauty, and this polish practically begged for it.

It’s pretty cute if I do say so.  Do you hear tooting horns?  No worries; it’s just me congratulating myself on a job well done.

The little leaf charm came from Winstonia if you’re interested.  I don’t know if they always have them or if it’s just a seasonal thing, but it came with like 4 leaves and a pumpkin.  Figured I’d better get some use out of them while I can.

Next is a most glorious nude shimmer.  It’s called Skinny Dip, and look how lovely it is!

Had to take two shots of this one so you could see it under the lamps as well.  It’s really just the prettiest nude.  I normally don’t wear polishes this color because my skin is too pale and it doesn’t flatter me at all.  But this one is a warm-toned, golden nude which is PERFECT for gals like me.

That shimmer up close! Heart eyes times a BILLION.

Plus, this shade is the perfect base for some nail art.  I did this autumn tree with falling leaves design:

Again, I used the Lovely Leaves stamping plate from Uber Chic Beauty, which is the perfect plate for the season.  Get it!  But buy this polish first.

Last but not least is this fabulous multi-chrome shade called Ride or Die!:

It’s gray, then it’s purple, then it’s green.  Changes colors with every angle.  I love shifty queens like this.  They’re simply magical.  Pretty much a one-coater on this one too.  Ultra smooth and a joy to apply.  Seriously.  That’s not just me being a super dork.  Sometimes certain polishes will just pull you in.  This is one of them. I want to stick my fingers in everyone’s faces and make them look at my nails.  Except that’s frowned upon in most societies.  Personal space, and whatnot.

Now for something precious:

Look at that little owl baby!  I used another new Uber Chic Beauty stamping plate, Who Give a Hoot, and did a little reverse stamping action.  Happy to say it turned out pretty cute, although this was my second attempt.  First attempt I did my owl upside down.  That’s not annoying AT ALL.

The round up:

Okay, I’m serious when I tell you this – but you HAVE to buy this trio.  It’s non-negotiable at this point, right?  However, if these swatches weren’t enough to convince you AND the fact I named the collection myself weren’t either, then how about a discount code?  People love coupons.  For real, there’s a show about it and everything.  And I’m not even making fun of coupon-ers.  I understand obsessions.  In fact, I understand obsessions like I invented the dang thing.

But back to the point, use my code DSETT for 10% off your purchase of anything in the Little Nail Girl store.  And if you want this collection, it will be available to you on September 16.

Later, loves!

Sep10

Pretty & Polished:  Fall 2016 Collection

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You know I’ve always said:  if you’re gonna be obsessed, be obsessed properly.   Don’t just have a hobby and do it halfway.  I mean, if you’re gonna call yourself a crocheter, you better own ALL the yarn.  Know what I mean?  This is most likely the logic that got me swimming in 800-plus bottles of nail polish.  In my defense, nail polish never goes bad.  Yes, it might get goopy.  Or thermal changing powers may fade.  But it doesn’t turn to poison and that right there is reason enough.

The fact I crocheted a blanket made for one teeny tiny extremely skinny person is beside the point.  I still owned all the yarn.  Anybody need a potholder?  I have like 17,000.

But back to polish!  I recently received the Pretty & Polished Fall 2016 Collection to swatch for you, and believe me when I tell you – you’ll want every single one of them.  There’s 10 polishes to love and drool over, so I suggest you clear your schedule and get in your pjs.  Have some Doritos handy while you’re at it (and maybe a Kit Kat for safety’s sake).  We might be here for a while.

First up is Dark Magic – a dark grey creme with holographic glitter and metallic purple hexes:

Did you just die?  Cuz I sure did.  It’s heavenly!  Top photo was taken under direct lighting and the second one was in the lightbox so you can really see those glitters. I did two thin coats for full coverage and two layers of top coat since it dried pretty textured and dull.  But you do what you want.  I’m not the boss of you.

Just kidding!  I am.

Guess who remembered to wrap her tips?!

Next is this mustard yellow love of my life called Fuzzy Sweater:

I am drawn to colors like this as if Leonardo DiCaprio himself was at the end of it.  They’re comfy and cozy and wrap my heart with a hug.  Definitely a perfect fall polish.  Look at those color shifting flakies!  And then just for funsies, I matted it for you:

Kinda cool, right?  Again, I did two coats for full coverage and it was soooooo smooth.  It was hard to put down.  I could’ve easily went to Polish Mountain with this baby.

Macro porn!

Next is Taupe Me Off and Leaf!, a pretty taupe creme filled with brown, gold, silver and copper glitters.  I don’t know about you, but these look like chocolate chip cookies:

Well, it’s a stretch, but you get my drift.  Maybe because the taupe creme reminds me of chocolate milk.  Or maybe those dark brown glitters look l i  k klldghlk …

Who wants cookies?  I want cookies.  Dammit, why aren’t there cookies in this house?!

So I did two regular coats here and one dabbed coat just to fill in any spots that I felt looked too naked.  The glitter payoff is unreal and I had to do very minimal maneuvering.  No fishing either – those glitter babies were everywhere.  Really effortless, which is what I like.  I mean, I wear pajamas to Starbucks so there’s no way in hell I’m fiddling with a bunch of glitter placement.

Ahhhh, so dreamy … But seriously, though:  coooookies …

Okay, so this one might be my favorite:

It’s called I Done Plum Had It! and it’s STUNNING.  Well, I mean, clearly.  Look.  At.  It.  Ugh.  Whoever paired up purple and copper was a billion percent correct.  They are the OG Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Top photo is under direct lights so you can see the glow of those flakies, but the second photo in the lightbox really shows ’em off.  Another excellent fall polish.  In case you didn’t know already:  YOU NEED.

And of course, this blog wouldn’t be proper without one shittily focused macro:

Still pretty though.  Tips = wrapped.  So not a complete fail.  And in case you’re curious (you are), this could easily be a one-and-a-half coater (whatever that is) if you aren’t too picky.  Coverage was excellent.

A fall collection wouldn’t be a fall collection without an orange.  Here’s Patch under the lamps:

Uhhhhhnnnnnnnn.  That’s the sound my brain makes when it can’t think of words.  I love green; it’s my favorite.  But orange!  Orange is right up there.  Plus, this isn’t any ordinary orange, it’s a dusty creme orange.  I love Pretty & Polished’s Dusty Creme line.  Those dark speckles are something you never knew you needed.

Here’s a shot in the lightbox:

Wanna see those specks up close?

Ahhhhh, who just wrapped you up in a big warm blanket and handed you a bunch of kitties?  Cuz this polish is legit happiness.

And now, the amazing Heavy Metal:

This photo was taken under the lightbox and you can really see all the glitz and glamour.  The base is silver and it’s chock full of silver, gold and copper metallic glitters.  There’s also a small sprinkle of flakies, which are good little hide-and-seekers, although I did get a couple on my nails.  And it was so easy to apply.  Two coats of not-goopy perfection!

Very reflective under direct lighting:

Looks like foil!  This would be a perfect going-out polish, you know, for people who go and “do stuff.”  Assuming that includes a The Walking Dead marathon, which is how I prefer to “do” my “stuff.”  Of course, this comes from the girl who gets excited over her new Fruit of the Loom Breathable underwear.  I may not be the best source of info.

Prettiest macro award goes to:

My eyes!  My eyes!

Now for a thermal polish.  I give you Fall in Love a Latte:

This is its warm state, a creamy off white.  Loving this fun glitter mix!  There’s a couple shades of pink, an orange, a turqouise – some of the brighter fall colors.  Consistency was thinner than all the other polishes, but it was very easy to apply.  No streaks!

Here’s the cool state:

Those damn cookies are back.  With sprinkles.  Ugh.

Here’s an excellent warm to cool transition photo that only took 217 tries to get:

Photographing thermals make me nervous.  You know much time I spend trying to get my fingers and nails cold enough to change colors?  Light years, at the minimum.  But I do it for my nailie friends because without you all, I’m just a crazy person with her hand in the freezer.

Then we have Riverside Drive, a luscious almost teal-y blue creme with blue, silver and grey flakies:

One of the prettiest blues you’ve ever seen, yes it is.  Again, ultra smooth and opaque in two coats.  Seriously, this collection was made for people like me (i.e., lazy) cuz I could literally get a mani done in less than 20 minutes – and that includes my OCD-caliber cuticle cleanup.  For real, is that not the longest part?  I can spot a wonky cuticle line from a mile away with my eyes closed.  Not that my cuticles aren’t ever wonky, but you best belive nothing else matters until I can get home to fix it.  Sorry, I’ve got a job to get to?  Not today, Satan.

Now look at this macro:

No words.  Moving on.  Here’s Creme de la Creme:

Another dusty creme!  This time it’s a delicious sandy beige shade, and those black speckles really stand out.  I normally don’t wear colors this light because I’m already so pale – and pale is not a good color for me.  It’s not the delicate Irish Rose kind of pale.  It’s more of the IT’S TOO HOT OUTSIDE, I’M GONNA SIT ON THE COUCH AND WEAR A BLANKET WITH THE A/C ON kind of white.  Or the I DON’T LOOK GOOD SWEATY kind.  Maybe a skosh of the INDOOR ACTIVITIES ARE THE BEST ACTIVITIES sort.

Long story short:  I don’t get out much.

Again, two coats of perfection!  I can’t think of any reason why you’re not buying these.

Last but not least, I give you this lilac thermal called Lavendarling and about .000027% of my attempts at photographing:

If you guessed I was sitting on my floor next to the air conditioning vent with my hand in a cup of ice water, having anxiety, you would be correct.  I just wanted to show you the best pictures I could get of this gorgeous color-changer.  The fact I about had a panic attack just shows you the depth of my love.

The below lilac is the warm state, which is how I found it looked on my nail most often.  Once cold, it turns to a deeper purple.  The transition happens quickly and changes quickly back – or at least on me it did.  At one point it was like a race between me and this polish.  I’m pretty sure I won.

And of course, the requisite macro. Look at those precious pink and blue flakes.  And a bit of holo.  It’s a very girly, sweet polish.

The round up:

If you think I went out and bought a mum just to shoot this lovely collage, well how transparent do you think I am?  (Very.)  Enjoy it, cuz this plant has about 5 days until I kill it with my impressive gardening skills.

This entire 10-piece collection is available first at Polish Con in Chicago on September 17 in case you’re going or happen to be wandering past a bunch of crazies hauling shopping bags of nail polish out of a building – go in there!  For all the rest of us who aren’t as lucky, you can snag these beauties on the Pretty & Polished website on September 23.  Thermals are $9, glitters and flakies are $8.50 and dusty crèmes are $7.50.  Full collection will go for $78 and qualify for free shipping.

Thanks for reading this massive post all the way to very end.  You make my spending 18 billion hours on my iPad writing this thing totally and completely worth it.  Internet hugs and kisses for everyone.  Well, just the cute ones.

Later, loves!

Aug29

Blush Lacquers – Power and Beauty Collection

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If you ever want to know how old you really are, try going to a Coldplay concert.  You know, all I wanted to do was just sit in my chair and enjoy some music.  When did people start standing throughout an entire 4 hour concert?  Ugh.  Mama’s tired.

I tried to be cool about it – I mean, it was Coldplay after all.  When Chris Martin tells you to “get low, get low” you think, FINALLY! And then sit back down in your seat.  That was not the point.  You “get low” to “jump back up real fast” apparently.  Yeah, I was feeling slightly out of place. I’m not ready to be old, you guys!  My 42nd birthday is tomorrow.  Certainly, I have a few more years before I am forced to go see a Barry Manilow show? (No offense to those who actually go see Barry Manilow for fun.  I’m just assuming there’s lots of sitting opportunities there .. )

But back to the whole reason for this post – I picked up the entire Blush Lacquers Power and Beauty collection a couple weeks ago and then did a marathon swatching sesh just for all my nailie friends.  I promise you, it physically hurt to remove some of the colors just so I could put on the next one.  I might’ve cried a little at the orange one.  There’s no shame in that.  You nail girls know.


The entire line all displayed out for you like I’m a dang professional photographer or something. Let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact I saw I huge furry caterpillar about .25 seconds before I took this shot and somehow ended up with this not-blurry picture.  For real though.  I know that caterpillar was about to kill me.

First up is this most stunning caramel orange called Fight Like a Goddess, named after Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and War.  I.  Can’t.  Even.  I loooooove colors like this.  Almost makes me second guess green as my favorite color.  It’s so warm and cozy and comforting.

See, I told you!  It also has a pink to gold shift at certain angles and these pretty copper and black holographic glitters.  Here’s a (badly photographed) macro:

It’s hard to capture the true beauty of a polish with just your iPhone and a $5 clip-on macro lens.  But hopefully you can see all the glitters and the shifting shimmer.  On the nail, it is seriously gorgeous.  I did two coats and it was smooth smooth smooth.

Next is this pale blue beauty called Moonlight Huntress, named after Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon:

Normally I don’t wear polishes this light, but man, it’s soooo pretty!  It’s the perfect moonlight shade isn’t it?  Or like gossamer.  Or air.  Those iridescent flakies are to die for.  Look at them:

Again, not the best macro but you get the point.  They look like tiny chips of pearl.  If you’re into delicate polishes like this, it would be awesome in your collection.  I did three thin coats and got pretty good opacity.  Although they don’t market it as a fully opaque shade.  And if you’re into nail stamping or nail art, I can totally see someone making butterfly wings out of this.

Just noticed there is a speck of orange in my macro.  Pretty sure that’s a Doritos crumb.  Oops.

Then there’s this:

My heart swells looking at this, like I invented it myself or something.  This one is called Eye of the Soul, named after Psyche, the Goddess of the Soul.  And I’m pretty sure my soul is exactly this color, so good job Blush Lacquers – you nailed it!

Base is a medium lavender with this amazing mint green shimmer.  Goes on so smooth and super shiny.  I did three thin coats, primarily cuz I couldn’t stop polishing.  How could I?  Just look at it:

If you noticed that’s a much better macro, you are correct.  This one definitely played nice with my camera.

Next up is the biggest surprise for me.  It’s called Of Seas and Shells, named after Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, borne from a giant clamshell:

I honestly thought this was going to be just a nice beige polish, but it is so much more than that.  I got it on my nail and I was like, hello beautiful!  Most perfect beige ever!  Actually, it’s more of a golden taupe-y, khaki, wet sand shade (as Victoria from Blush Lacquers puts it).  And it’s true.  Looks exactly like the beach at Hilton Head where I went for vacation last fall.  How she got that translated into a polish – well that’s some straight up voodoo.

Look at those delicate pink flakies.  For real, you guys.  This is one of the prettiest little surprises I’ve seen in a while.  Buy it!

And then we have THIS.  Below is Life in the Underworld, named after Persephone, Goddess of Spring and Queen of the Underworld.  I soooo love dark polishes – they are my favorite kinds – and this blackened blue is probably my second fave of the collection.

Mmmmm, red glitters!  I was so mesmerized, I took the shittiest macro and didn’t even realize it:

Hahah, someone needs to watch a YouTube video or something.  Certainly there’s a How-To Not Take an Ugly Macro clip on there.  I mean, if it’ll teach me how to make a tiny Happy Meal out of powder and water, then someone’s put up a macro tutorial, surely.

Okay, last but not least – this peacock/mermaid glitter bomb called Queen of Gods, named after Hera, the Goddess of Marriage and Children and Queen of Olympus:

Ugh.  My eyes!  This is only two coats over a naked nail.  The glitter payout is AH. MA. ZING.  I did do some manually placed glitters around the cuticle line to make it nice and neat, because I have OCD and knew I’d spend 17 hours obsessing over anything less than that.  But I was quite impressed with this polish.  It can be a topper, sure, but it works fantastically on its own.  Super smooth application as well.  Hooray!

I took the below photo outside in natural lighting to show you a variation of how the glitters can look.  I’m still wearing this polish and it looks more like this than in the above picture.  Unless you’re carrying an LED lamp around with you all day (turned on, of course), the below might be the best representation of real life.

Best macro of the day award goes to this one:

That’s a ton of blue, purple, green, brown, gold and silver, wouldn’t you say?  Yes you would.

The round up:

Blush Lacquers is a relatively new indie brand (debuted in June), and every polish I’ve purchased from them have all been unique, exquisitely crafted and simply beautiful.  Not one bad formula either!  I highly recommend you head over to their shop to purchase this collection – or any of their other polishes for that matter.  You will be so happy you did, and then you will overwhelm me with gift cards of gratitude!  (Right?)

Later, loves!

Mar24

SwatchFest 2016 – Little Nail Girl

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So after painting my nails nonstop for about nine months, I figured maybe it was time I share my new-honed talents with the world.  I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come.  Remember the good ol’ days when someone had to literally force me to buy a bottle of nail polish?  You might as well have asked me would I rather stab hot toothpicks in my eyeball.  Fiiiiiiiiine.  I choose nail polish.  Pfffft.

But then something super weird happened.  I watched a YouTube video of someone taking a horribly polished hand and transforming it into something magical and model-y with just a tiny brush and some acetone.  That spoke to me, people.  My OCD was soothed like someone poured a warm Butterscotch Schnapps coffee with whipped cream all over it.  Like, who just wrapped me up in a toasty blanket and handed me a whole bunch of baby kitties?  For real, y’all.

Fast forward to today where I am the proud (and obsessive, but only slight) owner of roughly 600 bottles of nail polish.  Paid for and lovingly stored as if they were my own children.  I have grown my Instagram by thousands and made tons of new nailie friends.  I’ve learned how to polish properly, the joys of nail vinyls and how fast watermarbling can turn a good day into a bad one (verrrrry fast, if you’re curious).

Now that we’ve covered that, you know where I am in life.  Sitting at the nail table (i.e., former kitchen table) most likely.  Surrounded by everything that makes me happy.  Doing swatches of nail polish and posting on Instagram like someone is paying me for it.  They’re not, although I’m completely open to that as a career if anyone is interested.  Also, I take gift cards.

But let’s get down to business, shall we?  I received a couple of polishes from this cute online boutique called Little Nail Girl.  Currently they have about 32 polishes in their line in a variety of finishes.  Here’s what I received:

If your first reaction was a speechless jaw-drop, we can be best friends and soul mates for life.  They’re glorious!  I couldn’t wait to get them on my nails.  About 2.5 seconds later, this happened:


This first one is called Kimmie.  It’s a classic red cream, ultra smooth and super shiny.  I couldn’t believe how fabulous this went on and how pretty my hands looked after.  Seriously, why isn’t someone paying me?  These nails are heartbreakers, I swear.

Swatch shows two coats, but some could get away with one.  It had excellent coverage.  Other less picky people could probably do one coat, even.  I did two out of habit.  And please tell me you noticed that glassy shine.  I didn’t even need to do top coat really, other than the fact I wanted my nails to dry quicker.  Cuz nothing says I suddenly got ten billion things to do like ten freshly polished (and still wet) nails.  Quick dry top coat literally saves me.

Then I decided to dress the whole thing up a bit:

Are you dying?!  I love the look of this gray and red together. I used a floral watermarble stencil from Twinkled T, which I highly recommend.  If actual watermarble gives you hives, try the stencil instead.  Yes, it’s cheating but of the best kind. It’s watermarble for lazy people. And it usually turns out better anyway.

Next is this bright ocean blue called Korinna:

  

Okay now I’m really dying. This blue is everything.  So pretty and the formula was every bit as good as the red one.  Two coats and an unnecessary layer of top coat cuz the shine on this is ridiculous.  It’s a blue dream, a pool of deliciousness.  I want to stick my fingers in everyone’s face and say look at it.  Except society says that is not allowed.

More nail art:

Were you thinking daisies would be perfect? Cuz that’s where my mind immediately went. I stamped a single daisy image all over my nails with one of my Uber Chic plates and added some bright yellow dots. And there you have an epitome of springtime right at your fingertips. Literally what more could you want in life – food, water and a daisy mani. All set.  Give me a pair of pajamas and I’m seriously never leaving my nail table again.

Thank you, Little Nail Girl, for sending these lovely polishes for review. I’m telling all my friends to buy your stuff – cuz it’s pretty and wonderful, vegan and eco-friendly. And who doesn’t love all that? (Crazy people.)

Jan28

Buying Stuff: Episode 24

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I feel like I haven’t done a Buying Stuff post in light years.  But trust me when I say there’s been stuff being bought, like an embarrassing amount.  I mean, if there’s a day that goes by without a UPS box sitting on my porch, someone needs to call the authorities cuz a crime has happened in my neighborhood.

So let’s get started.  After wasting miles and miles of toilet paper, I finally decided to do this:

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It’s the Vera Mona Color Switch Solo and you can wipe the eyeshadow off your brushes with it and simultaneously save the planet.  It truly is a magical little tool.  And handy too – sometimes I just don’t have the time to root around in my brush cup looking for something particular.  I just take the brush I was already using, swipe the bristles around the mesh trap and voila!  Clean brush to use again.  It’s the lazy person’s (i.e., ME) best friend.

And because you’ll be saving billions of trees in the process, you can pat yourself on the back with a Sephora gift card.  There, doesn’t that feel good?

Wanna see something pretty?  Look below:

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Can you stand it?  Ugh.  It’s the Chanel Camelia de Plumes highlighter and it’s too pretty to actually use.  Like literally I’ve used it maybe 4 or 5 times then felt really guilty about it so I’ve put it away.  It’s practically an art piece with all that leafy design on top (technical term, obviously).  It is a limited edition and probably not even available anymore except on Amazon or eBay.  But I wanted to show you anyway because it’s simply too lovely not to share.  The color is a glorious mix of silver and gold, and if you don’t feel like a queen when holding/using/owning this, then you’re doing life wrong.

Now wanna see something ugly?  Look below:

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I know, right?  It’s the Marc Jacobs nail polish in Lux (a chartreuse yellow), and it’s so verging on hideous that it’s practically cool.  You know how male models can walk down the runway with a fanny pack on, and all of sudden you need a fanny pack like nobody’s business?  Well, it’s that kind of cool.  Except sadly my fanny pack would be less Chanel embossed leather and more Target-nylon-from-the-camping-aisle.  But still.

Anyway, this color caught my eye because of it’s rare ugliness.  Y’all know I don’t like nail polish.  I barely buy it and wearing it from one week to the next is a crapshoot.  So the lone fact that I bought nail polish and in THIS color speaks a thousand words.  I absolutely loved it.  It’s the most unique thing in my (albeit small) nail polish collection, and I don’t regret buying it for a second.

Then I bought this darling thing:

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Is this too much beauty in one post for you?  Everyone doing okay – heart rates behaving normally?  Cuz this Tom Ford blush in Love Lust about gives me palpitations.  If you’ve heard from other (more knowledgeable) people that Tom Ford blushes are beautiful and worth it – believe them.  Highly pigmented, natural looking and luminous.  It’s what cherub cheeks are made of.  And if I have an extra $57 laying around, I’m buying me another one.  However, how often does an extra $57 lay around at my house?  Not very.  I write a beauty blog.  I’m not sure what else you expect.

The below happened because Nordstrom couldn’t just SHUT UP about their damn mascara coupon:

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It was a Buy 2 Get 1 Free coupon, and I literally could not NOT take advantage.  Who doesn’t want something for free? (Crazy people.) And if I don’t cash in on it, what does that say about me as a person other than being really, really bad at math?  Cuz free is free, even if you have to spend $60 to get it.

First one is the Trish McEvoy Lash Curling mascara.  I wanted to give this one a try since I didn’t own any Trish McEvoy products, and even though you might assume I own all the products of all time everywhere, sadly that isn’t the case.  I mean, I am currently on my journey to own all the things but it’s going to take a lifetime at the very least.  That’s okay though.  Why be obsessed if you can’t do it proper?

But back to the mascara.  This is one of those tubing mascaras, the kind that forms little tubes around your eyelashes.  I’ll be honest when I say what is the point of tubing technology?  Does it make things more voluminous?  Or make your eyelashes touch your eyebrows?  Well, not for me it doesn’t.  It was just an okay find for me.  It does remove very easily, so the fact I don’t lose eyelashes in the process is enough motivation to make me use this product.

The Dolce & Gabbana Secret Eyes mascara fared better.  It is a lengthening version and it does alright.  I mean, don’t go expecting falsie-status or anything, but I don’t think you’ll hate it.  However, mascara is such a personal thing – one works for one doesn’t work for another.  Although if you tell me you don’t enjoy the YSL Babydoll mascara or the Charlotte Tilbury Full Fat Lashes one, then obviously you are WRONG.  But other than those two, I get it.

So this one gives decent length, separates and fans out lashes, but to get volume you’re gonna have to swipe on about 3 coats.  Luckily this didn’t cause a clumping fiasco otherwise I’d have to trade my morning Starbucks run with pushing a stick pin between my lashes and manually, tediously separating them.  Risking the safety of my eyeball isn’t always the best idea at 6:30 in the morning.  But then again, nothing sounds particularly awesome at 6:30 in the morning.  Aside from that, don’t make me choose between eyelashes and Starbucks.  What is the point of the Constitution if I can’t have both?  I ask you: WHAT. IS. THE. POINT.

My favorite of the three is the Burberry Curve Lash.  It takes the least amount of effort to make an impact.  The brush is small and does a pretty good job of volumizing.  Length is about standard, but I’ve come to the conclusion that fat lashes are better than tall ones anyway.  I wouldn’t say it curls them any better than other mascaras, but what do I want in a $30 mascara – a fecking miracle?  (Yes.)

Last thing I bought are the Gerard Cosmetics Jaclyn Hill lip thingies:

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If you don’t know who Jaclyn Hill is, it’s clear you don’t spend enough time on YouTube watching makeup tutorials, which in that case I can only assume your life is much more exciting than mine.  I mean, I’ve been reading the same 200-page book for roughly 3 months now because I keep using all my free time on YouTube.  I should really have more responsibilities in life.  If it wasn’t for the fact I have a full time job, I’d probably be winning in the Couch Pajamas Olympics event (but failing at the Cheetos-slash-Little Debbie Cake Resistance Program).

Well anyway – Jaclyn Hill.  She is a very popular makeup artist on YouTube and she has teamed up with Gerard Cosmetics to develop her own colors of lip gloss and lipstick.  I already own one of her lip glosses (called Rose Hill, a beautiful rosy pink) so this lip gloss in Buttercream and these lipsticks in 1995 (brown) and Buttercup (pink) complete the collection.  I absolutely love these products.  The lip glosses are very pigmented, which I prefer in a lip gloss.  Super shiny, not terribly sticky (or not annoyingly sticky).  If I had to pick my least favorite, though, it would be the 1995 lipstick.  It’s very much a Kylie Jenner-esque shade and I don’t always think it looks good on me.  But it looks good on loads of other people.  Which happens to me a lot with lipstick.  Skin tone can be such a bitch sometime.

Welp, that’s it for today.  I have two box reviews to finish out the month and if my math is correct, I should be able to fit them in with one day to spare.  If I can be a proper blogger and focus my attentions, that is.  I get very distracted by lounging.

Bye!

Jul11

Buying Stuff: Episode 18

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Today is my husband’s birthday, and to celebrate, I bought myself some stuff.  Because I have to go take him to see that dang Planet of the Apes show, and I tried to convince him it’s cool to go the the theater by yourself but he wouldn’t agree, so now I am forced to watch a boy movie for 11 hours straight.  Give or take 9 hours or so.

In other words, all things below immediately and undeniably JUSTIFIED.

First up:

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I was running out of cleansing milk – you know, what they call an emergency – so I thought I’d try something new.  Picked up the Le Couvent des Minimes version.  I haven’t used it yet because per usual, I think I’m about out of a product so I rush around to get my replacment ready, when suddenly my almost empty tube replicates itself and I get another two weeks of use out of it.  I did smell it, and it’s a very delicate rose scent.  I squeezed a little onto my fingers to discover the consistency is quite loose.  Not sure how I feel about that, as I like a thicker cleansing milk, but we’ll see.  I’m almost certain I have only 1 or 2 days left of my current product, as long as the planets are aligning properly as they should.

Then I got the Lorac Pro 2 eyeshadow palette.  I already have the first one, and it’s amazing and beautiful, so naturally I had to grab the little sister.  This time around, the shades are quite colorful versus the more neutral shadows of #1.  And as expected, this palette is perfect.  Using the same concept from before, there is a row of mattes and a row of shimmers.  The shadows are pigmented, buttery, smooth, glorious.  I am so happy I bought it.  If you have just $42 and you’re wondering what to do with it, stop thinking and put this in your basket.  No, I’m serious.  Do it right now.

Fine, here’s a close up first:

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I have been using Light Brown or Nectar in my crease, which are both great.  And the shades Rose, Chrome and Jade are beautiful lid colors.  Love Cocoa, Plum and Navy in the outer V.  Honestly, you won’t regret getting this palette unless you hate perfection.  I mean people are weird, sometimes.  But if you are a normal human and do as I tell you, you’ll be sitting home on Saturday night playing with your makeup while all your cool (stupid) friends are out having “fun.”  Such fools.

Perhaps one of the funnest (most fun?) lipglosses I’ve ever owned is Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie in the shade Hypnotist.  It looks like the future, like something Judy Jetson would wear.  That’s not even a joke.  Look:

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How pretty is that?  Who doesn’t want an iridescent lipgloss? (Crazy people.) However, I will say that this lipgloss doesn’t do a whole lot on it’s own. It’s mostly clear with shine. It fares slightly better on top of lipstick. Gave my nude lipstick a bit of extra dimension although nothing crazy. In fact, it’s more of a novelty than anything else. I don’t mind it. It’s pretty to look at, smells like mint chocolate, and feels good on the lips. I will most likely repurchase cuz I enjoy spending money on pretty things that don’t work. You probably should too.

I know. I’m ridiculous. But my lipgloss is holographic so try arguing with that. (You can’t.)

Picked up this batch too:

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I’ve never used any of the Body Shop body butters before, and Ulta had them on sale for 40% off. And naturally I can’t walk away from a good coupon, so I put the coconut one in my basket. This smells so good, like summer and the beach. Can’t wait to start using it, but as usual I’m constantly trying to finish up other products first. Hopefully I’ll get to it by the end of the month.

I’ve been feeling a little oily this summer so for the first time in my life I’m buying products to fix it. I have a few sheets of some Tatcha Japanese blotting linens left, and I really love them. Figured I’d try something different, especially cuz the Tatcha ones are kind of pricey. Decided on these little NYX matte ones. And guess what? Do not like. Of course I wouldn’t since they’re practically free compared to the other ones.

First of all, the packaging is awkward. It’s not easy to remove the papers. I have to unfold the whole packet and then put it all back together. It takes too much energy. If the choice is to remain oily or break a sweat fiddling with the dang packet thing, I suppose oily isn’t such a bad deal after all.

And second of all, I’m comparing them to the lovely texture of the Tatcha papers, and there’s just no comparison. Granted, the NYX ones are cheap, and Tatcha has made me spoiled.

Long story short, I bought some Boscia papers so I’m gonna try those instead.

I also picked up another NYX Butter Gloss. I own like 7 or 8 of these. That’s probably not a lot compared to some, but I carry them all in my purse so they take up a lot of space. However, I didn’t have a brown so what is there left to do but buy a brown? Got the color Praline and it’s so pretty on top of my nude lipstick.

Then of course at the check out counter they had these sample tubes of Peter Thomas Roth peeling gel. It says right there on the package that your dead skin will roll right off your face. I challenge anyone not to want to buy 15 tubes of this stuff. Seriously, dead skin. Rolling. Right off your face. I can’t even.

I used this the other night, and it really is quite amazing. After washing, apply this gel to your face in circular motions. Quickly, little balls of product and dead skin starts to ball up and fall into the sink. Then afterwards you literally feel as if you replaced your old face for a new one. It’s fantastic. I have a suspicion I’m about two seconds away from buying a full size.

Have you ever wanted a purple lipstick so bad that you ended up buying a purple lipstick? I did, and it was the Make Up For Ever one in #15. Now, the color is gorgeous. It’s true purple. There is a lovely pearl finish. However, the drawback is the formula. It’s so incredibly dry it practically drags across your lips. I have to do extra extra swipes just to cover all the surface area evenly. It was cumbersome and effortful. I had a lot of thinking to do.

Decided to go with it anyway cuz did I mention how bad I wanted a purple lipstick? Sometimes I do things against all practicality. However, it turned out alright in the end. Here is me wearing purple lips topped with the iridescent Hypnotist gloss mentioned earlier:

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Ooooh, purty! Totally worth it. I don’t even care about the formula anymore. I will spend the rest of my life applying this lipstick if the end result looks like this every time.

Last haul is this one:

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Another emergency – I was running out of eye makeup remover. So I thought I’d give this Mario Badescu one a try. It’s a gel, not a liquid, so it’s kind of weird. Also you have to really enjoy smearing black mascara all over your eye socket cuz that’s how you remove it with this stuff. But I will say it works really really well. And when you get it in your eye, it only stings for like 5 seconds. Success!

Then as a gift with purchase, I got this teeny sample of the Mario Badescu glycolic face wash. I had every intention of using it, but you know how I have like 7 or 8 tubes of cleansers in line already? One more might send me into an anxious fit. My daughter has it now. I have to bribe her for two-armed hugs you know.

Replacing my dried up pot of Maybelline gel eyeliner, I got the Napoleon Perdis China Doll one. I used it and it’s very creamy and easy to apply. I like it. Plus it was on sale at Ulta for $15. If I didn’t buy it at that point, I’d be accused of a mental imbalance, for sure.

Got a beautiful matte balm stain from Revlon called Sultry. One of my YouTube beauties raved about it so naturally it went on my wish list. And then about two seconds later I went ahead and bought the dang thing. This color is one of the prettiest I own, and I literally own a billion. Give or take. And this matte formula was not drying on my lips at any point, which was a nice surprise.

And finally, I bought a nail polish. No,
you did not misunderstand what I just said. I thought this Revlon color in Chameleon was so unique, I knew I had to have it. I love how the gold turned to green in different angles. I had never seen another color like it.

Well, sadly, it wasn’t quite as pretty on the nail. Mostly it was an antique gold/bronze and the green wasn’t that evident. A bit of a bummer really. I mean, I freaking bought nail polish; the least it could do was be amazing. Hmmmphf.

Well that’s it. You’re free to go about your weekend as you please. Bye!

Dec24

Adorn L’Age d’Or Nail Polish

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I’ll admit: I’m not a huge nail polish fan.  I mean, I paint my nails weekly but I never get super excited about it.  I don’t buy it for myself, or rather it’s very rare that I do.  Yes, even this surprises me because once I get obsessed about something (i.e., makeup, reading, scrapbooking, crocheting, shoes), I tend to go all out in an overly expensive, neurotic sort of way.  But nail polish is just one thing I can walk away from.

In other words, I do have restraint (albeit from things I couldn’t give two flips about, but still).

Last week, I received my subscription box from Petit Vour, a vegan, cruelty-free beauty box.  Inside was a lovely rose gold lipgloss and some face stuff.  Pretty successful thus far.  These are the types of items that make my credit card rebel in a maxxed out, oopsie sort of way.  Love love love.

But then there was also a bottle of nail polish.  I’m like blah, blah, blah, okay it’s nail polish.  My brain almost took a nap.  I lift it out of the box and give it a look.  It’s gold, it’s sparkly, it’s sort of festive and fun.  Fine. I suppose I’ll paint my nails with it just in time for Christmas.  Then I’ll put it away and use it again in about 3.75 years.

Sunday rolls around.  It’s spa day in the Setterfield household.  A day where I can lounge in my bathtub for nigh on ages, shampooing and shaving and moisturizing and mud masking til my heart’s content.  Finally, I sit down to tend to my  nails.  I open the bottle, take one little pass across my thumbnail, and …

OMG.  Behold:

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Is that not just the most beautiful gold color that ever lived?  Like, of all time?  (The answer is yes.)  I’m in lurve, people!  Like deep, meaningful, passionate love.  I’ve never felt this way about a nail polish before.  I’m shocked I’m even saying this, because normally a bottle of nail polish couldn’t turn my head even if I got paid for it.

Adorn Nails got it right.

As an added bonus, my left hand dried while I was painting my right hand.  Now that’s some crazy voodoo.  I don’t know what’s in the formula, but on that benefit alone, I’m a convert.  I tend to be super fidgety right after painting my nails.  Seriously, I can be the most comatose person when it comes to lounging about in my pajamas, couch-sitting and the like, but stick wet paint on my fingernails, and suddenly, I got things to do.

But back to my point.  I love this polish.  I love my nails wearing this polish.  I can’t wait to use it again and again.  Listen up, as I may never say this about another nail polish for the rest of my life:

I’ve found my holy grail.

I’m okay with that.