Essie (Summer 2010) - Pretty Edgy

Essie "Pretty Edgy"

What It Is

A green creme polish. This is from Essie's Summer 2010 collection.

Application

Shown is 3 coats of "Pretty Edgy". I found it to go on quite smoothly. I might have been able to stop at 2 coats if I remembered to wrap my tips at the 2nd coat AND if I hadn't dragged my brush and created a bald spot on a couple nails. I was pleasantly surprised when I realized the polish did not bubble. However, I tried a new top coat (OPI RapiDry Top Coat) which must be getting dried out (I've had it awhile!) because it left bubbles everywhere! Aghhh!

Random

I chipped a corner of my index finger... Boo-hoo, I know. There was NO WAY I was cutting them all down again so I opted on rounding all of my nails. To my surprise, I kind of like it! I think it complements the shape of my fingertips. My plan for this winter is to keep my nails short & round so they don't dry out so much and break!
Also, I got a tripod! Yay! So I'm going to be taking more photos with my DSLR. I even figured out how to set a custom white balance so I won't look like a zombie anymore :) Have you noticed? I used my D90 for these photos...

I've been trying to improve the aesthetics of my blog... to make it more visually interesting. For example: better quality photographs, colorful backgrounds for my swatches, text boxes (such as this dark gray one), and archiTEXTural columns. Do you like my play on words there? :) Anyways... Since I'm an html novice, I'm not sure if I'm even doing it right. I see everything just fine on my computers but I want to make sure you all are seeing everything okay. Let me know if anything looks out of the ordinary! Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a bunch:)

This week flew by! TGIF! I think I'll go polish shopping tomorrow!

Friday, November 05, 2010

Lippmann - Lady Sings The Blues

Deborah Lippmann 19 comments

Deborah Lippmann "Lady Sings The Blues"

What It Is

A navy blue jelly polish with two sizes of silver glitter: small "regular" glitter and large hexagonal glitters. This polish is from Deborah Lippmann's All That Jazz trio.

How I Wore It

In order to preserve my bottle of "Lady Sings The Blues" (and because I'm sure you've already seen this swatched in its purist form) I decided to layer it over Nfu Oh #270, a cobalt blue jelly. I did 2 coats of "Lady Sings The Blues" so that I could maintain the rich navy blue that you see in the bottle. And let's be honest, to get more glitter on my nails! P.S. I used Seche Vite as a top coat to achieve a smooth surface but it gave me baaaad shrinkage! I used a small paint brush and some pure acetone to clean up the polish that was left behind.
Grr! That's so frustrating!

Side Note

Though I like the name of this polish, I think it looks more like outerspace than Lippmann's "Across The Universe" does. Seriously, just look at it! It has small specs of glitter that are like stars and hexagonal sequins like planets! The jelly base gives this polish so much dimension that the glitter "planets" appear to be deep in space. I love how the glitters on the bottom layers are blue while the glitter towards the top are sparkling silver!

Overall

I just adore this polish. Consistency was good. Application was a little on the difficult side. You have to brush, brush, and brush some more to get the large glitter chunks were you want them. Other than that, the color is amazing and the wear seems to be pretty decent! I'm so glad I bought this :)

I purchased this polish, as part of the All That Jazz trio from Zappos.com!

Thursday, November 04, 2010

Lippmann - Razzle Dazzle

Deborah Lippmann 27 comments

Deborah Lippmann "Razzle Dazzle"

What It Is:

A burgundy jelly polish with lots of tiny pink glitters. Part of the All That Jazz trio.

How I Wore It:

I was most excited about this polish from the trio. So... in an effort to make my bottle last longer (since a backup bottle is out of the question, as this is currently only sold in a set) I layered it over OPI "Bastille My Heart". I used 2 coats of "Bastille My Heart" and 1 coat of "Razzle Dazzle". The two polishes worked perfectly together!

[BELOW] Extreme close-up...

Like it? Love it? or Gotta have it? (Coldstone anyone?)

On a separate note, I'm trying different top coats and having no luck. I used Essie's Super Duper top coat with this manicure. As you can see, it does not create a smooth surface like Vite would. Plus, it took forever to dry! I sat on my hand and now I have a denim print in my polish! :(

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Lippmann - Some Enchanted Evening

Deborah Lippmann 9 comments

Deborah Lippmann "Some Enchanted Evening"

What It Is:

A clear base packed with 2 sizes of rose colored glitter: small "regular" glitter and larger hexagonal glitter. There is a small amount of holographic glitters in there, as well. This is from Deborah Lippmann's All That Jazz nail polish trio.

Application:

This polish was fairly easy to apply. I found it best to give the bottle a shake before using since some of the glitter may have settled toward the bottom. Also... the more polish on your brush the better so don't scrape off too much!

Ways To Wear It:

This polish works best for layering because it would take a good 4 or 5 coats to completely cover your nail in glitter. I prefer wearing it over colors that don't contrast much with the rose hue. This would include: white, flesh tones, gold, silver, pinks, etc. Below are some examples I put together for you:

[ABOVE] Alternating coats of OPI "Funny Bunny" and "Some Enchanted Evening", beginning with "Funny Bunny" - 2 coats each
[BELOW] Layered over OPI "Dazzled By Gold" - 2 coats gold, 1 coat glitter

[ABOVE] 2 coats of OPI "Canberra't Without You", topped with 1 coat of "S.E.E"
[BELOW] Previous manicure with Essie "Matte About You" top coat

If you don't hear from me by Sunday, have a happy Halloween!!

Friday, October 29, 2010

OPI Swiss- Yodel Me On My Cell

OPI 9 comments

OPI "Yodel Me On My Cell"

I did this manicure so long ago. I don't remember how many coats I used. Probably 3. I usually get 2 coats done and it looks great... Then, I remember that I need to wrap the tips of my nails with polish, so I give it a third coat.

This color was "meh" to me. Don't get me wrong. It's a gorgeous shade. I'm just not in the mood to wear blues right now. In the Fall, I prefer: reds, purples, greens, and browns/taupes. I'll wear blue in the winter though... Navy or light blue (because it reminds me of ice).

I need a new top coat! Did you see how the Seche Vite was pulling the top layer of nail polish away from my cuticles!?? Grrr!... That's all for today! TGIF!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Essie (Summer 2010) - Pretty Edgy

Essie "Pretty Edgy"

What It Is

Application

Random

Lippmann - Lady Sings The Blues

Deborah Lippmann "Lady Sings The Blues"

What It Is

How I Wore It

Side Note

Overall

Lippmann - Razzle Dazzle

Deborah Lippmann "Razzle Dazzle"

What It Is:

How I Wore It:

Lippmann - Some Enchanted Evening

Deborah Lippmann "Some Enchanted Evening"

What It Is:

Application:

Ways To Wear It:

OPI Swiss- Yodel Me On My Cell

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