Hare Rad Cloud

Today I have a Hare polish for you. I waited and waited for Llarowe to stock these, and when she listed her initial stock I stalked it like a mad woman. I wanted Rad Cloud since the second I saw swatches of it.

Rad Cloud has square green, square purple, hex purple, hex orange, hex magenta and micro purple glitter in a pink base. When I originally ordered this I didn't even notice the orange glitter, but I think the orange in the pink base may be my favorite. The photos below show two coats of Rad Cloud on its own topped with Seche Vite.

You can purchase Hare from Llarowe for $12 or wait for Nikole to restock her Etsy shop ($10).  I have three other Hares that I have to get to wearing ;)

Twinsie Tuesday - Color Block Mani

Good Morning! It's Twinsie Tuesday already. This is the third week in a row where nail art has been involved. Are you tired of hearing me complain yet? lol. Anyways, today's theme was a color block mani.

My color block mani was a bomb. I liked my idea but the execution was less than superb. This looks like I did it freehand.....and I used tape. The smudges, the lines, everything is just awful.  The tape lifted the base colors on my ring finger, as you can see. The colors I used were Essie Cascade Cool, Essie No More Film, Essie Who's The Boss, Essie Very Cranberry and Bettina Mojito.

 

Make sure you check out the other Twinsies and their color block manis:

 

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Brandi at The Collegiate Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

Tara at Polishy of Truth

Essie Boxer Shorts and Comparison

Good Morning! Happy Friday! Today I have Essie Boxer Shorts from the new Yogaga collection that recently hit stores. I had to have this one. On Essie's website Boxer Shorts is described as "a winning blue." This creme polish is closest to a periwinkle blue, but with a hint of purple. I found the formula to be a little thick, but with a few drops of thinner it was perfect. The swatches below show 2 coats of Boxer Shorts topped with Seche Vite....

 



 I went through my stash and this has a few close shades. I've seen the Lapis of Luxury comparison on MUA showing they were different enough (which is why I bought this). In my stash the closest polish I have is China Glaze Secret Periwinkle. Next up is Revlon Modern Grace and Bettina Flip Flop.

Boxer Shorts, Secret Periwinkle, Boxer Shorts, Secret Periwinkle

Pointer & Ring = Essie Boxer Shorts. Middle & Pinky = China Glaze Secret Periwinkle

 

Essie Boxer Shorts and China Glaze Secret Periwinkle are super close. One just leans more blue and the other more purple. They are about the same brightness and both are opaque with two coats.

 

Here's another comparison pic with the other polishes that were somewhat close:

 

Top left - Essie Boxer Shorts
Bottom left - China Glaze Secret Periwinkle
Top right - Revlon Modern Grace
Bottom right - Bettina Flip Flop

I hope that makes everyone's shopping decision a little bit easier. If you already have Secret Periwinkle in your stash, I'm not entirely sure you need both. It's personal preference in regards to whether you want your polish a bit more blue or a bit more purple.

I hope everyone has a good weekend! :)

 

Essie Bobbing for Baubles

Hi all! I had Essie Bobbing for Baubles sitting there untried, and I decided before I purchased No More Film that I should try this one. Well, wearing this has me hoping that fall arrives sooner than later so I can break out my autumn/winter colors (I try to keep it seasonal). Fall is my absolute favorite season and I'm just about over summer by now.

Bobbing for Baubles is described by Essie's website as their 'deepest darkest sapphire.' This is a dusty navy blue creme with a touch of gray. It's dark, but you can tell that it's not black without having to stare at it. The formula was fantastic! It was opaque at one coat but even better at two. The photo below shows two coats of Bobbing for Baubles topped with Seche Vite...

Sorry I only have one picture today. I had dust issues, believe it or not. I took this one hours after all of the others so it was spared from looking like a mess lol

Twinsie Tuesday - Floral Mani

Good Morning! The twinsies have done it again....they made me do nail art. I'm sure by now you have all read about my nail art complaints. I'm a simple swatch and go girl. This weeks challenge was a floral mani. I actually thought about going out and purchasing flower decals and cheating, but I have a guilty conscience.

I started off with Essie Who's The Boss. For the flower I used Essie Peach Daiquiri, Recessionista, Fear and Desire, and an unlabeled Color Club (yellow). For the vines I used Bettina Mojito. I swear, from an arm's distance this doesn't look as bad as it does here. Macro makes this look pretty wonky. Just make sure you sit far back in your chair before you scroll down....

Make sure you check out all of the twinsies!

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Brandi at The Collegiate Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Seriously Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

Tara at Polishy of Truth



Misa Dirty Sexy Money and My Sunday-Funday Essie Haul

Good Morning! It's just another manic Monday, ugh! Why do the weekends always fly by but the work week takes it's time? Today I have a polish that sat in my untrieds for about 10 months, and now I can't understand why. I received this as a gift for my last birthday from by best friend.

Misa Dirty Sexy Money is described as a creamy turquoise-green. I fell head over heels in love with this. It's a tad dusty but I love that it leans more green than blue. Formula was excellent and it was completely opaque in two coats. I did find that I had a lot of tip wear within 24 hours. I've been having some top coat issues, so I'm not sure if I should attribute the chippage to Misa DSM or my top coat. Either way, I'm loving Dirty Sexy Money....

I've been on a HUGE Essie kick the past few weeks. Yesterday my best friend and I made our way around Brooklyn and Queens on a polish hunt, since I know that I can find Essie for a more competitive price than the $6 I pay at my local beauty supply.

Here's my haul....and I'm so excited to get through them!

I picked up Essie Boxer Shorts, Coat Azure, Mochachino, Who's the Boss?, Fear or Desire, She's Picture Perfect, No More Film, Cascade Cool, Head Mistress, Armed & Ready, Miss Fancy Pants, Stylenomics and Don't Sweater It. The OPI you see is Swimsuit Nailed It.

I know there are a couple of NY girls here....so here's a breakdown of where I've shopped and pricing which someone may find helpful...

D&D Nail Supply

Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn

$4 Essie, $5 OPI, $3 Duri ---- Cash Only

I found them to be really extremely picked over (I've been here once before). On the phone they told me they had all collections up to the Stylenomics collection, but they had only Miss Fancy Pants. A bit of a let down if you have a specific list. I had a list of 10 from newer and older collections and could only get 3 here. They were that picked over. I doubt I will be back.

TQ Beauty Nail Supply

4th Ave, Brooklyn 

12/$60 Essie and 12/$72 OPI

Fully stocked! Over the phone they told us Essie was $4, and then when we got there we were told they were sold only by the dozen. My bestie and I split a dozen but because of this didn't get any OPI which was hard since they had the new Germany collection. Staff was friendly and helpful when I asked a question. I'm not sure if they are cash only or not...

Vonita Nail Supply/18th Ave Nail Supply  (whitepages/the sign)

18th Ave, Brooklyn

$6 Essie, $4 Color Club, No OPI. --- Cash Only

I didn't buy anything here but they did have decent stock.

Fashion Nail Supply

Grand Ave, Flushing

$8 OPI, $8 Essie, $4 Color Club

I didn't buy anything because I don't find their pricing to be competitive - but it's a quick local stop if you are on Queens Blvd.

All four supply stores were missing Bikini So Teeny, Play Date, Go Overboard and the new Yogaga collection by Essie. I had to pay full retail for Boxer Shorts at Walgreens; I couldn't go home without it lol  :)



OPI Standing Room Only Silver

Happy Friday!! I found three little treasures at my nail supply store recently. I had sold my bottles of OPI Coral Reef and Crim-Sun when my dog got sick for the extra funds. Those were the only polishes I kept thinking about purchasing again. I walked into the nail supply I recently and there were the two bottles. It was meant to be! I turned around and found another gem sitting on the shelf behind it - OPI Standing Room Only Silver.

OPI Standing Room Only Silver is a silver holographic polish. I've heard so much about this polish, that I was so overjoyed. When I brought it up to the register I was crossing my fingers that they didn't know what it really goes for. And they didn't....$5 and in my bag it went! The photos below show 3 coats of OPI Standing Room Only Silver topped with Seche Vite....

I'm going to try layering this polish next time. I'm trying to decide what I should layer it over. Since it's black label, it's super stinky. The formula was sheer and a little thin, but it built up pretty well.

I hope everyone has a good weekend!! :)

Twinsie Tuesday - Animal Inspired

It's Twinsie Tuesdayyy! Today's theme is an animal inspired mani. I love animals more than almost anything, so this had my mind going for a few days. Everything I thought of involved nail art, and I'm not fond of nail art. I kept putting it off until I saw a pair of socks I bought at Target and I was inspired to do a leopard mani....nail art and all.

I did two coats of Essie Playa Del Platinum and topped it off with Seche Vite. The leopard spots are Essie Tart Deco, Splash of Grenadine and Bermuda Shorts. I outlined the 'spots' in Sinful Colors Black and topped it with Seche Vite. I didn't wait long enough, and the top coat caused dragging (as you can clearly see). I tried to go back and fix it on the two nails where it dragged the worst, and it happen again. Do I get an 'A' for effort? lol

Ugh...smudges

My sock inspiration. I <3 <3 <3 Target!

Since I was out of the country last week and had no internet access, I didn't get a chance to announce a new blogger that we have added to the Twinsie Tuesday line up. Meet Elizabeth from Did My Nails, who has an awesome blog and killer nails! She has amazing nail art skills! Don't forget to stop by and see what the other Twinsies chose for their animal inspired manis as well.

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anna at Going to the Showing

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Brandi at The Collegiate Nail

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

ChiChi at I'm Just Me...ChiChi

Cordia at Srsly Swatched

Elizabeth at Did My Nails

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Maribeth at Obsessive Cosmetic Hoarders Unite

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

Tara at Polishy of Truth

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Spam Post - The Last of my Lynnderellas (Boy Girl Party, Attitude Adjust-ment, Forget You Not, Heart Strings, Shape Shifter, Love Lace and Lilacs, Lovey Dovey, Mlle Violette de Bleu, Sweets to Sweet)

Good morning! I went through my swatch photo folder last night, and I've had some of these swatches since at least April. I wasn't 100% in love these swatches, but then all of the Lynn drama went down and I was unsure if I wanted to post these or not. Since things have seemed to calm down, I figured I would post these for those people who still enjoy Lynnderella polishes.

While Lynnderella creates pretty polishes, I am no longer a supporter or purchasing her polishes. With all of the drama that went down I would prefer to spend my money elsewhere. Plus, the price jump to $20 each and the fact you can't purchase them individually means you have to spend $300.00 if you want the new collection. I won't even go into what I think of the LE polishes that are going for $600, $800, $1000+. I only have 1 Lynnderella left in my stash, which I plan on letting go of shortly. I'll stop at that before this turns into a rant....lol

Lynnderella Boy Girl Party over China Glaze Fly

Lynnderella Attitude Adjust-ment over OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

Lynnderella Forget You Not over Essie Smooth Sailing

Lynnderella Heart Strings over Essie Jam n Jelly  (Just an FYI - this was borrowed from my best friend who received this as a gift, I never owned this one)

Lynnderella Shape Shifter over Zoya Wednesday

Lynnderella Love Lace Lilacs over Zoya Elodie (the Zoya is not color accurate!)

Lynnderella Lovey Dovey  (I can't remember the base, sorry!)

Lynnderella Mlle Violette de Bleu over Revlon Royal

Lynnderella Sweets to Sweet over Essie Turquoise and Caicos

The end.

I'm back.....and with Essie Mojito Madness

Hey all - Happy Friday! Sorry for being MIA for the last few days. My boyfriend and I planned a cruise to the Bahamas on short notice (less than a month) so I spent this past week relaxing in the sun and the week before that running around like a mad woman. I had never been out of the country before (except for Canada, which I don't really count) so I was super excited.  I left work last Friday and went straight to the airport and headed to Florida, where we boarded the ship the next day. I'm back and also brought back a lovely case of sun poisoning so my face and shoulders are about 6 different colors (dark tan to bright pink) and I have blisters. My nose had so many blisters that they turned into what feels/looks like hard snake skin. I'm going out with my friend tonight and it's not going to be a pretty sight so be happy that all you have to look at is my nails lol.

Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

Cabbage Beach. Nassau, Bahamas

Essie Mojito Madness was a huge lemming of mine. Every single time I went to the store I picked it up and put it back. I kept telling myself I didn't need another green polish. Eventually, I couldn't hold back anymore and bit the bullet. I woke up one morning that I had taken off of work and drove to my nail supply shop just for this. I went home and used it that night. Could this be the best bright medium green polish ever made? Yes, I think it just may be.

Every single time I use an Essie polish I'm reminded how much I love this brand. The formula and the brush are a total win for me. Sure, they have a few colors that have less than perfect formulas and some of their collections can be a little bland for some of my wild tastes, but Mojito Madness was perfection. The photos below show 2 coats of Mojito Madness.

*You may notice bubbling, but that is my top coat combination. I topped this off with Seche Vite before I went out for the evening and then decided around 4am that I wanted to try my new top coat, Nail Tek Ceramic Glaze. The two together didn't play well together, but this mani did last me FIVE days before I got a chip. The day it chipped I had been cleaning for at least 4 hours. I'm going to test out the Nail Tek top coat again without SV underneath and report back on my wear.

Contemplating picking up Mojito Madness? Buy it! This polish is a win! I bought it for $6 at 8ty8Beauty but I would pay double for this without thinking twice. If anyone picks this up, let me know what you think!  :)