Dark & Stormy

After such a nice weekend, we got stuck with dreary and just blegh weather today - gray skies with the atmosphere basically spitting at us, not even full on rain. So I decided to share a few of the gray colors in my collection, as no other day would be more fitting!

First one up, you guessed it, Essie's "Power Clutch"! For some reason the color just came out SO dark on camera, clearly a whole lot darker than what's in the bottle. Its a solid dark gray cream that's opaque in 2, but took 3 for me to get it to level out since it's a bit old. No top coat in this picture.

This next one is Zoya's "Dove". I must say, I don't care much for the formula on this polish, it dries very fast and gets all clumpy in weird places because of it. I didn't bother using topcoat for this picture below, but this was 2 coats. A lot lighter than "Power Clutch", but strangely similar in formula.

Lastly is OPI's "Moon Over Mumbai" from their India collection. Thought not visible in the photo, and barely to the naked eye when dry, it's got a tiny bit of metallic loveliness to it that does wonders for the formula. This took 4 coats because it's very very sheer, but such a lovely "just darker than white" color. Super glossy without top coat as well.

Have any favorite gray polishes you think I should try? Let me know!

Happy Polishing!

-Maggie

Sunday Funday, with Orly!

Hey all, first off I would like to thank my followers for helping me break 3,000 views! I really appreciate the support and hope you love everything on the blog so far :)

So, yesterday I had a 20% coupon for Ulta, and since coupons are no longer applicable to OPI purchases, I decided to use it on some bold colors from Orly. After falling in love with the neon red pink shade "Passion Fruit" I decided to go for another bold choice from last year's Summer Brights collection called "Glowstick"...I bought it fully knowing it wouldn't be a daily wear until I get more color on me, but hey, I got it on sale!

Yes, it IS this bright (if not brighter in person) and is going to be absolutely fun fun fun in the sun come summer time. It's a bit sheer (as to be expected with yellows) and dries with a satin matte finish due to the neon pigments. I believe this was 3 or 4 coats, but is totally worth the patience of waiting for the layers to dry.

Next up is a gorgeous deep magenta shimmer/glitter/scattered holo party in a bottle called "Miss Conduct" from their Naughty or Nice 2012 holiday collection. Once again, definitely satisfied with my purchase on this one because it is SO FUN to look at in the sunlight. The formula was great, and is pretty opaque in 1 coat but I used 2 for the photo below. The base has a jelly formula but gets solid real quick.

In the store, the bottle can be a bit deceiving because while it only seems shimmery, and if you don't have an eye for holo glitter out of sunlight, you might not be able to see it. But when I say "party in a bottle" I mean it...the rainbow goodness of the scattered holo glitters just reminds me of confetti at a birthday party. And the base color is so rich and lovely!

Lastly, I picked this one up after much indecision and multiple visits to Ulta. It's called "Royal Navy" and as I understand it was part of a Red White and Blue trio collection called "In The Navy". This one is a bit tricky and at first the formula was so thick and terrible I gave up after 2 nails. Once I took some thinner to it, it got a bit easier to work with. A neon cobalt blue with teal shimmer, this is super stunning and dries to a satin-matte finish like the other neons I've worked with. I chose to keep this one on for the day since my beloved New York Rangers play today (and need all the help they can get clinching a playoff spot). This one went on a bit sheer since I thinned it out, but has a tendency to dry quickly and drag if you're not careful with application. It's a jelly base that takes some time to build up. This is 3 coats with Gelous top coat.

I apologize for the terrible focus in these pictures, my camera has a tendency to focus more on the bottle than the nail detail. However, you can see the shimmer in both the bottle and the nail (thank goodness).

Which one of these is your favorite? Orly is definitely working their way into my heart as one of my favorite brands, probably even more than Essie (sorry!!) Their colors are just so much more fun and exciting!


Happy Polishing!
-Maggie

NOTD - Some interesting inspiration...

So last night while I was at work, I was pondering some new nail art ideas when I walked past this:

I know. It's weird. But the pattern is so adorable, and I just love the colors! So that's what inspired today's NOTD. The colors I pulled together for this look are:

Essie: Marshmallow (base)
Essie: In the Cab-Ana
Essie: No More Film
Sinful Colors: San Francisco
OPI: You're Such A Buda-pest!
Old Navy: Shot Of Love

I really wish I had a better chartreuse to work with...the green in this just came out a bit too green.

Here's what I came up with! Hope you like!

Happy Polishing!
-Maggie

NOTD - Passion Fruit + more!

So my Orly "Passion Fruit" mani inspired me to add a little somethin' extra...enter OPI Liquid Sand!

I decided to add a little texture and a little pattern to this mani, in the form of leopard print in "Solitaire" (Bond Girls Liquid Sand, available at Ulta now!) and "The Impossible" from the Mariah Carey Liquid Sands. I definitely like Solitaire better since it's more visible, but it's cool how The Impossible sort of matches the base color. I look forward to picking up some more of Orly's neons for the summer and adding some liquid sand accents to those - perhaps blue and maybe yellow? Hope you like!

EDIT:: I decided to do the reverse on my right hand - Essie "marshmallow" with Solitaire and The Impossible accents.

Happy Polishing!

-Maggie

Yesterday's haul - fun colors for spring!

So yesterday I decided to enjoy the nice weather and drive out to pick up some new colors...here's what I came up with!

First off, NOTD (yesterday) - A classic navy blue that is a must-have for any collection, OPI's "Russian Navy". Though you can't see it in the photo, this deep metallic navy also has some red metallic accents, making it absolutely brilliant in bright sunlight. It's super opaque and dense, and therefore causes a bunch of staining upon removal. This was 2 coats I believe.

 

Here are the colors from my haul - 

Essie - Fear or Desire (Summer 2012)...I got this baby on markdown for $5...Aaaaaalright! I'm not a big orange polish person, though I really do love this one. Nice formula, easy to control. Did need a few coats, especially to cover up any staining left over by the above polish. Worked well with my skintone, definitely one worth keeping around for the upcoming months!

The next polish I picked up you might recognize from OPI's EuroCentrale collection (I'm now up to 4 from this group, I really love the colors)...."You're Such A Budapest!". I decided I needed a nice purple for this season, and man does this one fit the bill! Only needed 2 coats, and though it's not quite visible in the photos below, there's a tiny bit of shimmer to this one (just like "Suzy's Hungary...Again!"). Absolutely stunning color...I can't imagine this looking bad on any skin tone.

Lastly is a bright red-pink neon from Orly. I love their re-brand, it's a lot more bold to match their sleek salon style, and they've kept the rubberized grips on their brushes as well. This color is "Passion Fruit", a super yummy and delicious electric watermelon color. Below you can see how it dries, much like other neon polishes to a not quite glossy but not totally matte finish. I ended up using a coat of Gelous on this afterwards to seal in the jelly juicy deliciousness of this polish. This took about 3 coats to get totally opaque. I can't stop looking at it! Can't wait to use this polish on my toes this summer.

What do you think? 

Happy Polishing!

-Maggie

Old Navy Spring Frosty Trio Swatches!

So, working at Old Navy, I decided to swatch their trio of mini's that we've gotten in...This trio oddly brings me back to the days of my obsession with the Powerpuff Girls, mainly just because of the colors they chose!

"blue" "green" and "pink"

I know, the color names are so original....This trio retailed for $7.50 and each bottle is 7ml/.24 fl oz.

My first swatch of the pink shade took 3 layers for this look. All of these swatches I did over Orly Ridgefiller to hopefully make a more opaque base for these sheer shades. Because of the mini bottles, the brushes were tiny, though I'm glad that the frostiness of these colors didn't leave any visible brush marks. Formula was good, sheer, but not too thin. Quick drying.

pink

This one took 4 coats - I had really hoped the opacity would build a bit more with the green, but as much as I tried I really couldn't get it to a point where I absolutely loved it.

green

 My favorite, and the easiest to get to opacity. Looks even brighter and more brilliant in direct sunlight!

blue

Out of the 3, the blue was my favorite - The pink was okay, I liked the softness of it. The green however was a little too yellowish for my taste. Overall, I think these were a winner, since I don't often like frosty polishes.

What do you think?? Worth the $7.50 investment?

Happy Polishing!
-Maggie

NOTD - Helloooooooo Spring!

High of 80 something degrees today, depending where you are. The nice weather inspired this mani!

Base coat: Orly RidgeFiller
Colors: OPI "Glints of Glinda", "Just Spotted the Lizard", "Alpine Snow", "My Vampire is Buff" and Essie "Hot Coco" (for the branches of the tree).

My favorite part about "Just Spotted The Lizard" is that in some lights, it's even a tad blue-ish...though here it's typically an olive/gold/green color. I did the vine details using a straight pin, and the cherry blossom details with a fine pointed brush.


And here's a picture of Hoss sleeping, just for fun.

Happy Polishing!
-Maggie

NOTD - I just couldn't decide!

Today's Mani is a skittles mani - I just couldn't decide on one color! It's one of those days outside that really just makes you want to pack up winter and throw it in a suitcase for good...So beautiful out! From Left to Right we have:

Zoya - "Caitlin", OPI "Gargantuan Green Grape" and "Need Sunglasses?", and Essie "Cute As A Button" and "In The Cab-Ana".

Hope you like!

Happy Polishing!

-Maggie

"My Vampire Is Buff" and a little furry surprise!

SO today was just one of those days where I had to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. And buy a new color. I keep seeing "My Vampire Is Buff" from OPI's Spring collection around on the interwebs and decided it was time to invest.

For this manicure I used 3/4 coats depending on the nail. As with every white I've used (unless pearly/frosted) I had such a draggy messy time with this one. I really do love the color - it looks a bit yellowish in the photo below but I really am enjoying it as a more wearable white than "Alpine Snow", for instance. I used SH Insta-Dri as a top coat on these.

I definitely plan on experimenting with a glitter over it - we shall see!

Before I did the above swatch however, I decided to take a couple of photos with one of my hedgehogs, Hoss! You'll see I'm still wearing "A Good Mandarin Is Hard To Find", a color I decided I just had to keep around so it's now residing on my toes for a while :)

He looks a little mad at me but I had just given him a bath, so that's probably why :P

Happy Polishing!

-Maggie

Spring Lovin'

Hey all - sorry it's been so long, I've been a bit busy working on job apps and the like. In the mean time I've been putting together some swatches of my favorite colors for the season...not necessarily all pastels but nice bright colors to transition into summer. Without being too neon for us pale faces.

This one I've swatched before - It's "Snog" by butter LONDON. It's a rich creamy pink-red that has a great formula and is opaque in 2 coats.

This next one is "A Crewed Interest" by Essie - this one will look even better with a tan but for now it's still quite pretty...a soft pale peachy color. Took 3 coats for opacity.

This green is from Essie's 2013 Resort collection called "First Timer" - along the same lines as "Pretty Edgy" but a bit bluer and a lot lighter. 2 coats, formula was a bit thick though.

This first one by OPI is "I Have a Herring Problem" from their Holland collection a few years back - a Blue/gray with fine silver microglitter..3 coats, nice n smooth. Dries rather quick.

Lastly, I have OPI's "A Good Mandarin Is Hard To Find" from the 2010 Hong Kong Collection. Some other popular colors from this collection might sound familiar.."Meet Me on The Star Ferry" and "Jade Is the New Black"? Yeah, I thought so.

Bright, saturated orange-red creme. 3 Coats, with Sally Hansen Insta-Dri (Red Bottle) top coat. I figured I'd wear this one out tonight.

What do you think?

Happy Polishing!
-Maggie