Saturday, January 11, 2014

Essie Parka Perfect & O.P.I. This Gown Needs a Crown





I've been itching to do a manicure with these two colors for the past week, and had planned on it yesterday, but the best laid plans...blah blah blah. You know how it goes.

I spent most of yesterday in the E.R. with my sister and grandmother. Turns out, Nana's got a blood clot in her leg, so now we have to give her Lovenox shots twice a day. As if there weren't enough on our plates...but we're grateful that it's in her calf and not her thigh, so at least when the clot dissolves there'll be a much lower chance of a piece of it going to her lung. 

But along with taking my medication on time and regulating my sleep, I'm practicing a C.B.T. exercise called "Pleasant Place". It's really helping. 

So. This color combination is just about the greatest thing ever. In the last year I've warmed up to blue considerably, and Parka Perfect is as pretty as they come. It's a soft blue with silvery grey undertones, and hidden icy shimmer flecks. It reminds me of a cross between Illamasqua Raindrops and Sephora by O.P.I. Cartwheels on the Catwalk, two polishes I love very much...so naturally it had to be mine. 

This Gown Needs a Crown is a polish I've been so excited about. After I saw pictures of it on Swatch and Learn  I began trolling beauty supply stores looking for it. I hesitate to say there's a bit of a holographic element to it, but when you see it in direct sunlight (especially when wet) there is a bit of prismatic shimmer. It has a new satin finish so it dries smooth and matte, but still sparkles and shines intensely. I'm so happy the O.P.I. Gwen Stefani collection has a gold version. Because gold is like, everything

As for the formulas, Essie was what I expected it to be. Streaky and uncooperative on the first coat, but two more evened it out and topcoat made it perfect. I was worried when I saw the hidden shimmer in it because I thought it would have a similar formula to colors like To Buy or Not To Buy and Rock the Boat (i.e. bumpy, gritty glitter flecks that make application a nightmare), but was pleasantly surprised when everything dried smooth and even. This Gown Needs a Crown was divine and quick to dry. 

And since my right thumbnail is recovering from a break and looks like hell, I'll show you the left one:

As well as one of my dogs, who decided she wanted be in the photos:

Have a great weekend everyone!

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