Zoya Nyx

Doesn't this color remind you of spring rain? Or is it just me?

I wanted something sort of ethereal since it's been drizzly and cool the past week or so. I've worn Nyx a lot over the past year, but never took blog pictures. Here it is in all its glory: a little stormy, a little soft, and a lot of sparkle.

It's a cornflower/periwinkle blue with silvery, sugary sparkle. 3 effortless coats, no clean up, no top coat. I freaking love textures.

Insta-Manis

The weather has been sketchy (which I looooove), but it's not really conducive as far as making color-accurate pictures. So here's what I've been wearing, Insta-style:

O.P.I. Baby Please Come Home. I feel confident saying that this Liquid Sand is, hands down, my favorite texture polish. The silvery-lavender color, the way the glitters catch the light...IT.IS.PERF.

Essie Tuck It In My Tux & Essie Rock at the Top. As far as I'm concerned, Rock at the Top can do no wrong. It is such a versatile glitter. Slap it over anything, and presto! Holiday manicure. Tuck It In My Tux is an off-white creme-jelly. Took me four coats before I was happy. Cute, but I'm sure there are better versions of this out there.

O.P.I. All I Want for Christmas (is O.P.I.). Yer darn tootin'. Gimme all the O.P.I.'s. I was hoping this would be my holy grail red. I'm looking for something that is bright, but deep. Like a maraschino cherry, but a shade or two darker. This wasn't quite it, but it's a very pretty red, and no one can do a red like O.P.I. 

O.P.I. Red Red Rhine & Maybelline Color Show Precious Pearl. Probably the most Christmassy one I've done so far. I've got 10 to 15 bottles of holiday polish on my bedside table and I have so much trouble picking out the next manicure that I get overwhelmed, and not do a manicure at all. However, it was obvious these two belonged together. Red Red Rhine is maybe a touch brighter that All I Want For Christmas, but really, you can't distinguish between the two in the bottle. I probably couldn't tell them apart side by side. But I actually like it more than All I want for Christmas because black label O.P.I.'s wear like iron on me. I'm going on day two of this manicure and no chips (day two is when chips happen for me; it's like a domino effect...one nail chips, and all the others follow suit). 

I would say I hope the weather clears up and I can get some sunshine to show off what's on my nails properly...but I'd be lying. I hope it stays cold and overcast and rainy forever. 

Birthday Mani 2.0: O.P.I. Emotions, My Favorite Ornament, & Wonderous Star

This is, without a doubt, the most decadent manicure I've ever done. I've had this idea floating around in my head for a while, and what better day to wear it than yesterday/today? Tonight I will be frolicking around at the Grove wearing a gold headband and a black beaded sweater. Winged eyeliner will be featured. I'm super excited...28 is going to be a much better year than 27 was. 

And so I celebrate with one of my favorite color combinations...you just don't get much more luxe than black and gold glitter. I used Emotions (black texture), My Favorite Ornament (champagne glitter), and Wonderous Star (champagne glitter with black glitter hexes), and tied everything together with some black rhinestones. I kept pausing while I was doing this manicure, thinking to myself, is this too much? Am I going overboard with this? 

Naaaaaaah. Gotta celebrate yourself, you know? It's a hard lesson to learn, but nothing is more important than celebrating and loving yourself.

I did 3 coats of My Favorite Ornament and Wonderous Star, and 2 coats of Emotions. I've got to express just how beautiful Emotions is. It's faceted, like marcasite, and catches the light so beautifully. I was waiting and waiting for O.P.I. to do a pure black Liquid Sand, and they did not disappoint. 

Zoya London

To the small few who read this blog, sorry for the hiatus. September has been a weird month for me. I've been in a sort of meditative state for most of it, and haven't felt the need to paint my nails. There have been some definite positive changes, namely my grandmother's increasing mobility, and something inside me has been telling me to slow down and just enjoy each day-even if the day is bad. There are a lot of things that will be happening soon; my best friend is getting married on the 6th and I've been asked to be witness, etc. Then some October birthdays to plan for (bestie again, and my godson), and I'm beginning to research teaching programs. 

Yes, ladies and gentlemen; after many long years of confusion about what I want to dedicate my life to, I have finally figured out that I want to teach. Ideally, I'd go in for between kindergarten and second grade; I love children and I feel that they're really the most fun during those years. I vividly remember my second grade teacher, and she was an incredibly caring and nurturing woman, and if I could be half the teacher she is/was, I would consider myself very fortunate.

Anyway.

I've actually enjoyed having bare nails, but I found London while I was *trying* to organize my poorly stored polish, and couldn't resist putting it on. It's a lovely, sparkly, medium grey texture with a classic Zoya formula. Three thin coats, sans top coat, and I was good to go. It is my humble opinion that Zoya textures are the best out there. 

Oh. And it's also fall. Excuse me while I go do some muppet-style freaking out. 

Anna Gorelova by Dance Legend Lebedushka

 Say hi to one of my first Dance Legends! This is one of the prettiest blues I've ever seen; I saw swatches of it on lovevarnish.com (those girls make nail polish look amazing) and in five minutes I was on Llarowe ordering a couple. Here's Lebedushka (Swan Princess):

Lebedushka is a very, very pale, watery blue with gold-green sugary sparkle. It's a texture, but only just. You could get this glassy and smooth with a coat of top coat very easily. The overall effect reminds me of a mid-day sun sparkling on a tropical ocean. Beautiful and summery. 

Be warned, it is quite sheer, so I layered two coats of it over a couple coats of Essie Find Me an Oasis. It's the lightest blue I own, so it didn't affect the tone of Lebedushka. 

Lebedushka's formula was wonderful; the consistency was perfect, and although the brush was on the fluffy side, it didn't affect my polishing. 

P.S. How freaking cute is the bottle!? Lookit that little owl, all cute and chubby!!! Hands down, the most adorable logo ever.

Formula X Glitter Rocket

While I'm not sure I agree with the price tag, the Formula X polishes (the textures in particular) are pretty awesome. I picked up Glitter Rocket, because, you know...purple. 

The only other polish I have that is similar to this is Zoya Stevie, but by comparison, Glitter Rocket is lighter and a little more blue-based. It also has the sugary shimmer that Zoya has, but rather than uniform silver, it's pale gold, with green, pink, and violet shimmer interspersed throughout. It's basically magic. 

Zoya's formula is a little better though. Glitter Rocket began to gunk up on me a little by the third coat (you can see my thumb got a little mashed from slow drying), but it's not at all visible in real life. Plus the brush is great; it's nice and firm which you need with texture polishes. 

3 coats, no top coat. 

China Glaze Sand Dolla Make You Holla

Who's ready for another awesome/weird China Glaze? I haven't worn ChG in a while and this one just kept calling out to me. It's just as awesome as its teal sister. 

Sand Dolla Make You Holla (c'mon guys, it's snort-worthy) is a creamy, pink-tinged white base full of tiny, multi-colored glitters and the same salty/sandy texture particles as Teal the Tide Turns. It has that bizarre mix of creamy and translucent; it allows the glitters from previous coats to shine through and looks a lot like I've got Funfetti frosting spackled onto my nails. I want cake now.

This was 3 1/2 thin, careful coats. It's best to go slow with this one; it had a gooier(?) viscosity than Teal the Tide Turns, but I think it was worth it. I must again express my utter love for these cream texture China Glazes. They're so different from other textures, and while I love me some glittery and metallic texture polishes, these are just too unique to pass up. 

Zoya Stevie

Happy Memorial Day! For those of you luxuriating in a 3-day weekend, I envy you. A lot. A 3-day weekend is a concept I no longer understand. My boyfriend and I were thinking of making our way to the Santa Monica Pier later today though, so that's something nice.

When textures started blowing up, I began waiting for someone to do a cute-sy lavender. There were many things I loved as a child, but the standout was anything purple or lavender. Even now I notice my eyes will seek out the purple in a nail polish collection before any other color. I know Nicole by O.P.I. did a cute lavender in their Gumdrops collection, but Zoya friggin' knocked it out of the park with Stevie. 

This color is going to give me diabetes, I swear. It's a perfect, soft lavender/lilac with sparkling silver texture. It's sweet and girly does that supersparkle thing that Zoya textures do when you blur them:

I could zone out all day and just watch my fingers sparkle. When I wear a L'Oreal texture, I swear up and down they're my favorite textures. Now I'm doing that when I wear Zoya textures. Guys, they're my faaaaaaave. 

This was three coats on my once-again shortened nails. No matter what I do, I can't seem to get them past my free edge without them breaking, splitting, chipping, or peeling. They're bad, bad nails. 

L'Oreal Too Dimensional?

Sorry for the mini-hiatus, I've had low morale/a color hangover for most of the week. And various nail breaks. And PMS.

Allow me to introduce you to the prettiest of the L'Oreal Gold Dusts. Period. No contest. I don't even know what to do with myself, guys. It's a sparkle-splosion of glittery magic. I want to dive headfirst into it and emerge covered in glittery goo and shoot up into the night sky and spray it everywhere like Smaug. 

Also the name is silly. 

I'm sad it didn't photograph properly, but this was as good as I could get it. Too Dimensional? has a deep, inky blue/purple base and is full of the most intense goldy-lemon shimmer, as well as more sparse green and orange shimmer. To top it off, there are lavender/silver hex glitters peppered throughout. This was the only textured polish I've considered top coating; with all the shimmer and glitter, the base gets a bit lost. But it's gorgeous both wet and dry. Much like a good burrito. 

This was two perfect coats, no clean up. L'Oreal, if you are reading this, MAKE MORE GOLD DUSTS. IN ALL THE COLORS. 

Looking forward tonight. I helped my bff get an awesome job, so she's taking me out to dinner at Maggiano's. I don't frequent Los Angeles much, but when I do, Maggiano's is usually involved. Or Canter's. Or Grand Lux Cafe (amazing beignets).

Basically I'll go there for food. 

China Glaze Teal the Tide Turns

You're either going to love or hate this polish. Every review I read on them was either die-hard love, or eternal hate. Guess which one I am.

As an ardent texture fan, I must express my humble opinion and say that this is the most beautiful and interesting take on a texture. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this polish. It's so beautiful and pebbly and reminds me of beautiful rocks, the beach, and sea glass. It makes me want to lie on a towel in warm sand and take a long nap.

Teal the Tide Turns has a lot going on inside the bottle. The base is a creamy, bright celadon green. It's got a hint of translucency that is just so delicate and whimsical. Interspersed are small emerald green hex glitters that twinkle and catch the light. Finally, there are white particles that look very much like sand! Fantastic! They (I assume) produce the texture effect. Have I mentioned I'm in love???

All together, this manicure shouts, "BEACHES! MERMAIDS! LAGOONS!" to me. It makes me want to spritz myself with L de Lolita Lempicka (my favorite summer scent), and go frolic in the waves.

Formula was pretty good, considering everything that's going on in it. I used three coats, but I think I'll do two when I wear it again next. Three made everything a little lumpier than I would have liked. It dries sort of creamy/glassy, which is just breathtaking (to me).

So yeah. HOME RUN, CHINA GLAZE!!! I love it!

L'Oreal Pop the Bubbles

I had a couple bad breaks over the last few days, so I just cut all my nails down. I've had a free edge for so long now that the tip of my index finger (worst break) actually hurts a little. It's a weird sensation. 

I needed a really low-maintenance manicure since I'm too tired to really care about my nails right now. So here's another Gold Dust polish. They've quickly become one of my favorite texture lines.

Pop the Bubbles is a light, bright blue-green with a hint of grey.  It may not look like there's grey in it, but when I set it next to other blue-greens I own, it's more apparent. This comparison from imabeautygeek.com is a good example. Interspersed are pretty silver glitters; very mermaid-y. Makes me want to go to the beach. 

This was two easy coats, no clean up (I know I've said it before, but best brushes evarrrr), no top coat. This is such a lovely polish guys, it's really cheering me up right now. I'm looking for the small victories. A polish I like will do. 

L'Oreal The Reign of Studs

Something about February brings out the purple lover in me. And the red lover. And even the pink lover. Yes, it's because of Valentine's Day...I've been programmed.

So this purple. I'm kind of in love with it. I don't know why I passed it over the first (and second) time. But third time is the charm, as they say, and now it is mine. And I loooooove it. Love it, love it, love it. It's a delightful blue-based purple (because of my color blindness, I tend to see blue-based purples more accurately than red-based ones) with matching sequin glitters. While it is still drop-dead gorgeous in ANY light (and sparkly-never a dull moment with these Gold Dusts), when you get this baby into sunlight, WOAH. The purple glittery goodness just explodes. In every direction. 

I must once again state my delight with the Gold Dust collection. Every time I think I've got all the ones I want, I decide I need two or three more. The only ones that I consistently decide against are I Like It Chunky (I like my peanut butter in my mouth, not on my nails) and the black one, I can't remember the name at the moment. I don't seem to wear black much anymore. Anyway, this was two coats with no clean up (the brushes, guys. THE BRUSHES). 

Looking forward to a day of video games. Probably won't be able to concentrate much though, I'm staring too much at my nails. 

O.P.I. In the Cable Car-pool Lane & L'Oreal The Statement Piece

Delusions of grandeur, anyone?

Weather's been patchy, so I took these in a hurry, while there was still sunlight. We finally got a bit of rain a couple nights ago! I hate summer, but I'm dreading this one even more than normal since the dry spell we've had will probably mean water restrictions. 

It's been a rough couple days for me emotionally. Things are getting to me, and I'm finding it harder and harder to want to get out of bed in the morning. I keep thinking that it'll get easier, but it never does. 

So I put on lots of purple. And gold. Because why not? I'd gotten In the Cable Car-pool Lane back when the O.P.I. fall collection came out and just never got a chance to put it on (in my defense, I got very distracted with the Mariah Carey Holiday collection). In the Cable Car-pool Lane is a rich berry-purple creme, shiny and smooth. The first coat is pretty streaky (par for the course with most O.P.I. cremes I own), but levels out nicely with a second coat. I did three, because I always do three. 

The Statement Piece was the other L'Oreal texture I got when I picked up Baby Please Come Home's dupe (derp). I can't get over how wonderful the L'Oreal texture collection is; they're really beautifully made. The Statement Piece is a nice pale gold with a smattering of silver-ish hexes. Quick to dry, sparkly, and no clean up! I think what amazes me most about the L'Oreal textures is the brush. It looks as if it would fan out horribly on the nail, but it's actually nice and firm and easy to control. It's cut on a bit of an angle too, and that really helps...I have no idea how, but it does. I've decided I need The Reign of Studs. Because of purple reasons.  

All together, the manicure sort of shouts, "delusions of grandeur", but I'm okay with that.