Zoya Pulse Collection, Fall 2008

Good afternoon, Dear Reader.

Pulse is one of two Zoya collections for Fall 2008, the other being Vibe. Pulse was described as metallic purple-based shades and Vibe as all plum and red cremes. Since I love strong shimmer polishes and purple is my favorite color, I had to go for all of Pulse and just got a few from Vibe. I'll show you the polishes I have from Vibe another day, and today I have all of Pulse for you.

This is a collection you may have seen already, as I've had it for a bit, but I hadn't taken the time to swatch them all and post the collection yet. When presented with a perfect sunny day without a cloud in the sky, I thought it would be a great opportunity to sit outside and do so. I really love all of these so ranking them would be a challenge. Just for giggles, I'll present them in reverse alphabetical order (we don't want to get into a rut!).













All are two coats over a base coat, photographed in direct sunlight while the polish was wet without a top coat. The application was good, although I did struggle with preventing bubbles with a few. Mind you, I was sitting in a strong constant breeze to swatch these, so that's not entirely attributable to the polishes. Even at that, once I brushed the bubbles away they stayed away, so it wasn't a real problem.

As I mentioned above, I really am impressed with each color. If forced to pick a favorite, it would be between Sloane and Rihana, I think, but all six of these will get use.

These are available directly from Zoya, and there are usually coupon codes floating around for Zoya. They're also available from sparkling*nails on ebay (linked on the right) for slightly less than Zoya's price, so if you've decided you "need" these, I'd price an order at both before pulling the trigger. If you get them from sparkling*nails, be sure to tell her Siobhan sent you - she takes good care of my readers.

There you have it, Dear Reader - Zoya's Pulse Collection for Fall 2008. love and naiil polish to you!

The Racing Stripe Mani

Good Morning, Dear Reader! Thanks to those of you who've already cast your vote regarding the new layout.

Today's pic is not something new, but something fun. I was recently chatting with someone about simple nail art, and this mani popped into my head as we chatted. It stayed there, and I executed it last night. I took the time to do a full mani last night because I found that although my cuticles looked just dandy walking around, I did not think they were in condition to withstand the close magnification of the new photo size and needed some help if I'm going to make them so big. So I took some time to tidy them up, then applied two coats of Misa Dying Love and topped it with a red glitter nail art striper. For those of you who know details of my personal life, Dying Love topped with bright red glitter is perfect!



This mani isn't exactly right - ideally, the stripes would be more perfectly centered, even and straight. However, for my first attempt, I'm pleased with it. It does make me want a Konad stamper more than ever, for being able to stamp perfect patterns onto my nails would please me to no end. The Konad's been bumped up on my Wish List, and will likely mean cutting back on some polish purchases in order to get one this month.

The good news is that the folks at CHI have promised me some samples which I'm hoping to have soon (which would give me my New Polish Fix), and we'll see if they come through with that. You'll know that they did when my excited post about them comes, and know that they didn't if it never does.

That's it for now, Dear Reader. I may have more for you later, but in the meantime, love and nail polish to you!

OPI Ghostess with the Mostess

Hello again, Dear Reader.

I thought I was done, but came back and saw a comment pointing out that I'd previously shown you one of the polishes in my last post. I took that as throwing down the gauntlet for me to show you something you hadn't seen, and I have it here. I'm sure I haven't posted this one before because I never was able to get the photograph I wanted, nor have I seen it anywhere else. I also wanted to test letting you see a larger version of the picture if you click on it. My first idea didn't work, so I'll just give you a link to the full size picture under the image for now.

So, on to our picture...



Full Size

So, white. What's so special about white? I'll tell you, Dear Reader. This one glows in the dark. Really, really *glows* in the dark. Ghostess didn't look, in the bottle, as though it would be opaque on its own so I applied two thin coats of Misa Heaven White, then used two thin coats of Ghostess with the Mostess, topped with one coat of Poshe.

The bathrooms in my apartment have no windows, so as soon as it was dry, I went into one and shut the door. The reflection looking back at me in the mirror was a sight to see - ten eerily glowing disembodied nails floating in the air! There was simply no way to get a picture in such low light with my camera (God knows I tried...), but I know that this one is going to be some real fun at a Halloween bonfire I plan to attend, especially since that's two months off and my nails should be good and long again by then.

I received my bottle of Ghostess as a gift, but I believe that a good seller on ebay, sparkling*nails (linked on the right, and with whom I'm not affiliated other than as a customer) is selling it now. It's a promotional, not-for-sale product, so it doesn't come cheap, but if the notion of white glowing nails in the dark appeals to you, it's worth it! Be sure to tell her Siobhan sent you if you decide to spring for it - she'll take good care of you.

That, Dear Reader, is really all I have for today. love and nail polish to you!

EDIT: One more thing - the most common criticism I've received is that my pictures, limited by my blog template, have been too small. I just made the adjustments in the html code to change that, and will post a poll for your preferences. The upside to the new format is that the pictures will be much larger, but the downside is that the page might take longer to load, even after I've modified the number of posts to display. Cast your vote, and majority rules by next Sunday.

Reader Request: A Look at Yellows, Part I

Good afternoon, Dear Reader.

I've fulfilled a reader request for a look at some yellows today. I wanted to do this comparison because previously my favorite yellow was Rescue Beauty Lounge's Yellow Fever, but I'm not a big fan of its $18 price tag. When I recently used Misa's Happy Happy, I wanted to compare the two to see if they really were as close to one another as I thought. I also wanted to look at Sephora by OPI's Cab Fare as compared to OPI's Cabana Banana, and killed two birds with one stone here. I added Piggy Polish's Lemonade 5¢ just because it's another favored yellow and I wanted to see how it stood up to the others.
Thumb to pinky, they're Lemonade 5¢ (PP), Yellow Fever (RBL), Happy Happy (Misa), Cab Fare ($OPI), Cabana Banana (OPI). All are three coats (yellows tend to be difficult and streaky, requiring three) topped with one coat of Poshe.



In the bottle, the Misa and RBL don't look too similar, but I certainly think they do on the nail. Given the difference in cost, my beloved Yellow Fever has been bumped by Happy Happy for my favorite yellow. Although Cab Fare and Cabana Banana are not dupes, they're close enough that I don't know that adding Cab Fare to the stash was necessary. Truthfully, I'd hoped it would be totally opaque, but I still have VNL even with three coats.

Once I finished with that, I decided I'd rather do a full mani than redo my left hand with the five coats of Lucy in the Sky that I did last night. Just as a bonus pic for the dark color lovers, here's what I changed to, $OPI I'm with Brad.



That's all for today, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

The Greydation Mani and Something for Mom

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Very recently I was introduced to the idea of a gradation mani - gradation of color from one nail to the next. Since I love a good play on words as much as I love grey nail polish, I decided to make my first gradation mani The Greydation Mani.



The colors used are, from thumb to pinky, Essie Great Expectations, RBL Concrete Jungle, RBL Stormy, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Gunmetal, and Color Club After Hours. Ideally, I would have had a color midway between Great Expecations and Concrete Jungle to make that color shift more gradual, but since I didn't, I used what I had. Not the best, not the worst, and I'm pleased with it as my first attempt.

The rest of this post is for my mom. Two months ago today my mom, Lucille, passed away. She always told me I should write, and I wish she knew about my little blog because I think it would make her happy. The fact that I write about nail polish, maybe not so much (I can just hear her say her annoyed, "Oh, Siobhan..."), but the fact that I'm writing at all would please her. I don't normally have the patience for a jelly polish, but for today's NOTD I did.



So if you haven't in a while, call your mother. Someday you might be glad you did.



That's all I have for you for now, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

Dior Liquorice: Comparison of US and European Versions

Good afternoon, Dear Reader. In this morning's post, I mentioned that a comparison of Dior's US and European versions of Liquorice was on the horizon, and I have it for you now.

Although the two look distinctly different in the bottle, you'll see they're almost identical on the nail. In these pictures, my index and ring finger are the European version, and my middle and pinky fingers are the US Nordstrom Exclusive version. The pictures were taken outside in direct sunlight, inside in from of a sunny window in direct light, and in front of the same window in indirect light, and are presented in that order.







I was able to see a difference outside in direct sunlight, where the US version seems to be just a hair darker, and the shimmer is just slightly less pronounced in general. Otherwise, it was almost impossible to see any difference at all. My verdict is that if you missed out on one or the other, you haven't really missed out. If you missed out on both, I'm sorry...

That's all for today, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

Pricy Pretties: Dior Liquorice (US Version) and Another $OPI

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have pictures of some of the pricier Fall pretties for you, Nordstrom's Dior Liquorice and Sephora by OPI It's Somewhere in My Purse.





I specified that this is the US release of the Dior because it is a little bit different than the European version, and a comparison of the two is on the horizon. I included the $OPI because it's the mani I did this morning, and why not take a pic???

That's all I have for you right now, Dear Reader. If the sun does what I want it to today, I'll have more for you later. Love and nail polish to you!

Color Club Glitter Vixen Collection

Good evening, Dear Reader.

I've posted two of these pictures recently, but am reposting them two with their five sisters today since I had time and some light to swatch the remaining colors this afternoon. I think Color Club read my mind when they made this collection. Those of you who know me know that I LOVE GLITTER (and now those of you who don't know me know that as well...)! These are presented in alphabetical order simply because there's no way to pick favorites. They're all magnificent.















First, "Tru Passion" is not a typo - that's really the name. All are three coats over a base coat, but only Sexy Siren and Magic Attraction show a completed manicure, which consisted of one coat of Poshe and then two coats of Oh So Wet after the manis were dry.

Since these photos are close-up, they do show what a PITA glitter can be - it goes on a little "gloppy," especially the third coat, bits are here and there, etc., but when followed by three layers of top coat (one to dry, two to freshen and smooth after it's dry), the finished product is well worth the effort to me.

I could go on and on about the colors, but I think they speak for themselves. The only thing missing for me was a black glitter. I'm in love with my Glitter Vixens, and am off to do a full mani with one.

Love and nail polish to you, Dear Reader!

Reader Request Mani & $OPI Brunette on the Internet

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Yesterday morning I found that I had the time to change my NOTD to a reader request from my number one fan, who asked for a Rainbow Mani.



The colors used, from thumb to pinky, were Color Club Velvet Rope, Color Club Feel the Beat, Rescue Beauty Lounge Yellow Fever, Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Emerald City, and Misa A Sin Worth Committing. As I went about my day with this mani, I was surprised at how many compliments I received. One instance was when paying a cashier - she grabbed my hand and asked, "Are those real nails?" When I confirmed that they were, she asked what each color was, and ended the conversation with, "That's so cool - it's like crayons!" It was a fun mani to wear. The only thing I'd change about it is the fact that Yellow Fever's shimmer is not consistent with that of the other four colors, but I don't know that I have a true yellow with a matching shimmer. Perhaps OPI Cabana Banana over Milani Soft White would have done the job a little better.

But today is a new day, so I have a new NOTD: Sephora by OPI ($OPI) Brunette on the Internet.



I love the color, but would be more fond of the name if it were "Redhead on the Internet," because then it would be talking about me (which is not too much criticism for a polish!). This one did take three thin coats to be opaque and even, the first time an opaque $OPI has required more than two coats for me. I'm still thrilled with the application and end result, another $OPI success. Unfortunately, I'm becoming addicted to Sephora by OPI.

That's all for now, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

Essie's Fall 2008 Collection

Good evening, Dear Reader. I'm late to this party - barely even showing up. But I do have pictures of Essie's Fall 2008 Collection for you. I'll just present this one in alphabetical order - there's no internal struggle for a favorite because I'm just not too worked up about this collection, so alphabetical it is.













These pictures were taken in direct sunlight, swatched over a basecoat, using two coats for all but Lacy Not Racy and Tomboy No More, which required three coats to match bottle color. Even with three coats, I have VNL with those two, but simply didn't have the patience to see if a fourth coat would improve matters. They're definitely jellies, I'll give them that... Big Spender and No Boundaries are too close to one another to be in a collection together, I think. Big Spender is just a touch more purple than No Boundaries, and that's really only noticeable holding the bottles next to each other. Forever Young held promise, being such a vivid red, but there's VNL with it as well, so I'll likely reserve it for pedicures. That leaves us with Swept Off My Feet, which has somewhat of a jelly texture but is opaque in two coats. It doesn't sweep me off my feet at all - there's nothing terrible about it, but there's also nothing fantastic about it. Overall, my sense is that I'm underwhelmed, especially knowing that Essie is capable of some fantastic colors (I've posted pictures here of Starry Starry Night and Dominica Green, for example).

Now you've seen it: Essie's Fall 2008 Collection. Love and nail polish to you, Dear Reader!

Polar Opposite Manis

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today's post is a simple one. I like variety in my manis from one day to the next, and here are yesterday's and today's NOTD's.





They seem to be polar opposites to me, for Magic Attraction is bright and festive in an obvious sort of way. Cobra is dark, vampy, and subtly duochrome. The biggest difference between them is that Magic Attraction is readily available at 8ty8 (linked on the right), part of the Color Club Glitter Vixen Collection, while the Chanel is quite a chore to find.

The similarities are that they're both unique, beautiful, and make me happy to wear.

That's all I have for you for now, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

Color Club Dance to the Musique

Well, Dear Reader, I managed to get my swatches completed while the sun was on my side, and so I have photos of Color Club's Dance to the Musique Collection for you.

I'll have to ask your forgiveness for my application on some of these. I was sitting on the patio on the 25th floor of my building to swatch, and the building is in downtown Chicago within a mile of the lake. That makes for some strong, gusty wind for swatching! It still seemed more practical than running back and forth between my apartment 18 floors below and the patio, so this is the very best I could do for you. As I said, the sun held out beautifully for me, so I had consistent light for the swatches, and all are two coats over a base coat (Nailtek Foundation II Ridge Filling), photographed wet with no top coat. The pictures are in the order that I like them, greatest to least, although I'm pleased with even the least.













Feel the Beat came in last simply because orange is not one of my favorite colors, but it's a really good orange with a remarkable shimmer. After Hours came in at number five only because there are so many other charcoal greys available. In the bottle, I thought it would be just another black shimmer, but was surprised and pleased with the color on the nail. Slow Jam, a great warm red-brown shimmer comes in at number four only because Velvet Rope is such a fantastic red that it had to be one above Slow Jam. There was no way to place Groove Thang and Electronica side-by-side, but they're in a dead tie for number one. I went back and forth several times deciding which should be displayed first, and decided on Electronica because it's such a unique color. Of course, I'm completely biased because purple is my favorite color and both of these are great purple-based colors, and these are simply my thoughts on this collection and the order in which I like them. Just this morning I was telling someone that I was in search of a good orange shimmer, and I think I've found it here - even number six will get some use.

There you have it, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

NOTD and the Unsung Heroes of Recent Collections

,Good morning, Dear Reader!

This isn't really a NOTD - more of a NOTM (nails of the moment), for I have a day of perfect sun and am about to embark on some swatching. It's one of the new Color Club Glitters, three coats topped with one coat of Poshe and two coats of Oh So Wet.



I also have pictures of two from Fall releases that I don't think have gotten the attention they deserve. $OPI (Sephora by OPI, and I like this acronym much better than SOPI) has Queen of Everything, which I've heard little about, but think is a special one.



China Glaze's Rodeo Diva has Midnight Ride, a blackened purple shimmer, that doesn't get the love that I think it should. Part of the reason for that is that it's incredibly difficult to photograph, often coming off as black on a picture. I found just the right sun for it, and have this photo, which is more accurate than my previous attempts.



That's all for now, Dear Reader. If the sun holds out for me, I'll have more for you later. In the meantime, love and nail polish to you!

Givenchy Vernis Please! Dandy Moire

Good afternoon, Dear Reader. I thought I was done for the day, and then this little pretty arrived.



It's Givenchy's Dandy Moire, and it really is spectacular. I just didn't have it in me to hold out on you until morning.

It's a limited edition available at Sephora, which applied well, dried well, and is truly unique. Those are the upsides, and the downside is that your $15 will get you a mini - it's 0.18 oz.

This time, I really am finished for the day. Love and nail polish to you, Dear Reader!

Two Misa Greens

Good afternoon, Dear Reader. I did a bit of swatching this morning and finally got around to doing my mani for the day, so I have some pictures for you.

There should be three pictures, for I swatched a yellow that was intended to be my NOTD: Misa's a Sunny Smile Makes Me Go Wild. However, after three coats, it was still uneven and had patches that were not opaque, so I did not photograph it. In fact, I took it off as quickly as I could!

The swatch that worked out well is also from Misa's Neon collection (available from Trans Design about one third of the way down the Misa page), Let's Go Green.



This one was good in three coats, as was Happy Happy from the same collection (pictures of which I've previously posted), but since it did not match what I'm wearing, I moved on. Rather than match my yellow shirt, I decided to compliment my sage green pants with Misa's Toxic Seduction, from the Poisoned Passion Collection.



Toxic Seduction took only two coats to be opaque, even, and match bottle color. It's definitely a keeper for me, which has been my experience with all of the Poisoned Passion polishes.

So that's all for today, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

A Couple of Misas from the Poisoned Passion Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I don't have a whole lot for you this morning, but what I do have is pictures of two of Misa's Poisoned Passion Collection - Love Bite and Dying Love.





Love bite is almost a jelly texture, and required three coats to match the bottle color. Dying Love is a basic black shimmer, opaque in two coats, and the picture here was taken in the waning sun of the late afternoon making the shimmer is more pronounced in the picture that in normal light. However, I like the picture, so I posted it.

This collection, these two plus four more you'll be seeing soon, are available from Head2Toe Beauty, to which I have a link on the right side of the page.

Just to make the disclaimer I have neglected to make in a while - I'm not affiliated with any of the nail polish sources I have linked here other than as a regular customer. They're the ones I've found to be most reliable, have great selection, and fair prices, which makes me want to share them with you.

That's all for now, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!

Clarins Ocean (209) Dupe

Good morning, Dear Reader.

As I was savoring my SpaRitual Solitude mani yesterday, I was thinking, "This really looks familiar..." It finally hit me why - it turns out it's a dupe for Clarins Ocean, a longtime lemming that was just recently fulfilled. I removed the Solitude from two nails and replaced it with Ocean to compare, and the sun peeked out for me at just the right time. See for yourself - they're almost identical in direct sunlight, and are identical in normal lighting conditions.

That all I have for you for now, Dear Reader. Love and nail polish to you!