My Picks from Maybelline's Holiday Display

Good evening, Dear Reader!

Tonight I have for you my picks from Maybelline's Holiday display. There are a few more in the collection, but I didn't want them, so this is just a sample of what it has to offer.

The pictures are of two coats each over a base in sunlight.

Ruby Luster is a great red.

Amethyst Glimmer is a vampy creme without a hint of glimmer to it.

Turquoise Glimmer is a shimmery blue.

Jade Flash is a noteworthy green.

Special Sparkle is a glitter topcoat with red, green, and silver glitter, which I used over Jade Flash.

Those are my picks. Be on the lookout for them at your local drugstore!

Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

OPI's Holiday Ulta Exclusives

Good afternoon, Dear Reader!

I called a local Ulta this afternoon to inquire about the OPI exclusives for the holidays, and was lucky enough to speak to the SA right as they were being delivered! I hopped on the subway (well, I didn't really hop, that would have gotten stares) and went right over to pick them up. I needed a happy little surprise today, and this was just right! I'll stop yapping about them and just get to the pictures... Since they're OPIs, I did three coats of each, and they're under artificial light.

Merry Holly-Days! is scarlet red with a subtle gold shimmer.

Merriest Mauve is more of a pink than a mauve, and has a moderate shimmer.

Think Merry! Think Pink! is a baby pink shimmer that's chock full o' microglitter, and is my favorite of the three.

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

Sexy, Caviar Dreams, & Tropic of Cancer

Good morning, Dear Reader!

Today I have a few more Nails of the Day that recently followed swatching to show you. The first, Orly's Sexy, I'm wearing now, and decided to take the few minutes it need to dry enough to Konad it to post some pictures for you.

The second is Laura Mercier's Caviar Dreams, described on Sephora as a dark metallic grey. I would have been content with that, but again have to take issue with Sephora's description, as this polish has a greenish duochrome effect to it. It's definitely unique - I was afraid it may be the same as NARS Full Metal Jacket, and although the base color is the same, the shimmer, finish, and overall look of the two is very different. I'm much happier with Caviar Dreams than I had hoped to be.

Third, I have a classic that I got from a dear friend, Chelsea's Tropic of Cancer. I ran into this lovely unpacking polish, and set it aside to use last week. It makes me happy to wear it not only because it's a gorgeous color that I wanted for a long time before I could have it, but because it makes me think good thoughts about the wonderful lady who gave it to me.

I'm also pleased to report that I had my first successful nail-length maintenance filing yesterday (my first ever). I must confess that I am the worst there is about filing my nails - I have always just let them get a bit too long, have a break as a consequence and file them down, and repeat, without ever touching them with a file in the months in between. This time, I decided I wanted them a little bit longer than they are now, but that I'd start the regular filing so I don't keep putting it off until I have another break. The first two pictures are post-filing - Caviar Dreams is what I used after I was done, and Sexy is what I just put on this morning. I think I did a decent job of keeping them even and shaped properly, and I'm happy with the outcome. I was quite anxious about doing it - my only experience with filing in all these years has been 3-4 times per year to file all the way down, never to just maintain. Now, I felt a sense of accountability to you, Dear Reader, to take better care in order to provide you with consistent pictures. So thank you for giving me the reason to finally be able to enjoy long nails without having a break every several months (assuming I did it well enough...)!

That's all for now, Dear Reader. Until we meet again, love and nail polish to you!

The Brainiac in Fishnets & Other Konadicures

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I just thought I'd pop in to show you a few Konadicures I've done after the recent swatches I've shown to you.

The first is my favorite, The Brainiac in Fishnets. I started with Sephora by OPI's Brainiac...

...and then added the fishnet pattern from plate M57 in black and China Glaze Liquid Leather tips.

That's today's mani, and it's nice and Halloween-y.

The others I've done recently have been much more subtle, using my favotire tip pattern in silver over Revlon's Steel-her Heart...

...and another with a black floral pattern as an accent to SpaRitual's Gold Digger.

That's all I'm going to show you for now, Dear Reader! I have to save more for tomorrow. Until then, love and nail polish to you!

Yet Another Precisions Haul, Part III

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I've just swatched the last of my Precisions haul for you, the last four colors I got. I'll show them to you in order of preference, from least to greatest. I can handle that with four colors! They're all two coats over a base under artificial light.

Seal of Approval is a semi-sheer peachy shimmer. Since I'm still in the process of warming up to sheers, this is lowest on my list.

Rock Steady is a hot fuchsia red shimmer, which I like quite a bit.

Peachtini is a frosty peach, bringing a little bit of Spring into a cold October day in Chicago.

Brownie Points is my favorite, partkly because of my recent brown kick and partkly because it's such a perfect shade for Autumn.

So that's the end of my most recent Precisions haul. I hope you enjoyed them as much as I do!

Until tomorrow, Dear Reader, love and nail polish to you!

Nubar Vineyard Collection

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I haven't photographed the last of my Precisions haul for you yet, so it seemed like a good day to give you lots and lots of pics of the Nubar Vineyard Collection. This is the ultimate collection for vampy lovers!

Here they are, in random order, all two coats over a base. All eight are cremes.

Corvina is a deep purple wine shade, possibly my favorite of this collection.

Pinot is a deep reddish purple.

Barbera is a slightly fuchsia red.

Cabernet is a slightly brown vampy purple.

Dolcetto is a pure dark purple, also possibly my favorite.

Merlot is a slightly vampy red creme.

Muscato is a vampy brownish purple.

Malvasia is a dark true red.

All of these applied well, but I think dark cremes are the most difficult polishes to apply evenly, and possibly some would have benefitted from a third coat. However, the formula of these is wonderful - they apply like Nubars apply, which is very smooth and even. I got them directly from Nubar, and am happy that I did! I'm able to ring in the cold weather with some good vampy shades.

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