Lancome LE 54 & Violet Groove

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I figured I'd show you something other than my super cheesy Valentine's Day manicure, so I took pictures of something a little better over the weekend, Lancome Violet Violet Groove and LE 54 from the Ultra Lavande  Collection for Spring 2011.  I'll still show you the cheesy mani at the end just for fun.

Lancome Violet Groove is a kind of dusty lavender creme.  It seems like a darker and more purple OPI Parlez Vous OPI to me.  When I got the bottle, I was disappointed at seeing it in person because Lancome's little swatch dot must have joined Sephora by OPI's swatch dots in the winner's circle of the Inaccuracy Cup.  Their dot showed a lighter, pinker lavender shimmer.

Lancome's Violet Groove Swatch

Fortunately, the polish was exceptionally nice, barely needing a second coat.  I apologize for the weird reflection my picture - it was bright and my eye troubles were acting up, so I knew I only had one trip for outside sun pictures in me, and this one didn't get that honor.  The picture is color accurate on my monitor, which is why I'm still showing it to you.  This is two coats of Violet Groove over a base and without top coat.

Lancome Violet Groove Nail Polish, Two Coats

So what happened to the shimmer, I ask?  Even though it's not like Lancome's dot, Violet Groove is about what I generally expect from Lancome.  My overall impression of them is that they usually put out nail polish colors that aren't earth shatteringly unique, but they do them extremely well.  For example, the only reason my Violet Groove picture has the weird reflections is that it's so shiny without top coat (it was almost totally dry when I took the pictures) - it's just a very nice polish.  However, I also think that when Lancome does do an unusual polish, they're super cool (like their magnetic ones).  I thought a glitter was kind of bold for them, so I was interested in trying LE 54.  That swatch dot picture is almost as inaccurate as the first.

Lancome's LE 54 Swatch

Here's two coats of LE 54 over Violet Groove, which is a perfect match for the base color of LE 54 to make it opaque.  The second coat didn't change the look very much, so in the future I'd use one coat of LE 54.

Lancome LE 54 over Lancome Violet Groove, Two Coats Each

The hard part of taking a picture of a really good glitter is that a picture catches just one moment in time.  LE 54's glitter is the really good kind, smooth with just one coat of top coat and reflecting light all over the place, and I can't show you how reflecty it is with how it looks in one moment.  You'll just have to trust me that it's truly stunning.  I have several Lancome polishes, and I think LE 54 is my new favorite of them.

Now it's time for the peek at my Valentine's Day (or VD) mani.  It's way too over the top, and that's just how I wanted it.  It's a fair representation of my enthusiasm for my beloved.  It's two coats of Misa Spark My Heart That's a Start with a base and top coat and tons of pink and white stamping.  I went through all my Konad and fauxnad plates gathering all that had anything lovey or with hearts, laid them out, and went to town stamping.  I don't even know which stamps I used on which nails.

Hallmark Holiday = Over the Top Mani

I won't try to convince you this is anything other than over the top and fun because it's not - I'm silly and enthusiastic, so the manicure is as well.  I hope you're wearing a good playful one today too!

With that, I'll wish you happy VD, and until next time, love and nail polish to you!