Today's KOTD: Jessica Windsor Castle

Good evening, Dear Reader!

I finished my mani much earlier in the day today, and was really happy with the outcome. I have lots of other things planned for this week, and I thought it was worth a post all by itself.

The base color is Jessica's Windsor Castle, which I ran into this morning while unpacking. I was struck by what a perfect purple creme it is and set it aside to use today. When I applied it, it went on beautifully and was opaque and perfectly even in two coats. When I looked at the finished Windsor Castle mani, I decided the only thing that could improve it would be a touch of silver.

I went through my Konad plates to find a pattern, and decided to use one from plate S6 that I've wanted to use for some time, but which is both too short and narrow for my nails. My solution? To use it sideways on just my tips. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

That's today's Konadicure of the Day, Dear Reader. Until tomorrow, love and nail polish to you!

Yet Another Precisions Haul, Part II

Good morning, Dear Reader!

I photographed more of my most recent Precisions haul for you yesterday, and just finished adding text to and cropping the pictures this morning. For this batch of them, as yesterday's, I can't pick a favorite. I choose one, and then say, "No, it's this one. No, this one...," so I'll just show them to you in alphabetical order again. When I was done swatching them, I wanted to play with one, and did a very Halloween-y mani, which I also have pictures of for you.

These are all two coats over a base coat photographed in artificial light. Here we go!

100% Cashmere is a semi-sheer (but still shows the whole nail tip, not the dreaded VNL), a cashmere-sweater beige shimmer.

Call Me Pumpkin is a favorite contender, and the one I had to play with when I was done swatching. This is a bright, perfectly pumpkin orange creme.

C'est La Vie (labelled "C'est Le Vie," but my French readers would mock me if I went by the label, I believe) is a very delicate and pretty pink sheer shimmer.

Kiss The Rain is another favorite contender, a really hot pink with a slight bluish flash.

Saturday Night Fever was the third in competition for my favorite. It is bright, chili-hot red creme.

When I was done swatching, I had to play with one of the favorites, and I chose the most unique, Call Me Pumpkin. I decided it could use a little Konad, so I added a pattern from plate S6 and then did my tips, now too long for the tip plate to fit the bill, freehand with China Glaze's Liquid Leather. I liked my results so much I'll even show you both hands!

As usual, I got all of these from sparkling*nails on ebay (that's a link to the Precisions listings). If she's out of stock of anything you've seen on The Nailphile, just email her at sparklingnails@verizon.net, let her know what you want and that you saw it here, and she'll take good care of you. She's always great, but had been especially so with The Nailphile readers. As always, I won't benefit in any way if you buy anything from her, other than knowing that you, Dear Reader, are getting fun cool stuff.

I love my Precisions, and I will have more for you tomorrow, Dear Reader. Until then, love and nail polish to you!

Yet Another Precisions Haul, Part I

Good morning, Dear Reader! I've made yet another Precisions haul and they arrived yesterday, so I have pictures of some of them for you. I'll show them to you in alphabetical order, because I can't pick a favorite - each time I decide I have a favorite, I look at another and decide *it's* my favorite. So alphabetical it is! They're all two coats over a base.

Burnt Sienna is one that's a favorite contender - I've been on a brown kick lately, and this is a great brown. Not too brown, just a touch of orange, just right!

Cappuccino Low Fat is another that's appealing to my brown kick, only this one's much lighter with a strong silver shimmer. I like that the shimmer is silver rather than the gold that's usually in brown tones.

Kismet is a lovely pinky-apricot shimmer with a great name.

Raspberry Beret is another contender for my favorite of this bunch. It's a perfect raspberry creme.

Swan's Song is the third that makes me keep waffling on which is my favorite of this bunch. It's a hot, hot, deep pink with a strong silver shimmer.

Those are all the swatches I did yesterday, but there will be more to come. Recently someone asked me why I like Precisions so much, and it's because they apply smoothly, evenly, opaque in two coats, and with great dry time, but they also have excellent colors, often unexpected shades (like my favorite grey, U Rock & I Roll), or unexpected finishes (like microglitter in cremes, as in Twilight Zone). They're also a good value, particularly being 10% larger than other polishes at 0.55 oz. I'm so excited about these because I've so recently discovered the line, and am thrilled to have easy access to them.

Anyhow, after all that swatching, I had to do a full mani, and I chose another item from this haul - the new CHI Holiday polish, CHI You Under the Mistletoe. It's a bright sparkly crimson, which even I didn't have the heart to Konad.

I got all of these from sparkling*nails on ebay (that's a link to the Precisions listings, although she's where I get my CHIs as well). If she's out of stock of anything you've seen on The Nailphile, just email her at sparklingnails@verizon.net, let her know what you want and that you saw it here, and she'll take great care of you. She's been wonderful to my Dear Readers, and is really helpful. As always, I won't benefit in any way if you buy anything from her, other than knowing that you, Dear Reader, are getting fun cool stuff.

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