Pastel Party!

There's something about pastels--I just can't get enough of them, despite the fact that they always do me wrong. They are too eye-catching to resist. Even the pastel cremes with proclaimed “ease of application” often fit into one or more of these unpleasant categories: thick, gummy, stringy, they pull or are streaky. 

 

Most of the following pastels presented some problems, some got better with practice, some didn't. The only one I absolutely COULD NOT work with was Lime Crime Pastelchio (a sort of pastel yet neon green, such a cool color!). It was like painting with melted chewed gum. 

My Lifesaver was the easiest of the bunch and the best tip I could relay about pastels would be to let each coat dry in between layers. These pictures suck, so here's a bunch.

Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver. Artificial Light. (index finger looks fat!)

Nicole by OPI My Lifesaver. Artificial Light.

Pastelchio, Up and Kim-ing Pink, Milky Ways (Index has horrible Orly Repair on it!!)

Milky Ways, Pastelchio. Natural Light.

Milky Ways, Pastelchio. Bottles, natural Light.

V-Day Mani!

I wanted to do a fairly festive Valentine's mani, but I don't have any really Valentine-themed polishes. I decided to layer a few--OPI Elephantastic Pink, Sephora by OPI Be-Claus I said So, and Lynderella Love, Lace, and Lilacs. 

It turned out looking interesting, but not terribly Valentine-y because Elephantastic Pink turned out more corally on me than pink. Even a little orangey in some light. It was a little sheer and I used three coats. 

LLL was better than it's ever been and I noticed that it has a faint white shimmer. Beautiful. 

Elephantastic Pink, Beclaus I Said So, and Love, Lace, and Lilacs. Natural Light

Elephantastic Pink. Natural Light.

Elephantastic Pink, Beclaus I Said So. Bottles, Natural Light.

Second time's a charm

I decided I needed to conquer this gorgeous mint green. This is actually probably closer to my third or fourth try and after waiting for each coat to dry completely, I got it to work pretty well imo, though far from perfect. I looked at different swatches and noticed that there are almost no perfect (ah!! no offense) applications of Refresh-mint, and that's because quite honestly, it's a serious pita to apply. But worth the effort for that minty shade, despite the next day chipping.

This is probably one of my most proud mani days, haha.

China Glaze Refresh-mint. Artificial Light.

China Glaze Refresh-mint. Artificial Light.

Mints compared l to r: Refresh-mint, Milani Dressmaker, For Audrey.

Mints compared l to r: Refresh-mint, Milani Dressmaker, For Audrey.

Aqua Lemming

It's blue(ish). It's beautiful. It's finally mine. I got this as a birthday gift for a shameful price after the first time it sold out. I wanted to wait until my birthday to use it--so here it is.

Aqua Lily. Natural Light.

Aqua Lily. Natural Light.

Aqua Lily bottle. Natural Light.

Aqua Lily. Natural Light, Shade.

It was one of those colors that does not disappoint upon receiving. It's the same gorgeous blued turquoise with pink particle shimmer that I expected. However, it was the formula, as with many Rescue Beauty Lounge polishes I've tried (gasp) that was problematic for me. It was very pigmented (awesome) and strangely self-leveling. It took about an hour to level out completely on the second coat. It pulled for me as well, so the second time I used it, I waited for the first coat to dry and had much better application. Another issue--it chipped the next day :( and for a polish that retails for $20, I would just find a dupe or wait for one.

jelly and glitter spam

I haven't left--I've just been working on pics like crazy. I hate imperfect pics and mine are far from that, but I think I've been getting more fervent in my obsession with details.

So without over thinking it, here are some craptastic pics of a jelly and glitter experiment that I didn't really like. Sandwich fail. OPI My Pointe Exactly and China Glaze Pizazz and some of Sinful Cinderella and Lynnderella New Year's Eve Eve.

I found some pics of a really old jelly glitter combo I did as well, so here's that. OPI Don't Touch My Tutu (a serious must for jelly sammiches) and Dollish Polish Hylian Princess.

My Point Exactly and Pizazz. Artificial horrible light.

My Point Exactly and Pizazz sandwich. Artificial light.

Don't Touch My Tutu and Hylian Princess. Natural Light.

Cinderella and New Year's Eve Eve.

Cinderella and New Year's Eve Eve.