New Year's Resolutions

These are really the kind of resolutions I should be making--the kind that involve avoiding my homework and spending more money on more nail polish. Surely the people in my life will be relieved when they hear of my healthy new outlook on life.

I want to do a couple of new year posts and this will be the first as I already have a few (unstable) leads!

Welcome to my list of polishes I am going to get this year. Inspired by a tradition of one of my biggest bloggess inspirations: pretty-random!

Without further ado:

9. China Glaze. Crocodile Lounge.

8. L'Oreal Future Jade

7. Maybelline Electric Apple

6. Enchanted All Love Garden
(not too htf right now, but expensive. 
I really want Green Goblin, eventually, 
but I am not there yet!)

5. Enchanted Presto Magic--again,
not that hard to find, but I refuse
to pay $50+ for it.

4. Illamasqua Nurture

3. Finger Paints Twisted

2. Lilypad Lacquer Frogs Alive 
This may show up on
Llarowe eventually, but I'm unsure of 
where to get it as of now.

1. OPI Real Teal (or Yosemite) Real Teal maaaaagic,
along with Rainforest and Jasper Jade, has been my
lemming for many years. However, I refuse to even 
mention the *other* OPI polish which from this point 
forward shall be referred to as thee which shall not 
be named, because I will not lem this polish. I just won't. 
And while I've never seen Real Teal, even on eBay, a 
blog sale, or anything it's not like thee which shall not 
be named, which appears on eBay for hundreds. So 
Real Teal, this year, I think we will be friends :)

This is my first new year list and I'm excited to get started. I didn't want to get in over my head and put totally impossible polishes on it, but some of these I've hunted for the past year and never come across. Some are just in a price range I refuse to pay. 

I've also had some great fortune in my finds this year and some amazing, generous gifts from friends as well as swaps and I'm excited to share those! 

PS Yes, I do see that over 60% of my list is green. Hey, it's a small list.

Photo credits:
9. Polished Claws Up
8. Babyness on Flickr
7. The Scholarly Nail
6. Polish Me Up!
5. Unsure, grabbed from pinterest :/
4. Swatch and Learn 
3. Scrangie
2. Rockjewel Nails
1. Pretty-Random

It's been awhile: Chunky Rainbow Sugar (bit pic heavy)

Another major lemming I'd given up on getting. But then...you know. See below. It just happened. What can I say about the polish that has been my number all time indie lemming of all time since I’ve had indie lemmings which has really only been about six months but still six months is a long time to want something think about if you liked a guy for six months or wanted chocolate, okay?

I could list (and have listed) about twenty of the glitter shapes, colors, and sizes that are in Sweets and not be done. However, duplication would probably be lost, even on the most desperate (me!). 

As much as its maker has lost popularity in the public polish eye due to recent unpleasant events, on its own, it is still full of unique pieces I haven’t come across anywhere. The white glitter are not just white—they are white with a faint pinky/gold iridescence (in this light) and some of the whites are semi-sheer. The pearlescence (not a word, apparently) in these pieces is really different, it makes me think of wedding confetti. 

There is also an extremely faint particle shimmer to the sheer milky base that has a color shift so imperceptible that I really can’t tell you what it is or if I’m imagining it or if it’s part of the infamous “purposeful” glitter bleeds.

 This is two coats of Sweets over one coat of OPI Don't Touch My Tutu.

Sweets to the Sweet. Sunlight.

Sweets to the Sweet. Natural light, shaded.

Sweets to the Sweet. Artificial Light.

Sweets to the Sweet. Macro thumbnail shot. Sunlight.

Sweets to the Sweet. Macro bottle shot. Sunlight.

 

I did get more compliments on this polish than any others so far, which irked me a little, I mean, this was not, inevitably, my best polish job, what with having to spread and chunk on the glitters, don't get me wrong, application could have been much worse. 

But it didn't smooth out even after Gelous, Poshe, and Poshe ;) However, the amazing swapper who sent this to me told me about polishes finding their forever homes and this one has. Unless of course you are prying it from my cold, dead, hands.

Ballou, Bayou, Ballroom?

Bayou Blitz was a long time lemming for sure—as long as I had wanted it, it had not been restocked I couldn’t find it anywhere (except eBay :( = $$$). Then a stroke of luck hit when a sweet gal swapped with me! I've said it before (no I haven't, but I will in the future) and I'll say it again: if you really love a lemming, let it free, and it will come to you.

Bayou Blitz arrived in all of its neon, black light reactive glory, matte glitters ablaze from within. I hadn’t actually thought about it until after application that Blitz is a matte glitter (in a base of gorgeous sheer bluey green neonish wonder). As far as I can remember this is my first matte glitter. I was having application problems, but I think this is probably due to my impatience between coats drying.

I found my base had a little bit of the goo quality that some colored jellies have and that is hard for me to work with because I am polishing challenged. Second try was better for sure, but because it was packed with teeny glitters I found removal to be best with some individual pick off action combined with my regular acetone scrubby jar. Of course there was some fishing action with the gorgeous GIANT glitters, but I don't think it would be possible for there not to be for that sparse effect to take place, which looks great here, imo :)

Bayou Blitz. Natural Light. Angle One.

Bayou Blitz. Natural Light. Angle Two.

Bayou Blitz. Natural Light. Shade.

Bayou Blitz. Flash. Macro.

Bayou Blitz. Natural Light. Macro.

I do wonder the story behind the name on this. As far as I can tell the ONLY thing called Bayou Blitz is this polish. And maybe a band? Maybe my curiousity will be fulfilled when my dream of going to the bayou is realized ;) PS. The Misfits to my knowledge DID NOT cover Ballroom Blitz.

A favorite, revisited!

I said I would dedicate another post to Jawbreaker and here it is! There's not much more to say--original Jawbreaker post A sheer-ish white base with almost all rainbow colors of glitter: red, yellow, green, blue, and purple, I maintain that Jawbreaker looks like, well, a jawbreaker, only more beautiful. 

I've seen some really beautiful paint jobs with Jawbreaker and I've been practicing, but I'd like to get it down perfect (if you have any tips...feel free to leave). So you may see another post on this lovely polish! Stay tuned. 

Jawbreaker. Natural Light (some sun).
 

Jawbreaker. Natural Light (shade).

Here Goes Nothing

Let's start this post with a few disclaimers such as:

I'm going to be in a state of trial and error for awhile. So if anyone is reading, please bear with me, my nail shape and length, pardon my paint jobs, and likely my sad, needy ew-ticles (cuticles :-(). This blog will exist in part, to help me learn to better paint and care for my nails, take better nail photos, as well as to showcase my own personal adoration for the artistry of polish and expression through color, textures, and general shininess. Here we go :)

That being said, Welcome to My Little Blog!!
It's small, but mine.  

Pretty and Polished for this post, accented by a favorite Revlon Streetwear from grade school, Taxi. For the following photos coats are as follows: two coats of Jawbreaker and three coats of Taxi, all polishes were layered over a basecoat and topped with Poshe topcoat. 

Jawbreaker was my first and ultimate indie polish lemming (especially that I've been able to complete). I traded Dior Saint Tropez, in box for it. I was obsessed with all the swatches of JB because even though I don't necessarily like my pics as much (and I am SURE to do it again as a full mani for pics :D), the swatches I saw truly looked like a jawbreaker candy. 

Jawbreakers never tasted good to me, but surely a cool, retro effect to be able to recreate in a polish, and an incredibly original idea. Not to disappoint in person--probably better, actually. Like many white polishes, mine seemed to goo up a bit over time, and I added a bit of thinner with no issue. Jawbreaker (the polish) is packed with smallish green bars (no issues with mine), GIANT red squares (my bottle has it's own shot glass and I store it upside down in it because the GIANT red squares tend to sink to the bottom due to their weight and do require a bit of fishing), red, blue, yellow/gold hex glitter, and tiny lavender/purple glitter, in a milky-like white base. 

I <3 JB and totally intend on doing a post devoted entirely to it, soon. The first time I wore it, if you can believe it, it stayed on for five days with the most minimal tip wear.

After seeing some Revlon Streetwear polish bottles on a blog, I was struck with immediate nostalgia and one word came to mind: "Taxi." I remembered this polish and after searching, came upon it. It seemed to have thinned a lot over time as it took three coats of very careful application to get a non-streaky, solid look. But holy subtle shimmer!!!

I seriously recommend allowing maximum dry time between coats as well. IMO it's worth all the waiting. It dried to a gorgeous, eye-burning bright truly taxi-yellow with somewhat of a plasticine quality and a super subtle shimmer nearly worthy of RBL.

Pretty and Polished Jawbreaker and Revlon Streetwear Taxi. Sunlight.

Pretty and Polished Jawbreaker and Revlon Streetwear Taxi. Shaded Sunlight.

Pretty and Polished Jawbreaker and Revlon Streetwear Taxi. Artificial Light.

Pretty and Polished Jawbreaker and Revlon Streetwear Taxi. Shady artificial light.

Jawbreaker bottle macro <3

Jawbreaker.

Revlon Streetwear Taxi. Flash (trying to show the extent of the shimmer).

Revlon Streetwear. Taxi.