cloud de menthe

I had to take a quick break for a long-hours summer course but the end result is a lot of new polish and two new acrylic racks! 

I don't know where I first spotted this baby, but the first thing I thought was an OPI Creme de Menthe dupe! I don't know if I'm right and probably never will, but I compared it to the other minty gold shimmer I have and it's quite different. It's perhaps a bit lighter looking and less dusty than Creme de Menthe. My first Jessica and the polish had a perfect application and long wear time. I also got so many compliments!

Cloud Mine. Sunlight.

Cloud Mine. Sunlight.

Cloud Mine. Indoor light.

Cloud Mine. Sunlight.

Jessica Cloud Mine vs. Chelsea Baja Green

Cloud Mine bottle. Sunlight.

or give me death.

Liberty is a beautiful polish in theory. The idea is a perfect mint green with a gorgeous, fine blue shimmer packed with glass fleck. It could probably be pulled off this way by a more skilled hand. However, I lack the patience to let an hour pass in between each coat (each of three coats!) so I only wait about fifteen minutes and it turns out thick and lumpen and sad. 

The color is still stunning and it is a unique polish. If you can deal with the frustrating formula, or you like the RBL formula, I highly recommend it. 

Also, the real reason I haven't been posting as much lately is because my computer is reaching old age. Every time I open iPhoto it takes about five minutes just for it to start. Photoshop...about seven and then quits multiple times during. It's a huge effort to do just a quick crop and color adjust. Such is life. 

Liberty. Sunlight.

Liberty. Indoor light.

Liberty. Sunlight (in the car!).

Liberty. Sunlight.

a polish by any other name

This was my first purchase from Liquid Sky Lacquer and it arrived safely and in a timely fashion. This was also my first thermal and it was quite a bit of fun. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the default color didn't blend right into my skin (that was the 24K part of the 24K Rose). I didn't show a picture of the lightest color because it just made my nails look yellow and stained in the picture (which they are). However, when exposed to enough temperature gradation it gave a fun albeit temporary effect. 

I think I used three-four coats as it was quite sheer and this polish applied matte. 

24K Rose. Indoor light.

24K Rose. Indoor light.

24K Rose pink reminded of something...compared to China Glaze Strawberry Fields.

Belated Saints Preview

It's been a month since I started my first official certificate class on the road to my second degree and it feels like...I don't know. Just a hell of a lot longer. Now that I know about what length I can get away with school-wise I'm feeling a lot better about life. Yes, my happiness is sometimes tied into the condition of my nails. If you don't like it, move along. 

I have had little time to devote to pictures, editing, and can't wear polish during the week so I don't have a ton to post. But in the spirit (late) here's a couple boring mystery previews of greens I've been working on :)

the purple side

I wouldn't categorize Insouciant as exclusively purple as it looks grey and possibly even taupe in some lights, but it's mostly a soft and dusty purple and a great piece of work from RBL. I have nothing to complain about in the formula here except it's a bit streaky in application and just when you think it will never even out it does. If RBL formulas have one saving grace it's their self-leveling quality. 

This polish has a soft cerulean and an even softer, hidden fuchsia shimmer. Truly beautiful and a pretty decent color for most people probably. I was super lazy getting pics here, probably because my nails were a bit nubby :/

Rescue Beauty Lounge Insouciant. Indoor Sunlight.

wl gift!

From the first RBL fan collection--a polish that had eluded me for sometime until a very dear polish friend surprised me with it! It was certainly one of my best finds (though I didn't actually find it) of last year/this year. While I've heard about many having issues with the formula, I found this to be one of the best RBL formulas for me. 

The shimmer particles are fairly big and fleck-like and are copper, but also look pinkish in the sun. Sometimes the sage/succulent/dusty green of the base color looks grey and sometimes slate blue--I think this color could be flattering on many people. Absolutely a permanent in my collection, I love it!

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I truly thought that during my break I'd have more time. As it turns out I've had significantly less (or so it seems). I still love you, bloggy! At least I have had enough time to take more pictures, AND I finally got my good camera back, YAY, I just need to work on getting them cropped and posted. 

Here's a polish I thought I'd love, but I hate you, polish. HATE. It chipped overnight. It took FOREVER to dry. It still was streaky in three coats (no one else seemed to have this issue). And it was super ugly on me. Swatches of Turn it Around had made it a lemming, but it was a no go.

Also, a pinky nail broke while wearing it. I can't ever in my life remember breaking a pinky nail. So it was just a bad experience.

Speaking of turning things around, I know I could turn my attitude around here, but it's been a tough past month. However, I do have about a dozen awesome polish-y things planned what with all of the amazing generosity and good fortune I have experienced over the holidays <3 (tada, turned!)

Turn it Around. Outdoor semi-sunlight.

Turn it Around. Sunlight.

Turn it around. Close up of magical shimmer. Sunlight.

Turn it Around. Bottle.

Another quick one from CbL in the original bottle (the full size one), though you can't tell because I forgot to take bottle shots on both posts--good job. Hopefully I'll remember to add some. 

Bad is a chrome metallic duochrome shimmer that morphs from multiple colors--grey, blue, violet, even a bit of green with fine pink and turquoise sort of and maybe other colors of shimmer, check closeups for shimmer. Both time this polish chipped on me overnight, I've found wear on most metallics to not be great, though. 

Bad. Sunlight.

Bad. Sunlight.

Bad. Sunlight.

On the rocks

After an unintended hiatus for midterms and finals (this class has a lot of tests!) Here's a new liquid sand that I didn't like as much as I thought. It chipped a little too quickly (though maybe it's me and the dry weather) and lost its texture, or did I imagine that? 

The sunlight brings out more shimmer depth (golds, pinks, and other colors). I'm wondering how others are feeling about recent OPI collex...I'm not sure how I'm feeling about a lot of the recent OPI collections including San Francisco and Holiday (so much red), but I am really wanting to get the holiday sands! PS. Is this my first "blurple?" I think yes.

Alcatraz Rocks. Indoor Sunlight.

Alcatraz Rocks. Indoor Sunlight.

Alcatraz Rocks bottle.

Yes, they're real...

thank you, they're genetic and unattainable. While some things, like a Van Damme middle split may be, I don't believe lovely spike-ish nails to be. However, they may be inconvenient and inappropriate for one's lifestyle.

I could write a novel on my relationship with my nails and our trials and errors and the ridiculous things I've done to try and keep them in shape.

In my opinion, asking a nail fanatic who is trying to grow hers (or his) out if one's nails are natural is the highest of compliments. This is when I know I have succeeded ;)

I remembered Teas-y Does It is the last color I wore before our very painful break up :( 

Some pre-break spam.

Lynnderella Deep Blue Seeing (I think!?), a Milani white.

Sally Hansen Garnet Lapis Prism, OPI Black Onyx

Lynnderella Bride of Franken, OPI Mrs. O' Leary's BBQ

And in September:

Breaking up is hard to do.

Noticeably, they are the longest in this last picture and that of course compromises their strength. And while I did like the way they looked at the time, I have to admit looking at the picture, perhaps they were maybe about 3mm too long. I can their weak spots in the pic and that makes me sad :(

They've been growing back pretty well, but I still feel like I'm wearing nubs. 

What was your worst break? What finger was it on? Nail friends and myself seem to concur they happen on pointer and thumbs. Not surprisingly, these seem to be the most frequently used fingers.

Htf Gem

It's been pretty quiet around here lately except that I got a new follower--HELLO!!! New follower and thank you :D YAY!!! I literally would wear the same polish as long as there was no chipping for four or five days in summer school, I just did not have time to change it. Sometimes I didn't have time to take a picture either, so I don't have a lot of pics right now.

I'm feeling really bummed about my physiology class right now, as I just generally feel like my brain isn't working.

But here's Brucci Black Emerald, a stunning duo/multichrome that goes from black to reddish brownish to blackened green and reddish green. Hard to capture and hard to describe, but gorgeous. Two coats over one coat of Sephora OPI Never Enough Shoes.

Indoor Sunlight.

Indoor Sunlight.

Outdoors.

Outdoors.

Indoor Sunlight. Who is that on the left? =^.^=

a dupe?

Or not a dupe? I found this gorgeous Chelsea polish, named Baja Green, on eBay--said to be a dupe of OPI's famed Creme de Menthe. This is two or three coats. I think it needs a bit more of the bright yellow gold flash to be closer to CdM. Since I probably won't ever have Creme de Menthe, what do you think? 

Baja Green. Natural Light.

Baja Green. Natural Light.

Baja Green. Bottle. Natural Light.

GTL

I had a lot of trouble at first with this one going on and because it was so gorgeous, I was worried that I would. It had that “eating itself” problem that holo polishes tend to have, though it's not a holo. Somehow I thought to use an aqua base with it and it applied perfectly. This is 3-4 coats—it lasted a long time and I didn’t want to take  it off, it's so perfectly coastal. This Dollish Polish is great for a mermaid! Gym, tan, laundry, and beach :)

Gym, Tan, Laundry. Natural Light.

Gym, Tan, Laundry close up. Natural Light.

Gym, Tan, Laundry bottle close up shot. Natural Light.

a special green!

We may be moving into another Green period, big surprise. Dominica Green—I’m not sure why it’s so difficult to find a good dupe of this color. It’s awesome, great for any season (it is, right?), and it’s so crazy that while you may not feel like you can wear it, anyone can wear it!

I have seen a few non-US brands that have looked very close though. DG was actually the first I came across. 

What surprised me is how wicked it looked—it’s shocking and startling and has that sort clear shimmer (maybe glass fleck), but very fine. Also, it’s super sheer and has a bit of a jelliness to the finish—this was 3-4 coats. Make sure you have some time on (or off!!) your hands for this one, it seemed to take forever to dry. It lasted for at least five stressful days during finals though, so it had a big payoff.

Dominica Green. Natural light through the window.

Dominica Green. Natural light through the window.

Dominica Green. Natural light through the window.

Lucky Me

What a day...I'm very tired, but it's been a good and productive day, so I'd thought I'd put up a polish I got by good fortune from a good polish friend (and as a gift from a thoughtful someone). 

It's more marvelous in real life--though imo--different than in pictures. I've already worn it four or five times despite the fact that it takes 18 hours (on me, at least) to dry to 100% hardness, even with my fastest drying topcoat. Is it just me, or have others noticed a relationship between long dry times, shrinkage, and long wear? 

While Scrangie shrank like heck on me, I can wear this beautiful baby for (shhhh, eek) five days, yes five...I know with no chipping and hardly any tip wear. By that time, I'm hardly tired of looking at my nails, either--with the color shifty and the interesting reddish undertone--why would I be? 

It took three coats and the third was a little thick/thin...but truly worth any trouble. Pic heavy and shows three different applications. I hope I won't be needing a backup ;)

PS. Ahhhh that last nail shot is so funky...my camera does not do great in low light, it always fuzzes out the focus :/

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Scrangie. Natural Light.

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Scrangie. Natural Light.

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Scrangie. Natural Light.

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Scrangie. Artificial Light (school edition!).

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Scrangie. Artificial Light.

Rescue Beauty Lounge: Scrangie. Bottle in natural Light.