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.

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.

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.

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.

50 fairy stars

-->It’s been a challenge to write this post—not because it’s hard to describe the content, but because the holidays can be stressful for many, because I had a birthday, I missed my monthly blogging goals due to stupid hospitalization, and because it’s the end of the year and here I am with a lot of beautiful, wonderful things in a time of turmoil. Isn’t it strange how tragedy and loss can bear beauty? 

This year has given much.

Magic Fairy Stars is a polish I was fortunate enough to get from Lynnderella and all the people of Lynnderella (and the help of the ever marvelous and wonderful special amazing thanks to Joni most faithful blog reader). The proceeds from this polish are being split between two charities in NY and NJ communities affected by hurricane Sandy.

Here it is shown over RBL Grunge, though it looks great over a variety of shades.

This beautiful polish features a ridiculous amount of glitter shapes and sizes. There are squares and hexes of course and a large dose of beautiful tiny stars--also thrown in is a dash of moons and large-sized stars. I wish these pictures were better, but I swear if you click on the FULL SIZE they look better.

Magic Fairy Stars, Grunge. Natural Light.

Magic Fairy Stars, Grunge. Natural Light.

Magic Fairy Stars. Macro Bottle.

return of the grunge

I first saw Rescue Beauty Lounge's Grunge on Scrangie's site and since I had swatched a friend's bottle I had been wanting to get my hands on some. When it was finally restocked I jumped at my chance to grab it.

I tried to capture the white shimmer, but had trouble due to grey weather. It's very faint and hard to capture on camera. I love this unique neutral.

Grunge. Natural Light.

Grunge. Artificial Light.