Playing catch-up (3 different NOTD/NOTWknd's)

Sorry about my absence there! While I have still been working on getting through my stash (which continues to grow, despite protests from my wallet), I hadn't had time until today to organize the pics and write out the posts. I hope not to be gone s long from this blog unless give a reason first. Here's hoping I can be better!

NOTWknd: ORLY - Rage
This was from a mini bottle gotten on my very first Ulta haul. Such a cute little guy! Anyway, the color seems a touch pinker in the bottle, but more champagne/super-light tan on the nail. Very shiny, played well with Seche Vite (considering it was my first time using that one), and didn’t peel until the fourth day of wear. Otherwise, the nice metallic (or is it foil? I still have trouble differentiating these!) shone nicely with enough mini-shimmer to keep it interesting. Application was slick and smooth, only two coats here.



It was fun to take off in the fact that upon removal, it looked more silver than champagne. I wonder if this could be done more carefully on purpose for a nice gradient of art on your nails when putting it on? Something to keep in mind next time I play with this one :3



NOTD: Ulta - Alter Ego
Had to go to work, but not with direct patient care, so I picked a nice blue, though it didn’t match my scrubs exactly. Enjoyed the shine of this one, but it turned out rather bubbly. Not sure if it was me being a little bit in a hurry this morning, or if it’s just the formula. The first pic I think shows off the bubbles better, but I think the second is more color accurate. I would wear this again, but the color just doesn’t delight me, though I love my blues. Maybe some nail art would help a bit?





NOTD: Hard Candy - Beetle
Finally got this at Walmart after seeing a couple of swatches online. It’s not only quite beautiful, it’s super fun to wear and flash about to see all the duochrome-y-ness. It needed at least 3 coats, I think, because it’s a bit thin, but I guss depending on how heavy you put it on, 4 wouldn’t be overkill. It was such a total delight to glance at while driving (well, moreso when at a stoplight, heh heh), but also kept working at its color flashing when indoors and shade. I can see why so many people love it! If you don't have it, I HIGHLY suggest this one! If it’s above your eye level, it looks a bit gold, perhaps gray-green from a slant, and a bit purple when you look down. I didn’t get the gold very well on camera, and I'm missing a good bird's eye shot for the more purple tones, but here are my pics.

NOTD: Julep - Cameron (and with OPI Servin’ Up Sparkle) (and Sept Julep Maven box)

Julep Cameron was an interesting polish, assuredly. It was a very pretty pink, that went on smooth, if a touch streaky. It was one of those that leveled fairly well as it dried though, and only took a second coat to pretty much get rid of the VNL. Not the best finish, but it was a rush job, so that probably had something to do with it. I am eager to try the other colors I have from this brand, see how they go. The part I liked least was the tall skinny bottle, since I almost knocked it over at least two times. If you’re on the clutzy side, you may want to make a stand out of an old pill bottle stuffed with marbles and cotton, to keep it weighed straight up and down. Or maybe have enough space to be able to twist your hand to hold onto it while you paint that hand?

But it was a nice color, wouldn’t you say? This is another pink I almost wish I could franken and tweak, as there is just something about it I don’t care for with my skin tone. It’s not too neon to be a hot pink, but it is a nice brightness that is wonderfully noticeable even in indoor lighting.



After the work weekend though, I had a great Ulta haul (though had to kick myself in the head for not realizing there was a 20% off coupon on the website... and used it for a second haul that week, mwahaha!), and got OPI Servin’ Up Sparkle. Pretty sparkling, yes! It was my best friend’s birthday this past week, so as we were going to go out to eat with her mom, I wanted a nice mani, but didn’t have time for a whole new one. Henceforth just added the lovely sparkle. And WOW. What a difference! It didn’t change the pink, but I didn’t feel it clashed so badly with my skin tone anymore, and I loved how festive it looked!



Received my September Julep Maven box, and liked how the colors of the ribbon and tissue paper changed. It’s a simple touch, but I thought it was neat.



This time I got a full tube of SPF 30 hand lotion, which I felt “meh” about. Very suncreen-smelly, and didn’t soften my hands too much. Kinda greasy as well. But it’d be good to carry in my purse I suppose, and use whenever I remember. Also a cuticle oil, with a rollerball dispenser (absolute LOVE). I like the results of my Burt’s Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream a bit better, but this is much faster to apply, so also to be added to my purse, hahaha! Final item was a very lovely NP, Boris and Nicole. It’s like a gold color, with.... I dunno, maybe a bronze touch?



Soon to be worn, though I have that other Julep NP and the other lovely frankens by applevein to do as well, and so very many goodies on my latest haul too. Guess I’ll just have to pick a random one of all these with the “close eyes and grab from the untried box” method. Hmm, that reminds me, I still have to pick up a Melmer, as it were, from Michaels so I can start storing my NPs standing up instead of all just tossed in 2-3 open boxes. Also in a bit more organized fashion :3

NOTD: Rimmel - 301 Ash Rose (also Julep box)

This is such a ovely color, dark enough to make me think of blueberry yogurt somehow, which I love. But the pink makes it permissible for work, which I why I grabbed for it. I really liked application, it was slick but not too watery, and not a bubble in sight as it dried. Several things discouraged me though. First was how I messed up, by smudging a nail on the first coat, then when trying to do the second coat. Then later, after those had dried (and I’d been sleeping, goofup #3), I applied my China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat... and did stuff too soon, before it dried as well. Namely scratching off some paint as I left for work. On top of my own booboos, though I LOVE this color, I just don’t like it against my skin tone :/ Maybe I can try in winter again, and see if maybe it’ll go nicer with me when I’m not so tan (this full sun picture looks nicer than indoors, so it sounds like a good theory). Hopefully that’ll work, because I did think this was such a pretty little polish. Pics obviously suck for the pre-named reasons, and I didn’t do any real cleanup.



And in other news, got my introductory Julep Maven box! Several pics, because I was so excited:







But upon opening and getting all the things out, I was a little sad. I had not thought to research the size of the NP bottles, and was upset to see they’re only 8mL :( The colors (I got Cameron, a bright pink, and Alfre, a shimmery purple) are gorgeous on their own, but I repeat, small. I also got a similar sized bottle of “Nail Therapy” which has vitamin E and is supposed to hydrate nails while serving as a basecoat. I have been in the mood for an ‘improving” kind of basecoat, because while I love the stain-prevention and sticky powers of my China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat, I’m sure my nails could benefit from a little extra loving every once in a while :] Also got a 3oz/89mL bottle of “Facial for Hands”, something labeled as a “Glycolic Hand Scrub”. Decently sized, and though I’ve used it only once, it was nice. Gave my hands an extra bit of softening-ness. My hands are usually soft because I moisturize them like crazy at work. As a nurse, I wash my hands A LOT. So to prevent drying, I use hand lotion (Yes for Carrots) afterward at least half the time. The moisture carries over on my off days, at least in summer when swamp coolers make sure the air isn’t so dry at home. I will report after repeated use for a while, see how it does. On top of this, there were two tiny sample packets of the same hand scrub, and a hand creme that had SPF 30. So all in all, this was totally worth the $4.99 after a coupon code I used for the first month (“smh9oxu” , but there’s also “get10” for $10 off a purchase in case the first one doesn’t work anymore), but maybe so-so on the normal $20 payments. Still think I’ll keep it a month or so and see how I like future boxes before I consider canceling it. If anything, it’s a lot of fun to receive goodies in the mail. Then there’s always the option of skipping a month, or sending it to someone else, and even changing your selection of stuff in case you don’t like the preview they send you :D

NOTD: applevein franken - Harry Potter - I Speak Mermish

Some time ago, applevein on the MUA board put up some gorgeous Harry Potter frankens she’d made, and she was so wonderfully kind about letting me have some to try out!!! So last week I see a package addressed to me, smell nail polish, and open it with a fury that would have shamed any toddler at Christmas.





My god, they are so beautiful, aren’t they?! I wasn’t able to apply any at the time, so I set them on my desk where I could see them when I came home on the weekend from work, planning which one I would try first! Tuesday I got home, had some breakfast, removed my work mani, and got busy, ha! I haven’t really worn any heavy glitters, so please keep that in mind when reading my opinions; this polish is pretty much being compared against the polishes I’ve otherwise worn.

This blue. Oh my lord, this blue. It’s so soothing and sweet, not a ‘little boy’ kind of blue, but something magical, whch really fits in with the Harry Potter theme applevein did. This dazzling beauty is named “I Speak Mermish”, and very fittingly so. Traditionally, mermaids seem to have a salt water habitat, which you would think had a bit darker blues and some greens in there. The colors that applevein used seem to represent more mythical than marine mermaids, belonging to rivers and landlocked lakes, a very good choice of representation for the HP merfolk. Though so very bluetiful, you can also see sparkles of lavender, silver, and a teensy bit of green. Fabulous cooling for my skin tone, I think, and eye catching in practically any light.

Application was a little difficult, initially because I couldn’t figure out how thick to make the swipe, as you can see by the differences in one coat:



Adding a second coat, thin as it may be, really helped cover the nail incredibly. I also had a few mini-spots I missed, and one I smudged pretty bad, but never fear! The glitter was so wonderfully thick that it was easy to do a quick spot-application on those areas, without messing up the whole mani:



Because the polish did not flow very easily (I’m not sure if adding more clear NP thinner now would be best), I did have a couple of smudges on my skin. As I had just gotten back home from work, I let it dry a bit (it felt like it was drying SUPER fast, a definite bonus), and passed out until evening, as I had a Great Dane club meeting to get to. Before I got in the shower, I was going to use some nail polish remover for the booboos (I want to use it up before I get some pure acetone + glycerin), but was amazed to see the stuff on my skin just peeled right off, ripping where the nail part was, making it one of the fastest and easiest cleanups I’ve ever handled :D I just did a little spot treatment on the cuticles, but not having pure acetone, didn’t bother with worry about a gap. The thicker formula is actually just fine how it is, hahaha!

Used two top coats of China Glaze Fast Forward Top Coat, and it smoothed OK enough that I wouldn’t keep messing with them all night :] I used another top coat layer the next morning, and it’s only a little bumpy, which I like to feel for :D! I was told on the MUA board to try a coat of Gelous over the glitter, and then a top coat to get super smooth, so I may have to try that later on, just to see how it works. This is the up to date mani, wearing nicely despite having my hands in water a lot as I clean out my fish tanks (how fitting!):



So to finish, I must say I am beyond excited about these nail polishes, and the one I tried was a total winner! I’m only supposed to wear tans, corals, pinks, and reds at work... but I am super tempted to take this over the next work weekend, just because it is SO beautiful! Well, maybe at least Friday night >] Very excited to try the other two NPs, but again, I do not want to take this off, so they are going to have to wait until next week, heh heh. This does mean I will have to google the foil method, because I’ve only heard it’s good for glitters, not exactly how it works.

NOTWknd: Milani 3D Holographic - Digital

Oh the holo, it is so gorgeous!

I took full advantage of the recent free shipping offer on the Milani website and purchased all 6 of the 3D Holographic series. They all arrived safely, and I had to try on the pink one first. I followed a MUA board member's advice about application, as they suggested "BC, two coats of holo, TC, then last coat of holo". It lasted beautifully all weekend until I removed it yesterday, which only a smidgen of tip wear. I heard these holos are considered weaker ones, but since it was my first, I just loved to stare at them in sunlight!

Alas, I work nights. And indoor. With weak lighting. So the holo did not snag anyone's attention unduly, though in those quiet moments I still enjoyed staring at the holo glitter/shimmer bits, heh heh heh. So while I loved it very much, I don't think it's that good to wear when I work, but that's OK. I still have plenty of "untrieds" to get me through!

NOTD: ORLY - Royal Velvet

My goodness this is such a pretty color! Or set of colors really, as on me it seems to be 80% blue with 20% purple. I didn't think it was a duochrome, as it seems to be kinds of light that pick up the colors, not the angle. But one of the MUA'ers told me it did look like it. I haven't gotten too good at figuring out my finishes, heh. Slight improvement at managing my gap, but I think I need to get a brush for cleanup (as in this tutorial), especially because my non-dominant hand looks much worse, heh.

The formula gave me problems though; I'm not sure if it needs some thinner or what, but I kept getting horrendous bubbles yesterday, as you can see this first pic in daylight with cloud cover:


This morning I think most of the bubbles were pressed down or sheared off, and then a nice top coat of ChG FFTC seemed to hide them completely. Happy sun is out today:


A gorgeous color I can't wait to wear to a work meeting tomorrow, since only the reds/pinks are allowed when I'm actually working. Can't wait to drive and stare at my nails since the sun's out today :]

NOTWknd: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Bubblegum Pink (with ORLY Fifty Four)

I blame the fact that this did not wear well (only 2 working nights) on the fact that I applied first coat to basecoat before fully drying, then later did second coat and the ORLY-coat on close to each other as well. A very important lesson to get my mani done well before Friday comes around, I think, because rushing last minute is a setup for disaster. You can barely see the Fifty Four shimmer in sunlight on this polish, so it was pretty much non-existent during the night in dark rooms. Maybe it'd pop move with a darker polish? Something to try in the future, at least :]

NOTD(wknd): OPI DS Reserve

Two weeks ago, I just didn't think anything could cause me as much enjoyment as ChG Ahoy. I was wrong! Best friend visited her brother a few states away, and brought me back some DS's from different Ultas (how's that for an awesome pal?!). None were the holos, but she has great taste and got me some beautiful NPs! This was one of them:

Diffused sunlight through a window:


Fantastic in full sun:


Macro of above, so many microglitter bits that I just kept staring every so often, hahaha!


In the shade it was still beautiful:


I loved the shade of this pink, it seems toned down enough to be very professional, but the sparkling ability (especially in lower light conditions, which works great because I'm a night nurse) was stupendous! Went on easy with minimal coats, but halfway through a 4-night work week, I added another coat and topcoat to cover teeny chips, and on the fourth night one of the nails lost half it's coat in a peeling situation. Maybe not fault of the polish though, as that nail had sustained some injury and flaked off the top layer of the tip (not where the nailbed is, thank goodness!). Definitely a favorite polish! :D

NOTD: "Shark Week" attempt

Inspired by MUA user toxicglitter's post (http://www.makeupalley.com/m_129309150) about her bf's suggestion for a mani. I didn't get to do the blood bit as an accent nail, and only when I was removing that last few pieces of tape did I realize I can't get the suggested chomping effect, as the teeth are backwards!!! Guess I should've done white nails and then applied the gray parts :3 NPs are CG base and top (as always), CG Sea Spray, and WnW Hush Hush. Very much fun to do (though it took me a bit of a while, heh), can't wait to go out and show them off!



Please excuse the lack of cleanup.. I do thick coats without meaning to, and this all took about two hours with drying time in between layers. I am so done :p Was watching Ducktales while doing this, and will have to brainstorm how to do an applicable mani. I <3 my Ducktales.

NOTD(wknd?): China Glaze - Ahoy

I'm on day 5 of this manicure (worked Fri-Sun night), so the second two pics show considerable tip wear. I got this NP to help use a coupon at Ulta, but the more I stared at the bottle, the more I wanted to get it out. It's a lovely magenta-shade of pink with shimmer/sparkles (I'm not 100% sure if there is a difference, I am a former muggle). No one commented on it at work except one nurse who always likes to see what NP I have on :3 But the two friends that I like to show off to said they thought it was nice when I brought to their attention -_^

I haven't worn a mani this long for a few weeks without changing it up, so I guess that proves how much I love this color!

Indoors, day 1:


Outside, shade, day 5:


Outside, sunlight, day 5: