Lacquer or Leave Her: August 2012

Literal Polka Dots

I couldn't get the idea of a neon yellow gradient out of my head all day. It's something I just felt I needed to do as soon as possible. So, I picked two of my all time favorite colors: Yellow Polka Dot Bikini (China Glaze) and My Boyfriend Scales Walls (OPI). I know I know, that damn greyish white has made several appearances recently (here, here, here and here), but it really deserves the spotlight. It's a perfect color.

I love the way it looks under the neon yellow. Neon yellow and grey go very well together somehow. Look at the Parsons school of design workroom this season on Project Runway:

Source: http://blogs.fidm.com/projectrunway/episodes/

I wanted to add something, but since I had done polka dots last night, I wanted to do something different, but keep it round.

The solution?

Literal polka dots...with rhinestones.

The trigger finger idea came about only because my supply of black rhinestones wouldn't have been enough to cover all 10 fingers. A nifty solution for the thrifty.

Allons-y!!!

As you may remember, my 30th birthday was this past Monday. Because it's a pretty huge milestone, I decided that I would love to get some custom polishes made to commemorate the day. I put out a request to a group of makers I know and was able to get three different makers to make me three very different polishes! Today, I'm going to show you the first of these three polishes, Allons-y from Kas at Metametics. You can purchase Metametics on her etsy store. However, the shop is closed for the next month while Kas is out of town.

Metametics is a self proclaimed geek brand made by geeks for geeks. Looking at the polish names, you can tell that these guys know their anime, sci fi, fictional history, and mystery. When Kas got back to me letting me know that she would be able to make me something, she asked me a few questions to gauge what I wanted. I decided that I wanted a color shift polish in red, blue, purple, or pink. She made me three options and sent me a pic to choose which I liked best. Then, she asked me what kinds of TV shows, movies, and books I liked. Naturally, I told her that I loooooved Doctor Who, specifically the 10th Doctor (David Tennant). Kas was a doll to work with - very professional with great communication and a quick turnaround. I highly recommend her to make you a custom if you're ever in the market.

In honor of the new Doctor Who season starting tomorrow (at 8 pm on BBC America!!!!), I bring to you Metametics Allons-y!

My "mild" obsession with Doctor Who came in 2008 when I first saw the episode Blink. If you haven't seen this, you need to google/netflix it right now. I can wait. Go ahead. I'll see you in an hour.

(Source)

Waits patiently.

Ok, did you watch it? Good. This particular episode is more like a horror movie than the normal campy sci fi episodes, and I seriously fell in love. I mean, so much so that last year I was a Weeping Angel for Halloween:

Yes, Halloween is my favorite holiday. Yes, we always go all out. Just wait until next month!

David Tennant is my Doctor. Everyone who loves Doctor who has their one Doctor that they love or identify with the most. I'll never get over David Tennant's last episodes, but I'm starting to enjoy Matt Smith a little. He's no David Tennant, though...

Nerd never looked so hot. (Source)

I mean, seriously. (Source)

Anyway, one of my favorite lines from all of the Doctor Whos I've ever watched is from the Titanic special when the Doctor is talking to a crewman named Alonso (who also happens to be George from another show I love - Being Human). David Tennant's doctor's catch phrase throughout his tenure on the show was "Allons-y!" So, naturally, when presented with Alonso it became "Allons-y, Alonso!" I don't know why, but I say that all the time. Seriously. It's weird. That's why this polish name was so perfect for me! Kas didn't even know how obssessed I was with that line when she sent it to me. I was so stoked when I opened the wrapper and saw the name. The hubby also approved of both the color and the name.

(Source)

Anyway, enough of my geeking out, let's chat polish! Allons-y is a vampy red polish with so many different color flashes that it's hard to tell what the color really is. The first coat goes on a deep blood red, but as you build on, the color changes to a rusty brown-red.

In certain lights it shines gold. Others it shines green. And at even others it looks like a normal vampy red shimmer with red glitters. This polish is probably the most complex color I own, and I absolutely adore it! Here are some bottle shots of the color shift.

Green

Gold

The consistency was a little thick, and I probably could've gone with just one coat, but I like doing more coats to really saturate the color on my nails. After a few minutes of having the bottle open, I needed to add a little thinner, so this polish is definitely one you need to work with quickly. Personally, as I've said before, I'd rather have a polish that's thick than too thin. You can always tweak thick to suit your needs. Allons-y was not overly thick, so I only needed to add a few drops to get it to my desired consistency. It didn't stain my cuticles, either, which is great because I've been super lazy about application lately. Once I thinned it to the consistency I like, it applied flawlessly. No dragging, bubbling, or pooling. The color shift translated really well from the bottle and is extremely evident on the nail. Not all color shift polishes can claim that. Here is a closeup of my middle and ring fingers. You can see each color shift and shimmer very clearly.

Middle looks red and gold; ring looks red and green.

This polish is almost perfect for Christmas because of the colors included in the shift! I know I'll definitely be busting it out around the holidays. It's the perfect fall color, too, as it reminds me of the leaves changing in New England.

This was my first Metametics polish, but I do believe I'll be trying to get more as soon as my no-buy has been lifted. If every polish they make is as awesome as Allons-y!, then I may be in danger of buying them out! Again, you can purchase Metametics polish from their etsy store, but you'll have to wait until the end of the month.

Are you a Doctor Who fan? If yes, who is *your* doctor?

**Edited to Add** I am headed to the beach for the weekend!!! I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable three day weekend! As per my normal schedule, I won't be posting Saturday or Sunday. I will, however, try to post Monday and Tuesday. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Allons-y was purchased by me. My review is based on my impressions and opinions, not based on any loyalty I feel towards Metametics for doing me a solid. Just so's ya knows.

Gradiated Dots

I've seen and done a fair share of dotting manicures.

I've seen and done a fair share of gradient manicures.

I've seen a few dotting gradient manicures.

But this is the first I have personally seen with this type of separated fading using different size dots.

I dig it. Diggin' the dots.

Bonus: It's all done with Zoyas! The base is Farah, the darkest pink is Reagan, then Lara, and finally Shelby. I have so many pink Zoyas, and a fair amount of neutrals, so this seemed appropriate.

The technique is surprisingly simple. As someone mentioned, these past few manicures have featured my right hand, so I've been trying to keep them simple enough to look as clean as a left handicure would look. Of course, dots are about as easy as it comes.

Comparison Thursday: Teal Glitter Top Coats

Welcome to another Comparison Thursday!!! Personally, I am always looking for other options to the very hard to find and expensive polishes on my wish list. I love looking at comparison swatches to see if I truly need a polish or if I can find a cheaper alternative for the expensive ones. Also, comparisons help me determine if I need a polish at all because I may have one close enough in the same family to not warrant needing both. I just came to this realization recently. Before, I would buy whatever I thought was pretty, but I noticed I was accumulating some dupes and near dupes, which drives me CRAZY. For me, near dupes are just as bad as dupes, especially since I'm working on paring down my stash. I looked through my polishes and have discovered that I have enough dupes or near dupes to do Comparison Thursdays into next year. Many of these comparisons will include several shades, not just two. THAT IS INSANE. I'm sure my stash pales in comparison to many of you guys out there, but it's still a bit daunting! That being said, it's time to get down to business!

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Let's take a look at teal glitters. While the glitters below aren't exact duplicates, you may find a cheaper or more easily obtainable one that you like better than the expensive or hard to find options I'm going to show you. The teal glitters I have in my stash are Elevation Stay Behind, Catch a Wave, Lynnderella Thank Blue, Dollish Spank You Very Much, and Dollish Mermaid Scales. I got my Thank Blue through a swap group on facebook, but you can purchase them from Lynnderella on ebay, if and when they ever list singles. Elevation can be purchased here, and you can follow Lulu's blog for updates and news here. Be advised, you have to move quick to get Elevation polishes. Dollish can be found at Dolly's store or on Llarowe. Currently, neither Mermaid Scales nor Spank You Very Much are available at Dolly's store, but they are both in stock at Llarowe if you're ok paying a higher price. Dolly has not announced plans to stock either of these in the near future, so Llarowe may be the way to go.

They look like they *could* be close in the bottle.

Back shot to see the glitters a little better.

Ok, now that the administrative stuff is out of the way, let's get to the polishes!!! In the bottles, they all look like they have a very similar color scheme - teal with some sparkles. However, there are some key differences once you get them on the nail.

You remember the nail catastrophe I mentioned yesterday? Exhibit A: annihilated pinkie nail. Sad days.

First, we'll start with Stay Behind, Catch a Wave. This polish has a slight teal tint that only shows up because I'm wearing a white jelly underneath. Otherwise, you can't really tell. It applied a little thickly, but that was mostly because I was trying to get as many circles as I could on my nail. SBCW is very unique in that it has circular glitters - in two different sizes, no less. I know of only a handful of polishes with circular glitters, and they're all large and black. SBCW also has iridescent glitters that make this polish sparkle like crazy in the light. The glitters are much more sparse in this polish than any of the other polishes I will show you today, so if that's your thing, try to snag it next restock. Luckily, SBCW is going to be a reoccurring color, so you should be able to grab some if you're quick.

Cirrrrrrcles!

Thank Blue is a very densely packed glitter top coat It includes medium teal hexes and squares as well as finer teal and holographic hexes. The base has a slight teal tint, but I'm not sure if that's from "intentional bleeding" or not. I would definitely say this is a glitter bomb. This picture is just one coat with the dab method. If you want a more sparse look, I'm sure it can be achieved by using regular application techniques.

Hooooolo!

Spank You Very Much is a clear based polish with medium and fine teal hexes and smaller purple hexes. There is no shimmer to the base, but the glitters are shiny enough on their own. This is one coat with the dab method. I think this guy will look great over black, too.

Perfect mix of teal and purple!

Mermaid Scales is the odd-man out. It is a teal based jelly with smaller teal (or blue, maybe?) hexes and green and blue large and medium hexes. It applied evenly, and the glitters spread easily without much manipulation on my part. I think this could be really pretty with several layers to create a jelly sandwich effect.

It looks like bubbles under water.

Here's a blurry shot of all four so you can get an idea of the sparkle for each polish.

Thank Blue definitely has the best sparkle, followed by SYVM and SBCW. Mermaid Scales didn't have much sparkle at all.

So, while none were exact dupes, I think that if you own one, you don't really need the others. I'm not really sure what I plan to do with these guys. I want to wear them each on their own before making any final decisions, but I'm not sure I can justify keeping all of them. Either way, I'll let you guys know if I decide to put them on my sale page.

Lastly, I plan to start selling my polishes on Copious starting next week. If you're interested in checking out copious, you can do so here. Also, this is a great way to use up any Copious credits you may have!

Which is your favorite teal topper? Which would you get rid of?

Betsey Johnson-esque Roses

A design with rich colors, floral and a funky accent like dots just screams Betsey Johnson to me. So a mix of Sea Breeze (Sally Hansen Insta-Dri), Sugar High and Something Sweet (China Glaze) was perfect for this one. I think Betsey would be proud.

This is another easy design that everyone can do. Anything that looks good with little effort is primo in my book, especially when I have to photograph my right hand for you guys. Just wipe off the majority of the polish from the bottle's brush, and do a little dabbing. First dab your dark green leaves, then dab your flowers (darker pink and lighter pink) on top. The less polish on the brush the better. You can always add more.

Sakura Matsuri

I apologize for the brevity of my posts this week! We're prepping to head to the beach this weekend, so I'm running around all over the place after work, which eats into my swatching and blogging time. Today, I'm going to show you an untried polish I wore last week when I had on my ill-fated gels. Here is Rainbow Honey Sakura Matsuri, which is available on Rainbow Honey's website. Sakura Matsuri is currently in stock in both the 15ml and 7ml sizes, so if you want it, go and check out their store. Follow Dee and the rest of the Rainbow Honey crew on their blog and facebook page for updates and news on the brand.

Sakura Matsuri is a clear glitter top coat with fine gold holographic glitters, white hexes, and glitter blossoms in white and pink.

Look at the blossoms!

Like many Rainbow Honey polishes, Sakura Matsuri was pretty thick. It was also difficult to apply. I used the dabbing method, but it was still a bit hard to spread the polish evenly across my nail. Plus, I had to manipulate the blossoms with my brush and cuticle stick to get them into position.

You can see the gels chipping from my intense and unsuccessful effort to remove Lynn Boy Girl Party.

It really is a very pretty polish. I don't currently own any other polishes with the blossom glitters, and I know there aren't many with them available right now. The holo glitters shone brightly over the black gels, which was a very pretty effect.

Blurry to see the holo glitters.

Once on, it was bumpy to the touch. I knew I wasn't going to wear it for very long, so I didn't apply a coat of Gelous to help even it out before my Seche Vite. That was a huge mistake. Sometime during the afternoon of the first day, the flowers started popping off. So, if you have this polish, keep that in mind. You'll definitely need to add a coat of Gelous (or two) and/or two coats of a thick top coat. Luckily, since I had already had the gels on for a few days, the glitter layer didn't take very long to dry after I applied Seche Vite.

You can sort of see the bumpiness in this pic.

Verdict: I really like the look of this polish. It is very feminine and unique, so I'll keep it. HOWEVER, I will definitely thin it out before I use it again.

Check back tomorrow for Comparison Thursday! I have some great polishes to show you!

How do you tame top-coat hungry glitter polishes?

Fly's Down

I almost always post my nails at night. It seems appropriate that a sultry, sexy manicure finally make an appearance. Let's unzip this design.

The beautiful plum on top of the layer is a new China Glaze, Purr-fect. I used this color the other night when I didn't have enough time for a design, and I'm definitely in love with it. Oh god it's so pretty.

Jelly Shoes jelly sammich!

I have a quick post for you guys today: a sort of jelly sandwich. By definition, yes, this is a jelly sandwich, however, it doesn't really look like one on the nail. I have other jelly sandwich ideas, but I really wanted to try out the combination of Girly Bits Jelly Shoes and Hare the Sky was Pink first.

So, for my first blog jelly sandwich I am wearing 1 coat Girly Bits Jelly Shoes + 1 coat Hare The Sky was Pink + 2 more coats of Jelly Shoes.

Sorry, you guys get my janky right hand since I had a major nail catastrophe on my left pinky.

Jelly Shoes is a bright neon pink jelly with glass flecks and flashes of blue shimmer. It applied beautifully. As a jelly finish polish, it definitely needed several coats for full coverage. It worked perfectly with Hare the Sky was Pink as it's just a bit brighter than the base color of the Hare, so it brightened the mani up quite a bit. I was in a super rush to get my nails done last night, so I got polish all over my cuticles. Luckily, Jelly Shoes didn't stain or hang onto my cuticles once I cleaned up with acetone. But seriously, guys, look at that gorgeous blue shimmer!

It makes this mani glow!

The Sky was Pink is a pink based polish with blue/purple/blurple fine hex and square glitters. The glitters scatter out well giving a granite illusion. All day today, I kept looking at this polish, and I am seriously in love! It applied well, which means it wasn't too thick like some glitter bombs. It spread easily without much manipulation on my part. The only problem I had with this particular polish is when the glitters got on my skin, they were almost IMPOSSIBLE to get off.

A close-up to see a better view of the jelly sandwich.

Verdict: I think I'll keep them both! It's hard to hate anything paired with Jelly Shoes. Just sayin'.

What's your favorite jelly sandwich combination?

Shimmer Polish Swatches and Review

If we have contact lenses available, why don't we have versions that offer sun protection, like sunglasses vs. glasses? It seems like it would make a lot of logical sense, though I guess the illusion on your actual iris.

If someone knows of this invention, please share it with the rest of your fellow readers. It's almost imperative you grab a pair before reading this post, full of swatches and reviews of seven gleaming polishes from Shimmer Polish.

I decided to use some undercoats for all of these polishes because I liked the way they looked with some contrasting and matching cremes underneath, but each and every one of these babies is potty-trained and free to take off the protective underwear at 3 coats. Try different base coats beneath your own versions though for some really interesting effects!

Here I tried one of the polishes, Jasmine, with a Color Club color, Pucci-licious.

For the sake of your brower's sanity, I'll bury these guys under a cut.

The first combination uses Kalahari Kiss (China Glaze) and Adrienne. I've decided to take some little closeups for you, so I don't need to go into detail about each color of glitter. Sometimes it's best to let your fingernails do the talking.

Adrienne

This is Light Mist (Savina) with Liana. There's less gold glitter in Liana than in Adrienne, and a bit more blue and purple. I think the sizes are also generally smaller in this, but without the recipe, I'm really just shooting in the dark.

Liana

Mermaid's Tears (OPI) is topped with Jasmine for the next swatch. The color for this one was tough to capture in my mini shot. It's a richer teal in real life, and I think the swatches below show it better.

Jasmine

I love gold glitter polishes. Adding to the collection is Carmen, shown here over Desert Sun (China Glaze).

Carmen

I love this next polish. You can see in the closeup that there's purple in the glitter, and the orange goes perfectly with it. Check out Trisha over Arizona (Zoya).

Trisha

Are you blind yet? You wouldn't be if there were contact sunglenses. (I'm coining that term right here and now.) Rochelle is perhaps the brightest swatch in this post, and I believe that's due in part to what I put underneath, Adventure Red-y (China Glaze).

Rochelle

Finally there's Airriann. It wins for most unusual name, which I'm still unsure how to pronounce. It's shown over Steady as She Rose (OPI).

Airriann

So those are a few of the glitters from Shimmer Polish. If you're interested in any of them, or your very own personalized custom order, complete with select naming and shimmer, give Cindy a shout at her store. Cindy says, "You can personalize the name and the colors of the Shimmer! This will depend on my availability. Please contact me if you have questions."

I whole-heartedly love these. While they're not the typical bright matte glitters I gravitate towards, I'm excited about them. Their consistency is not too thick to work with. It's rather perfect in fact. One reason is that although she uses about 1300 different glitters in each polish, none are obnoxiously large, and the smaller bits balance out the bigger ones, allowing for easier application. They almost cushion the larger pieces from the harsh surface of your nail, and let the bigger sizes float on top without sticking out and getting caught on your loose strands.

Again, you can pick up these and other colors from the Etsy shop, Shimmer Polish or the online store, Shimmy Shimmer.

These products were sent to me by Shimmer Polish . The reviews are based entirely on my experience with the products and were in no way influenced by anyone.