The Phalanges Files

Black History Month Nails!

2012-02-24T08:54:00.000-05:00

With February drawing to a close, I wanted to do a nail look to commemorate Black History Month. I always plan to do a really pretty and complicated look for this, because BHM is near and dear to my heart, but then I'm always too busy and end up rushing it at the end. This year was no exception unfortunately, but I did like what I ended up with.

It was as easy as it looks LOL.

I started with two layers of China Glaze Go Crazy Red and let that dry for about twenty minutes. Then I put a thick layer of Gelous on my ring finger, let it get tacky, put in the green and black gems, and finished off all my nails with a layer of Barielle's quick drying topcoat.

Easy peasy.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Close up of accent nail.

I hate how I always get bubbling with jewels. -__-

Ottlite, no flash.

After finishing it and thinking about it, I do wish that I had done some things differently, because it did come out kind of overly simple, and doesn't really read Black History Month. Like, I feel like you would have to think about the colors to get the connection, which isn't good. The one I did last year was more obvious, so I think I liked it better. But besides that, I think this came out pretty well and enjoyed wearing it. I also got some good wear out of it...I've had it on since Monday, and it still looks pretty presentable, so I am satisfied.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Friday!

I'm going to go watch Coral Reef Adventure in IMAX at the Smithsonian, so I'm really excited. ^_^

Zoya Kissy

2012-02-22T10:06:00.000-05:00

Umm...Happy Valentine's Day guys!! LOL I know I am late as hell with this, but I actually did paint my nails for Valentine's Day. I'm forever alone, so to counteract the inevitable Valentine's Day depression, I wanted to wear something happy. So I chose Kissy (such a good name for a V-Day polish, no?) from Zoya's Gems and Jewels Collection. I meant to put some lovey-dovey decals on there too, but I forgot. My bad.

Kissy is made mostly of small red hex glitter, with lots of pink and holographic bar glitter scattered throughout. There's much more pink bar glitter than holo though.

Bottle shot.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Kissy is pretty and actually made for a fun Valentine's Day color. All the glitter is really sparkly, and although I generally don't like pink, Kissy's shade wasn't vomit inducing. I also think it looked pretty good on me. My only gripe is again, the fact that the holo bar glitter isn't as visible as I would have liked. You can see it straight on, but not that well. To really see it, I had to do finger Cirque du Soleil or look at it in lower lighting conditions. However, it does show up more in Kissy than in Rina or Twila (I'm planning to post that soon), so there's that.

Putting Kissy on was kind of tough though. The glitter isn't too sparse, and covered in three coats, which was nice. But I had a hard time getting it to stay put and it was pretty messy...little bits of glitter hanging off my nails and such. In the future, I'll probably just layer it over a similar color.

And a note on Kissy's wear, I had several fingers where the polish just popped off in a big nail-shaped chunk. The same happened with Twila and Rina. I didn't use Zoya's Anchor base with any of them, so maybe that would help, but I just thought I would mention it.

And I wanted to quickly put it out there that my giveaway is closing in one week, so don't forget to get your entries in if you want to play!

And that's all from me today! (Haha that rhymed.)

But anyway, thanks for reading and have a happy hump day! (HA I RHYMED AGAIN. I'm a poet and didn't know it. ^___^)

Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm

2012-02-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

I've been having serious holo cravings lately. I don't even know why, but I want to see rainbows goddamnit. But anyway, I decided to take Diamond Cosmetics Chainmail Charm out for a drive and see if it would satisfy my desire.

Spoiler alert: It didn't.

Chainmail Charm is a charcoal black - brown with a mild holographic effect.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

This was the most holo I could get it.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Look at them lies.

Sunlight, no flash.

Oh Chainmail Charm. I bought it a while back from a blog sale, and it was one of those things that I wanted to save for a special occasion. Thank God I didn't go through with that plan, because this polish is such a dud. You get some holo at random times, but most of the time, there wasn't really much of anything. There was some, which my camera removed mostly (you can get a glimpse of it on some fingers), but it wasn't much. It's really painful too, because it looks great in the bottle. And then the brownish-black color is kind of weird. Ugh...my desire is so not sated right now.

Formula was really agreeable though. It was opaque in two coats and dried pretty quickly, so I was pleased about that. I'll probably get rid of it though...can't have a holo that won't work for its keep.

If you have Chainmail Charm, do you like it? Or is it lame for you too?

And that's all from me today!

Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Catherine Arley 673

2012-02-15T12:48:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! I'm sure many of you remember the Catherine Arley craze that hit the nail world last year, and although I generally try to stay out of the flow of those kinds of things, this time, I broke down and ordered some Catherine Arleys. Like five thousand years later, they arrived, but I was really over their shit at that point, so they sat in my room for another five thousand years, unloved and untouched. That all came to an end recently, because I finally decided to take 673 for a test drive.

673 is a mid-toned red-based purple with a mostly scattered, but still vaguely linear holographic effect.

Sunlight, no flash.

I left it a little out of focus to bring out more of the holo.

Natural light, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I am kind of underwhelmed by 673.The holo effect is kind of mediocre, and the base color isn't particularly pretty or special on its own either, although it is flattering on the hands. And then there's the whole having a number for a name thing, which sucks, because now I have to come up with a new name for it. If I could do it again, I don't think I would include it in my order. 673 is adequately pretty, but I'm just not sure that it's worth the wait or the hassle, unless you actually like the more subtle scattered holo look.

Formula-wise, it was pretty good though. I used some aqua base under there (the stuff that Jessica sells with their silver holo polish) and it slid onto that really nicely and effortlessly. I used three layers for full opacity and depth of color and put some topcoat on top. It dried quickly and without incident, so that was nice.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading!

Thank You Giveaway!

2012-02-11T17:29:00.001-05:00

Okay, so that took more than a couple of days, but better late than never, right? This is just a small giveaway because I'm broke right now, but I still wanted to do something to thank and show my appreciation for you sweet people who didn't abandon The Phalanges Files when I was off being a terrible blogger lol.

So here's what's up for grabs:

Prize 1: WnW Believe Me, It's Real; Diamond in the Rough; and Back Alley Deals

Prize 2: Funky Fingers Sand and Stilettos, Baby Baby Baby, and Golden Coast

And the rules are:

1. You have to be a current and visible follower of The Phalanges Files. Meaning, if you follow after this goes live, I'm happy to have you but I can't count you for the giveaway. Sorry!! You guys can play next time, kay?

2. You gotta have a valid email address! Please make sure you type it correctly and it works, because if you get picked but your email doesn't work, I have to pick someone else. :(

3. Only one entry per person lol.

4. International polish lovers can play.

5. Giveaway closes March 1, 2012 at 11:59:59 EST. If you enter after that, you won't be able to be counted, so make sure to get your entries in before!

And make sure to enter using the form below:

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

And that's all from me today Thanks for following, reading, participating, and just generally being beautiful people! And I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!! ^_^

Some Layering Stuff

2012-02-05T10:08:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! Yes, I am still alive and even better, I'm starting to feel some interest in nail polish again, which means that I'll probably be back to posting regularly in the near future. I won't have anything current to show because I haven't bought polish in a month (seriously), but maybe that will change soon too. But anyway, a few days ago was my 21st birthday, and I needed some sparkly nails to go with it. I didn't have much time though, so I did some quick layering.

This is two coats of Zoya Phoebe and two layers of Sapphire Shimmer. Sorry about the cracks...I guess Phoebe wasn't all the way dry before I put the glitter on top. It dries so slowlyyy. -___-

Ottlite, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Natural light, with flash.

I blurred it to show some of the holo sparkle, even though I felt like there wasn't much this time around I remember the first time I wore Sapphire Shimmer in early fall and I wanted to marry it. Not sure what happened.

Ottlite, no flash.

This combo was okay. It was bright, glittery, went on quick and dried quick, and that was pretty much all I wanted, so I am satisfied.

But better than my nails were these awesome cupcakes I got from Sweet Themez Bakery. If you live in DC, I would definitely recommend paying them a visit and getting their sweet potato cupcake. All their cupcakes are delicious (except maybe the marble, which is a little too delicate for me) but the sweet potato one brings tears to my eyes. It's the one in the middle and is magically delicious.

Also, the giveaway post should be up in the next couple of days, so look out for that!

And that's all from me for today! Thanks for reading guys, and have a great Sunday!!

Revlon Emerald City

2012-01-18T15:02:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! I was organizing my computer files and found these pictures hanging out, so I thought it would be good to post them. If for no other reason than to signify that I'm still alive LOL. So here's Revlon Emerald City!

Emerald City is a forest green base with tons of emerald green shimmer, all in a semi-matte finish.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Emerald City features a pretty and rich shade of green, and I always love matte shimmers. What I don't like is the waxy finish. I know that some people prefer their mattes to have a hint of shine, but I love mine chalky and dry looking. No shine at all. With Emerald City, I'd have to apply either a matte or shiny topcoat, because I wouldn't be able to just wear it on its own. And since I generally reach for mattes when I'm pressed for time or energy, the need for topcoat totally defeats the purpose.

Formula-wise, Emerald City was interesting because objectively, it was fine. Went on smoothly, became opaque in about three coats, and dried fairly fast. But for a matte, it was kind of terrible because I expect my mattes to be much more opaque and to dry almost instantly. With Emerald City, there was an actual period of waiting. Like about thirty minutes before it was completely dry and undentable, without the use of topcoat.

So while I like the color, Emerald City has to go. I like my mattes convenient and this one is5 kind of not.

And that's all from me today!! Thanks for reading, and have a beautiful day!

P.S. I haven't forgotten that I promised you guys a giveaway. It's coming, I just need some time to get everything ready. ^_^

Revlon Mistletoe (Part 2)

2012-01-07T12:35:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! A while ago, I wore Revlon Mistletoe from their new holiday collection and hated it. It was gross and ugly and I just did not like it at all. I couldn't return it because I lost the receipt, (-____-) so I just added some thinner to it and gave it another go. Here's how it went:

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I didn't have the textural issues again, so it turned out much better. Besides adding the thinner, I made sure to wait like five minutes between coats this time, and I guess both of those helped out. But I still don't like Mistletoe...it still looks a bit on the flat side to me, and the color is a so muddled and uninspiring. But I've learned my lesson...no more impulse buys and no more losing receipts. x_x

But that's all from me today.

Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Saturday!!

More Color Club Poptastics

2012-01-03T08:20:00.001-05:00

Hi guys!! First of all, Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a satisfying 2011, and that 2012 will be even better. To be honest, I'm really anxious about this year...this spring will be my very last semester as an undergrad and I don't know what to do next. I've been in school literally for as long as I can remember. So this will be...interesting, I guess.

Secondly, I have to say sorrrryyy again for being such a bad blogger lately. It's partially because I've been busy and partially because my heart isn't in polish and blogging so much anymore. I think I'm getting bored with it all...it just feels kind of futile, you know? I'm trying to get reinspired and fall in love with polish again, but idk...it's just not happening. And then it doesn't help that my nails are staging a rebellion.

But anyway, I spent the holidays wearing mattes that I've worn already, so I don't really have anything nice to show you all. I did get a few other polishes from Color Club's Poptastic Collection swatched though, and can show you guys those. And all pictures are in sunlight, with no flash.

First up is the collection's namesake, Poptastic

Poptastic is a pretty and bright neon pink. It's sweet and wearable, but not anything special and if it didn't come in the box set, I probably wouldn't have it. Formula-wise, it was okay. A little thin maybe, but not overly troublesome. Pictures are with three coats of polish and one layer of topcoat.

Next is Almost Famous.

Almost Famous was a surprise for me because I really like it, despite my general aversion to yellows. I think it's just so bright and sunny that you can't help but like it lol. Formula was also surprise, in that it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I used four coats of polish, but they went on pretty smoothly for a yellow. There was some streakiness and whatnot, but they covered up pretty nicely with more coats.

Last is Wham! Pow! (their punctuation, not mine):

Wham! Pow! is probably my favorite of these three. The shade of orange has a bit of extra red to it, which adds interest, and I love its level of brightness. It isn't a retina-searing polish, but it's still substantially bright, which makes it fun but still wearable. Application was also quite easy...three easy coats and I was all done.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading and listening to me whine, and I hope your holidays were all perfectly lovely!

Zoya Holly

2011-12-16T09:08:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! Like five hundred years ago, I posted Rina from Zoya's Gems and Jewels Collection. Today, I have her companion color, Holly. Also, excuse my awkward nubbins...I'm trying to sort them out, but my nails (not so) secretly hate me. -__-

Holly is a pretty straightforward green metallic shimmer. The name for it escapes me right now, but it's the same shade of green as a really lush Christmas tree.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Holly is quite pretty. The metallicy finish of it makes it look really smooth and sexy, and the shimmer gives it a nice bit of depth and richness. The shade of green is also nice to look at, and very appropriate for the season. However, I find it kind of hard to be excited about Holly, because it does feel a little generic. I can understand why Zoya would make it, because it does round out their lineup nicely, but because I have so many shimmery greens already, this one doesn't quite stand out for me. But if you don't have many greens and need to fill a shimmery-green-shaped hole in your collection, you could do way worse for yourself than Holly.

Holly's formula was okay. It needed three layers to be opaque, but they dried quickly and went on with no incident.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Friday!

A-England Lady of the Lake (Again)

2011-12-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! I busted up my nails and am dying of suffocation by homework, so here are A-Englad Lady of the Lake re-swatch pictures from the backlog. From back when I had fingernails and the time and energy to polish them. *softly weeps*

Also, I took these on a field trip to the woods for a class (yeahh multi-tasking) and didn't want to bring the bottle because I knew I'd drop it on a rock or off a cliff or some shit like that. So it's missing from the pictures...sorry about that.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I really love Lady of the Lake and all that jazz.

I know this post sucks, but there will be better ones soon...finals are upon us, and that means there's a light at the end of the tunnel. *crawls towards light* I also promise to have a giveaway soon, because you guys deserve something nice for being so patient with me LOL.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a good one!

Zoya Rina

2011-11-29T09:12:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! With Thanksgiving behind us, the next big holiday is Christmas, which is also my favorite holiday!! It also helps that there is always an abundance of glitter polishes released around this time, and I am the biggest glitter whore ever. One of those collections this year was Zoya's Gems and Jewels Collection, and for you all today, I have Rina from that collection.

Rina is made of emerald green bar and square microglitter, as well as a sprinkling of holographic bar glitter. The holo glitter isn't too obvious, but if you look really close, you can see it.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Artificial light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

This picture shows a little more of the holo glitter.

Sunlight, no flash.

I've never been a big fan of bar glitter, but Rina has totally made a believer out of me. It's so pretty and sparkly, and I love the richness of the shade of green. It looks like sparkling pine needles in a magical forest. Or tinsel, if you wanna be boring about it. Either way, it's gorgeous and absolutely screams Christmas! My only complaint is that I wish the holographic glitter was a little more prominent, because when I do see it, I love it, but I almost never see it. But that's a minor thing.

Rina's formula was pretty good. It was opaque in three coats, which is what you see in the pictures, and it dried pretty quickly and smoothly. I ended up using two layers of top coat, but I think it would have done fine with two. The only thing is that it looks kind of patchy before it gets opaque, so I definitely would not want to layer this over anything, except for maybe another green. In that way, I'd say Rina is a little...limited, I guess. And that's not fun. Also, it was messy to apply...it gunked up alot around the bottle neck and after I finished polishing, I had to go back and file the sharp bits of glitter off my tips. But once all that was done, it was totally worth it.

And that's all from me today!! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!

Strange Layering Stuff....

2011-11-25T09:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday guys!! I hope you all had amazing Thanksgivings

, with lots of love, food and fun. I had a good one...I ended up doing a good chunk of the cooking, but it was fun and delicious in the end. And it's so nice to be away from school, I can't even explain. For today, I have that Facets of Fuchsia layering experiment that I mentioned at the end of that post. I put one layer of Diamond Cosmetics Chunky Red Glitter on top, and here's how it came out!

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

So, like I said, I think it came out a little strange. I don't dislike it, but it just looked funny to me. Especially up close...the red glitter is just sitting on top of the purple and it just looks...funny. Maybe I would get more of the look I expected by frankening the two of these. But I do think it looks kind of cool, especially in lower light, because the red glitter really pops out.

And with that, I am all done for today!! I hope everyone has an awesome and fun Black Friday! I know that I need a coat, and some new hair products, and I'll probably get in on the e.l.f. sale going on today. What are you guys gonna buy? ^_^

Revlon Facets of Fuchsia

2011-11-19T10:18:00.004-05:00

Hi guys!! Long time, no see right? School has been kicking the living shit out of me, but thank goodness break is around the corner and then the semester is almost over. Anyway, for today, I have Revlon's Facets of Fuchsia. Yess, I know that everyone has seen it already, but I only just got around to wearing it, so yeah.

Facets of Fuchsia is fuchsia large and small hex glitter, suspended in a black jelly base.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Facets of Fuchsia is nice! It's simple but looks pretty and the colors work well together. However, it's definitely not as eye-catching as it ought to be. With it being a dupe for DL's Bad Romance, I immediately started mentally comparing it to my other DL glitters and they are way sparklier. Maybe Revlon used a lower quality glitter or maybe Bad Romance is just not as sparkly as its brethren (in which case, I'm glad I held out on it), but either way, I'm a bit disappointed in that aspect of the polish. But besides that, I liked it. And I love that it saved me some good money.

Facets of Fuchsia had a good formula. It went on smoothly, the glitter wasn't problematic to apply or spread evenly, and it dried pretty quickly. However, it did need extra topcoat...I only used one because I was running short on time, but it really could have done with two or three. I also did some layering over this, so stay tuned for that!

*Spoiler alert: It didn't turn out awesome.*

And with that, I am all done for today! Thanks for reading (and for sticking with me even though I've been the worst blogger in life lately) and have an awesome weekend!!

Confetti Tasmanian Devil

2011-11-09T09:20:00.000-05:00

Hi guys! The past week has been really hard, so I wanted to wear something festive and fun. I couldn't think of anything, but then I noticed Confetti Tasmanian Devil sitting on a shelf, and decided to just put it on.

Tasmanian Devil is really complicated. There's purple, green, orange, blue, gold, and silver large and medium sized hex glitter. And in between all of that is a bunch of square silver microglitter. I also noticed some triangular pieces of glitter in there, although those were few and far between.

It has a clear base, but I layered it over Diamond Cosmetics Matte Black.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Tasmanian Devil is such a party polish. It's so super blingy, and I love how all the colors of glitter catch and reflect the light. I do think that the microglitter made it look a little messy though...I would have liked it with just the large and medium glitter. But the microglitter does give great coverage and helps set Tasmanian Devil apart from the other numerous DL Happy Birthday! incarnations.

Tasmanian Devil was also very easy to work with. I used two layers of it, and they went on really smoothly and dried very quickly. I went to wash some plates about 20 minutes after applying this, and it still looked perfect when I was done.

But that's all I have for you guys today! Thanks for reading, and have a awesome Wednesday!

(Lame) Halloween Mani

2011-11-03T10:50:00.001-04:00

For Halloween, I wanted to do something cool and interesting, but I didn't have any time. I hate how there aren't enough hours in the day. So I will just show you guys the nails that I slapped together, and we can just move on to more fun things. Like CHRISTMAS!! Eeeee.
Also, all pictures are under an Ottlite with no flash.

This was three coats of Color Club Wham! Pow! (damn unnecessary punctuation), with one thin layer of China Glaze Black Mesh on top.

So yep...that was it. Orange creme with black crackle. Way unoriginal, but it came out well so there's that. And it was the first time that people have stopped me to try to guess my nail color! I embarrassed myself with the first person because I assumed she was also a nail fiend and started blabbing away until I realized that she was staring at me like I was some kind of sick freak. I played it cool with the other people though, so lesson learned.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Thursday! ^_^

Wet n Wild Cougar Attack

2011-10-30T09:46:00.001-04:00

Happily, today's mani is more Halloween-appropriate. Here's Wet n Wild Cougar Attack, also from their On the Prowl collection.

Cougar Attack is a black jelly base stuffed with little copper hex glitter. I was rushing during application of this, so I layered it over Diamond Cosmetics Matte Black.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Although I initially had some reservations about how it looked on me, I ended up liking Cougar Attack. The name is dumb as hell, but the color is pretty to behold. The glitter is nice and sparkly, and it does give a really palpable Halloweeny/autumny feeling. It makes me want to eat some spiced applesauce and then jump into a pile of leaves.

Cougar Attack's formula seemed pretty agreeable. It went on smoothly, and didn't dry too gritty. I can't accurately comment on the opacity, since I layered it, but it seemed like it would be fine in about three coats. The glitter was quite dense, and with only two coats, my nails looked adequately covered in glitter.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic Sunday!

Wet n Wild Correction Tape

2011-10-27T09:28:00.000-04:00

Hi guys! So it's getting to be Halloween time again, and while I'm not sure that I'll have time to do more hilariously ooglay Halloween nail art for you guys, I figured I could try to wear some of the Halloween-themed polishes that I have in my stash. So in the spirit of that, I have Wet n Wild Correction Tape from their On the Prowl Collection. Also, I've been wearing this for like a million years, so please excuse any signs of wear you see.

Correction Tape is made of medium-sized gold, fuchsia, and blue hex glitter in a clear base. There's also some black square glitter. Also, I've layered it over Diamond Cosmetics Concrete Jungle.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I love love love Correction Tape! The combination of colors is so fantastic, and I especially love the black bits of glitter. You can see the different colors better in regular light, but I still like Correction Tape better in the sunlight. The bits of glitter sparkle so nicely, and I can't keep my eyes off my nails. Apparently, neither could anyone else, because I got so many compliments everywhere I went. And that never happens, so yeah...Correction Tape is kind of a big deal.

My only problem with this one was the pain-in-the-butt formula. The clear base is way too thick for the amount of glitter in it, so I couldn't just swipe on the glitter like a normal person. Instead, I had to painstakingly swirl the brush in the bottle and then dab it on the nail, which led to bubbles. On the upside, the polish dried fast and wore really well. It's not perfect, but for a rough five days, I think it looks pretty good!

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic hump day! Also, I'm curious...do you guys have any nail plans for Halloween? If you tell me, I promise not to copycat. ^_^

Color Club Twiggie

2011-10-21T09:28:00.001-04:00

Hi guys! It's been a really messed up week for me, but it's finally over and I am relieved. In celebration, I thought I'd show you all something cheerful and bright today, so I chose Color Club Twiggy from the Poptastic Collection.

Twiggie is a super bright, bordering on neon green creme. The shade of green is kind of tough to describe..I guess I'd call it a cross between mint and lime. That also sounds like it would make a delicious cold beverage.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I really like Twiggie. It's bright and fun, and I love how unique it is. However, I did find that it was a little bit stark and chalky against my skin. I would have preferred if it were just a smidgen softer so it could be more wearable for me, but I'm still going to keep it.

Formula-wise, Twiggy was tough but not impossible. It went on pretty smooth for the most part and the pigmentation was okay, but I found that I had trouble getting it to level out around the edges, which is always very frustrating for me. If you're a better polisher though, you may not have that problem. It also dried to a waxy finish, so you're gonna need topcoat on this one. Pictures are with three coats of polish and one layer of topcoat.

But that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Friday!

Revlon Mistletoe

2011-10-17T11:42:00.002-04:00

Hi guys! Today, I have the nail blues. Not only did I break a nail and have to nubbinate them all, but I am also wearing a polish color that is displeasing and highly disappointing to me. Here's Mistletoe from Revlon's new Spice it Up Collection.

Mistletoe is a blackened green creme base packed with green and gold microshimmer, as well as larger silver and gold flecks.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I fell crazy in love with Mistletoe in the store, and while I was applying it, I was still excited. But when it dried on the nail?

It just looked like a sludgy mess to me, and lost quite a bit of the sparkle from the green and gold shimmer. To be fair, it does have its flashes of prettiness, but most of the time, it just looks uninteresting and flat. And to make matters worse, it has this gross visual texture. I can't really feel it when I touch it with my fingers, but it looks...bumpy and ripply, even with multiple layers of topcoat. Honestly, it reminds me of diseased toad skin, and I think I want to take it back to the store and get my $6.29 back. I already have Edyta, which is similar but prettier, and at least it actually reads green.

Mistletoe was okay to apply though. The formula is thick and well-pigmented, so I only needed two coats for full opacity. It also did the Top Speed name justice and dried quickly. I don't know what to do about the texture though...two layers of topcoat didn't make it smooth enough, and I don't believe in using more than that on something that won't pay off.

If you have Mistletoe, what do you think of it? I don't see too many reviews of it up, so I'm not sure if I'm crazy or if this is really as terrible as I think it is.

But anyway, that's all from me today. Thanks for reading, and have a great Monday!

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic

2011-10-16T09:56:00.002-04:00

Hi guys! For today, I have Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Traffic.

Traffic is a bright, school bus yellow creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

I'm not sure why, but lately, I've been more and more into yellows, and Traffic is a pretty one. It features a rich and full-bodied shade of yellow and made me want to paint smiley faces on my nails. I also feel like it doesn't look horrible on me, so yay for that.

However, Traffic had a horrendous formula. And I know that a tough application is par for the yellow course, but Traffic took it to a whole other level. I needed five coats (yes five) to calm the streaks and bald spots, and by then, my nails were so thick and unattractive that I ended up taking this off soon after taking the pictures. So as much as I like the color, I'm going to purge this one. The thought of dealing with it again makes me want to cry.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

Color Club Pucci-licious

2011-10-13T12:09:00.000-04:00

Hi guys! Not too long ago, I was puttering around Ross when I stumbled upon one of those Poptastic Collection sets. It seemed to be fully intact, so I scooped it up and brought it home. My plan is to work through the set over the next couple of weeks and I thought it would be fun to get the party started with Pucci-licious.

Pucci-licious is a bright and saturated deep lavender creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

For some weird reason, I have like no purple cremes, so Pucci-licious is definitely a welcome addition to my little family. It does dry a shade or two darker than it goes on, but the finished product is fabulous. It's so pretty, rich, and flattering, and it made me smile every time I looked at my hands.

Pucci-licious was a little tough to apply, but not too bad. It was a little streaky, but after three coats, that goes away. It also dried with a waxy finish, so topcoat is necessary to make it look good. The pictures are with four coats and one layer of topcoat.

And unrelated to this color, Barielle is having a one-day promo with 30% off and free shipping! There's another code (FBFLASH30) that will stack with the promo and give you an additional 30% off. I placed an order, so maybe we will have another Barielle week soon?

If you get anything, I'd love to hear about it! Because I'm nosy in my soul. ^_^

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having a fantastic day!!

Revlon Starry Pink

2011-10-11T10:07:00.007-04:00

For today, I have another pink for breast cancer awareness month. This time, it's Revlon Starry Pink from their fall Expressionist Collection.

Starry Pink is a super pale baby pink jelly base with lots of large and small silver hex glitter.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Starry Pink is really cute, dreamy, and soft. It reminds me of when I was a kid and used to pretend to be a princess in a castle in the sky. Yeah...I've kind of been a loser since birth, but that's okay. The only bad thing about Starry Pink is that it only really looks good at one or two coats. Anything more started looking kind of gross and lumpy, so going forward, I'll just save this one for layering.

Formula-wise, it's the same thing. Starry Pink went on fine for the first two coats, but around the third and fourth, it started feeling goopy and draggy on the nail. I waited between coats, but it was still like that...maybe I should have waited longer? Idk. But anyway, the pictures are with four coats of polish and two of topcoat.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a great Tuesday!

(Icon courtesy of lizbot)

A-England Sale!! Also, A Bit of Spam

2011-10-08T09:20:00.000-04:00

Hi guys!! Sorry for poofing again, I've been really sick and then had midterms to boot. As a result, my nails look like absolute crap. So instead of showing you guys something new today, I thought it would be fun to be a polish pusher instead.

So to that effect, A-England is having a sale!! They recently got to 7000 fans (yay!) and because Ms. Adina loves us so much, she's reducing her gorgeous creations to 7 pounds (about $11 if you're American) for one glorious weekend. I might not be getting anything because of some unforeseen expenses, but it's a really good opportunity to test out the brand or pick up some lemmings.

Now for some spam.
First is King Arthur:

Next is Merlin:

Then Lady of the Lake. I was hoping reswatch this sometime this weekend, but for now, this will have to do:

And my personal favorite, Tristam!

In summary, A-England makes awesome stuff and they're selling them for less this weekend, so if possible, you should get some. Yeah.

But that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a beautiful Saturday!

Zoya Astra

2011-10-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

Hi guys!! I finished doing the entries thing, and am happy to announce that I finally have a winner for my last giveaway. So yayness for...

Noir Lacquer!!

She has a fab blog, so make sure to go check it out! A big congrats goes to her and a big thank you goes to everyone who entered!

On the nail polish side of things, some of you may have noticed that October has begun (Happy October, btw!), which of course means that it's Breast Cancer Awareness and Depression Awareness Month! I'm planning to wear lots of pink and green this month, and starting off the parade will be Astra, from Zoya's Ultra Glitter Collection.

Astra is pepto pink and rose red hex glitter in a raspberry pink-tinted base.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Going in, I didn't think I'd like Astra very much, but I do. It's cheery and youthful, and I love how the glitter is sparkly and bright in all lighting conditions. I also appreciate that Zoya made the glitter two different colors, because they give Astra some dimension and make it more unique. And I like unique polish...makes me feel like I didn't waste my moniez.

Astra's formula was pretty good. It applied smoothly, built easily, and dried quickly, which made for an entirely stress-free application. Removal is another story altogether. x_x

The pictures are with three coats of color and two thick layers of topcoat, because Astra dries gritty and eats topcoat like I would eat chocolate sauce off Cristiano Ronaldo's stomach. Which is quickly and greedily.

But that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Monday!!

(Icon courtesy of lizbot)

Zoya Julieanne

2011-09-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

Hi people! For today, I have Zoya Julieanne, from last year's Wicked Collection. This was the same collection that delivered unto me my beloved Edyta and Cheryl, so I had high expectations for this girl going in. I'm glad to say that I was not disappointed. :D

Julieanne is a blackened grape purple base with flat, metallic violet shimmer throughout it. The shimmer has a very very very subtle duochrome effect, where it turns gold at certain angles on the nail.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Julieanne is such a pretty color and my pictures don't do it justice at all. The shimmer is so sparkly and bright, and I love how it looks suspended in the much darker base. The contrast between the two really gives the polish a depth and sense of luxury that's just fantastic, and I really love how it looks on my nails. I've been wearing Julieanne for four days, and still am not tired of it.

Julieanne also boasted a great formula. It was nice and smooth, and was opaque in just two coats. I went with three, just to get a little more depth in the color, but two would have been just fine.

And unrelated to this color, I'd like to thank everyone for entering my 400 Follower Giveaway. I don't think I've ever had so many entries for a giveaway, so I really appreciate you guys for being so enthusiastic! I need a couple more days to finish validating the entries, but I feel like I'll have a winner for you guys before the week is out. I'm planning another giveaway for some time in the next couple of weeks because I finally found a job, thank sweet baby Jesus, so stay tuned for that!

But that's all from me today!! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day! ^_^

Deborah Lippmann Today Was a Fairytale

2011-09-25T09:49:00.010-04:00

Hi guys! For today, I have Today Was a Fairytale, from Deborah Lippmann's Winter 2010 Collection. I haven't worn some hardcore glitter in a while, so it was time.
Also, all these pictures are with artificial light and no flash because DC hasn't had any sunlight in like 500 years. I'll probably add some sunlit pictures at a later date (if I don't forget/am too lazy) because glitter is nothing without sunlight.

Today Was a Fairytale (or TWaF as it shall henceforth be known) is a barely blue tinted base packed with big and small silver hex glitter.

And here's a bottle shot, because I feel the first picture doesn't really show the detail well.

When TWaF first came out, I was not impressed. It was too expensive, seemed uninspired, and worst of all, reminded me of Taylor Swift, who I cannot stand. But beauty.com had a good sale, and I decided to pick it up despite my misgivings. Now that I have it on my nails, I feel kind of bad for dismissing it so quickly, because it's actually a little bit awesome. The glitter is super blingy and the different sizes give it some great visual texture. They also did a good job with the base, because it has just enough color for TWaF to look good on its own and layered over stuff. I really want to put it over New York Summer Amaranth for Slytherin-related reasons. But I stand by my assertion that the virgin diamond dust thing is some bullshit, because it doesn't show up on the nail. Wtf is a virgin diamond though?

TWaF's formula wasn't bad. It went on fairly smoothly for chunky glitter, dried fast, and as long as I waited a little bit between coats, the glitter wasn't prone to shifting about. In the pictures, I have on four coats of polish and two layers of topcoat and am happy with the coverage and smoothness.

And finally, my 400 Follower Giveaway was supposed to end yesterday, but I'm going to extend it until Monday. So if you'd still like to enter, you have a little extra time for that.

But that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Sunday!!

BB Couture Man Bug

2011-09-18T09:31:00.002-04:00

Hi folks!! So life has been kicking the shit out of me lately, and I needed a polish that would cheer me up and make me happay. So I chose to wear BB Couture Man Bug, from their Ladybug Collection.

Man Bug is a bright but soft seafoam green jelly base, stuffed with BB Couture's signature microglitter.

Sunlight, no flash.

Ottlite (yeah, I finally got one!), no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Man Bug is a ball of cuteness upon my hands. The base color is bright and cheery, while still being soft and flattering to my skin tone, and the squishy jelliness of the finish is adorable. The glitter is also visible in all lights, and looks especially fabulous in the sun. You know, I kind of want to have a child now and name him Man Bug and pinch his cheeks, even though that would kind of make me a bad mom. Because no good can come of naming your child Man Bug.

Formula-wise, Man Bug was okay. It was a bit sheer and took four coats to eliminate all VNL and be perfectly even. But the coats went on pretty smoothly and dry time was surprisingly good.

And unrelated to this color, my 400 Follower Giveaway is ending in a week, so don't forget to enter! I'm adding Wet n Wild Behind Closed Doors (their version of Lippmann Ruby Red Slippers) to it as well, so don't miss out!

But that's all from me today!! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Sunday! ^_^

China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

2011-09-09T09:11:00.002-04:00

Hello guys! With the weather being so rainy and dreary here as of late, I thought it would be nice to show you all a color that is the exact opposite. So behold Flip Flop Fantasy, from China Glaze's Poolside Collection.

Flip Flop Fantasy is a coral-pink neon creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Flip Flop Fantasy is fabulous. It features a unique, pretty, and super-flattering shade of the coral, and I love how it glows, especially in the shade or under artificial light.

Its formula was also pretty good. I used one layer of China Glaze White on White as a base and then did three layers of Flip Flop Fantasy on top. I did experience a little trouble with streaking on the first two coats, but by the third, everything was nice and smooth. And as with all neons, it did dry to a satin-y finish, so topcoat is a must if you'd like it shiny.

If you'd like a chance to win your very own bottle of Flip Flop Fantasy, make sure to enter my 400 Follower Giveaway! It's one of the prizes, donchaknow. ^_^

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a wonderful Friday!

Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud

2011-09-05T10:13:00.003-04:00

Hi folks! As some of you may know, I have a slight problem when it comes to rare polish. After painfully lusting after them, hunting them down to the ends of the Earth and finally acquiring them, I can't bring myself to wear them. Instead, I keep them locked tightly in my polish drawer, only taking them out to gently caress them and make sure that they are okay. For today, I have one such polish, Sally Hansen Opulent Cloud.

Opulent Cloud is a silvery-lavender base with lots of golden shimmer.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Opulent Cloud is just okay for me. I like the slightly fuzzy finish the shimmer brings to it, as well as how Opulent Cloud seems to shift colors according to the lighting. It just has this really nice ephemeral and soft feel to it that I enjoy. But I don't like the actual color. It seems kind of dingy, and I don't think it flatters my skin at all. I'm still going to keep Opulent Cloud though, because it's not ugly and I put in way too many hours hunting it down. Letting it go would be like capturing a unicorn and then setting it free because it kicks you. Just silly, you know?

Opulent Cloud's formula was also okay. It needed three coats to be perfectly opaque, and went on pretty smoothly, without bubbling, dragging, or brushstrokes.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your Labor Day!

400 Follower Giveaway! (And Back to School Nails)

2011-09-01T10:20:00.004-04:00

Happy September everyone! I know it's been a while since my last post, but I'm hoping that once I get settled down, find a job, and can figure out when I get sunlight in my new room, I can go back to a more regular posting schedule. So please don't abandon me, lmao.

*Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for entering!*

In the meantime, I finally have that 400 follower giveaway that I've been talking about having for kind of a long time now. So without further ado, here's what's up for grabs:

Sinful Colors Adventure Island Collection (minus Rise and Shine)

And some polishes donated by the beautiful people at China Glaze!

R-L: Liquid Leather, Flip Flop Fantasy (which I'll be posting soon), White Cap, and Fairy Dust

Everything is brand new and has never been used, as far as I know. The Sinfuls are kind of a toss up because they come from the drugstore, and someone may have opened it. But if that did happen, rest assured, it was not moi. >_>

And that's it! Good luck to everyone, and thank you all for reading, commenting, participating, following, and basically not leaving me to blog....

*Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for entering!*

I also have a few pictures of the nail look I wore for the first day of school!

I used two layers of Zoya Phoebe as a base and then put two layers of Diamond Cosmetics Chunky Red Glitter on top of that. I wanted to matte-ify it, but I can't find my Matte About You, so I just used regular topcoat. I really liked it and got lots of compliments too! A guy in the student store said that it looked like a Smurf with chicken pox, which was pretty funny.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

And that's all from me!! Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic Thursday!

Diamond Cosmetics Starshine

2011-08-24T17:13:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!! I know I haven't posted in a while, and I'm sorry about that...I've been running around getting stuff and packing up for school and I literally have had no time for nails. I've actually been rocking naked nubbins for almost a week now, so I haven't even had anything to show you guys. I did find these lurking in a corner of my picture folder though and I haven't seen too many swatches of this color floating around, so I thought I would post them. Here's Diamond Cosmetics Starshine, from their most recent winter collection.

Starshine is a dark and slightly frosty shimmery navy blue base with lighter blue microglitter.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I actually bought Starshine hoping it would be a more ramped-up version of RBL's Under the Stars, but I was wrong wrong wrong. It's more frosty and the little flecks of blue microshimmer are even less obvious here than they are in UtS. However, I still really like Starshine. The color is pretty and the hint of frost really makes me think of a really clear wintry night. In the woods someplace. Or maybe on a lake. Idk.

Formula-wise, Starshine was okay. Not too thin or too thick, it was opaque in three coats and dried pretty quickly. I did find that it was a tad bit brushtrokey, but I'm not the best nail polish applier, so that could actually be my fault.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a nice evening!

P.S. I promise that for the next post, I will try to find something bright and cheerful. Even I'm getting tired of all these dark colors around here.

Misa Toxic Seduction

2011-08-18T10:41:00.010-04:00

Even though it's still summer, I'm at that point where I want fall to come so badly that I just start wearing fall colors. I haven't gotten a chance to get any of the new fall colors, but I do have an abundance of old ones and I'm gonna show you guys one of those today! Here's Misa Toxic Seduction, from their Poisoned Passions Collection.

Toxic Seduction is a rich and deep blue-toned green base with lots of emerald green shimmer.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Although I'd heard a million and one good things about Toxic Seduction, I really dragged my feet on getting it, and I will tell you guys right now to not be like me. This polish is stunning stunning stunning, and if you like greens you really do need it. Even if you don't like greens, get it, and I bet it will make you like green. It's just so deep and gorgeous in all lights, and I really love it. Get it, okay?

Formula-wise, Toxic Seduction was just fine. The consistency was good to work with, it was opaque in three coats, and the dry time was pretty good.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a great day! ^_^

Vacation Stuff + Spectraflair Nails!

2011-08-16T14:35:00.002-04:00

Hello guys!! As promised, I have a few pictures from my little vacation, including the mani that I wore most of my time there. That's at the bottom, so if you don't care about the trip, go ahead and scroll down now LOL.

We were there for like two weeks, the first which was spent at whole first week at Universal Orlando, kind of bouncing between Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios. Both were entertaining, but for me, it was all about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Seriously, if it wasn't for that, I would have stayed home. Shh, don't tell my mom.

This is the entrance to Hogsmeade.

And the Hogwarts Express. (Duh right?)

And Hogwarts!!

There were other Harry Potter mainstays around, but I suck so...yeah...didn't get any of those. Sorryyy. I did get some pictures from the little demonstration some Durmstrang guys and Beauxbaton girls made.

Very manly, no?

lol, they were very nicely choreographed.

There was also Pumpkin Juice (which I skipped) and Butterbeer, which I definitely did not skip. Instead, I gorged myself upon its sweet, icy, butterscotchy tastiness.

And I will probably never drink Butterbeer again.

So if you ever get the chance, I'd definitely recommend heading over there. It's only a small section of the park, but the rides are good, and one of the only places where you know everyone else is just as much of a dork as you are. I mean...I saw some outlandish things. A grown man squealing like a little girl, a mother disregarding the hungry cries of her children as she searched for the perfect wand at Ollivander's, and a couple fighting over a single cup of butterbeer. I believed the boyfriend's exact words were, "Go get your own". It was heartbreaking but hilarious. And totally understandable.

But anyway, the next week, we went to Busch Gardens Tampa and it started off as the worst experience ever. It rained rats and frogs, and we spent most of our time huddled under the eaves of some building. But they gave us a voucher to return again (nice folks) and the next time was better! The rides were so much fun, and there were cutey cutey animals (my mom's words) everywhere.

Like this baby flamingo that I wanted to steal.

And this lazy (or maybe bored) cheetah.

I call it lazy because this picture was taken about 40 minutes after the first one, and literally, this was as much as it moved.

And a lazy kangaroo.

Albino kangaroo!!

But moving on to the nails, I wore Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe and China Glaze Go Crazy Red as well, but I spent most of my time with this beauty on my nails:

It's a Spectraflair franken created by one of my favorites, Kris from My Lucid Bubble.

Ahh I want to roll in this stuff. (The polish, not the spectraflair. I feel like that would kill you.) It's so beautiful!!

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a great one!

Diamond Cosmetics Plum Pie in the Sky

2011-08-13T11:27:00.011-04:00

Hi guys!! So I'm home from Florida at last and although it was lots of fun, I'm glad to be home. Mostly because I missed internet and blogging. ^_^ In the upcoming week, I hope to show some pictures from vacation and to finally finally do that 400 follower giveaway I've been mumbling about for the last month or so. But in the meantime, I have another Diamond Cosmetics polish from my backlog. This time, it's Plum Pie in the Sky from their Fall 2009 Collection!

Never Glum Plum is a deep blue-based purple creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I've really fallen in love with Diamond Cosmetics' cremes, and Plum Pie in the Sky is no exception. I love the richness and depth of the color, and the creme finish really helps accentuate the opulence of the shade. It's also nice that it always retains its purple-ness, even in lower light.

Formula-wise, Plum Pie in the Sky was really good. It was perfectly smooth and opaque in two fast-drying coats, and didn't bubble or act weirdly in any other way.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have an awesome Sunday!! ^_^

Color Club Snakeskin

2011-08-11T10:08:00.003-04:00

Hey peeps! For today, I have Snakeskin from Color Club's Untamed Luxury Collection.

Snakeskin is a slightly frosty green-toned pewter base studded with tons of gold microglitter

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Snakeskin is fab. I really like the slightly grungy quality of the base and the microglitter gives it a luxe feel that really makes it at home with the rest of the collection. I also love how Color Club managed to imbue the shade with a snakeskinness without making it too literal. Like, it doesn't have the visual texture of snakeskin, but you can see where the inspiration comes in. My only sadness is that these pictures definitely do not do Snakeskin justice, so at some point, I'll have to take another run at it.

But anywho, Snakeskin wasn't particularly tough to apply. I did have a bit of an issue with brushtrokes and bubbles, but I'm willing to chalk that up to user error because I rushed this swatch a bit. Next time, I'll just take more time and it'll probably turn out better. On the upside, Snakeskin was really opaque...I only needed two coats to get full coverage, and it dried quickly to boot. ^_^

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading and have a happy Friday!!

China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald

2011-08-09T10:11:00.000-04:00

For today, I have China Glaze Emerald Fitzgerald, from their Vintage Vixen Collection. Can ya'll tell I'm ready for fall to be here already? ^_~

Emerald Fitzgerald is a rich blue-toned emerald green base with tons of lighter green shimmer in it.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Emerald Fitzgerald is another stunningly beautiful polish. The shimmer gives it the depth, lushness, and opulence that I look for in these types of greens, and it looks great in both sunlight and natural light. It also gets extra points for being super flattering and having such a cute name lol.

China Glaze also managed to knock it out the park with the formula on this. It was opaque in two coats and went on very smoothly. Dry time was also very good, even without the assistance of topcoat.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading!

China Glaze Orange Knockout + Lightning Bolt

2011-08-07T10:36:00.001-04:00

You know, one thing The Phalanges Files has been missing this summer is neons. I have very few neons, probably because I don't really buy polish in the summer and that's when all the neons come out. But one of the few that I have are China Glaze Orange Knockout, and I'm going to show that to you today. Yay!

But sorry about the craziness that is my skin...my camera just freaks out man.

Orange Knockout is a neon, traffic-cone orange creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Orange Knockout will always have a special place in my heart because it was a gift from my friend Sayra. She's an awesome nail tech and used to blog at Totally Nailed It!, but stopped a few months back, which was sad. But yeah, she sent me this and even though it's not the most unique thing in the world, I love it! It's such a pretty and fun color to wear and there really is nothing like burning out the retinas of innocent bystanders with your nails.

It was also very easy to apply...I went with three coats for full opacity, and Orange Knockout went on nice and easy with no tomfoolery of any kind.

After enjoying Orange Knockout for a while, I used China Glaze Lightning Bolt on top, and followed that with a layer of Essie Matte About You.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Orange Knockout was great on its own, but with Lightning Bolt, I really love it! It's like a radioactive creamsicle and me gusta!

And that's all I've got for you guys today!! Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Diamond Cosmetics Under the Willow Tree

2011-08-05T15:57:00.001-04:00

Hi guys! I'm still in Florida and am having a great time, but unfortunately, I am also still at the hotel of death/no wi-fi. Happily though, we were able to find an internet cafe nearby, and I finally got to set up some posts to publish automatically. So if everything goes as planned, it shouldn't be so dead around here. And even better, we're going to a different place on Saturday so fingers crossed for internet!

For today though, I have Under the Willow Tree, from Diamond Cosmetics Fall 2010 Collection.

Under the Willow Tree is a rich and deep midnight green creme.

It actually looks more blue than green to me.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Under the Willow Tree is stunning, and I'm expecting to have it in heavy rotation this fall and winter. The shade of green is unique, chic and sophisticated, and I love its ultra-smooth creamy finish. I also love how it looks on my nails and can see it flattering a wide variety of skin tones.

Under the Willow Tree also has a perfect formula. It applied like a dream...smoothly and easily, with no dragging, bubbling or other such things. It was also pretty much opaque in one silky coat, but for the sake of security, I went with two.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic Friday! ^_^

I'm Not Dead!

2011-07-31T18:40:00.003-04:00

Hi guys! Sorry for dropping off the face of the planet! My family and I went to Florida and for whatever reason, the hotel has no internet. I can use my phone to do some stuff, but all my nail photos are on my computer. So I just wanted to check in and say hi and things of that nature. Until we go somewhere with internet, here is a picture of the cute towel swans at our hotel. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone is having a good weekend!
P.S. Shark week!!!!

Shooting Shoots

2011-07-25T15:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry about missing yesterday! I was languishing in the cool air (heat wave begone!) and literally did nothing all of that day. But today, I have the final installation of Barielle Week. Huzzah! But since I didn't have a new color to show you guys (only had six colors), I decided to do some quick and simple nail art with one of my favorite Barielles, Shooting Star.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

To do this, I started with two layers of Shooting Star and then used China Glaze 2030 to stamp on the bamboo shoot pattern from Konad Plate m66. I wanted to use a bronze polish, to match with the glitter, but it turns out I don't really have one. *softly weeps* But anyway, even though I feel like this looks a little unfinished (like there should be something else on there), I'm still happy with it and I think it looks pretty darn good.

And with that, Barielle Week is all done! Thanks for reading, and have a happy day!

Barielle Elle's Spell

2011-07-23T17:35:00.000-04:00

For today, I have Elle's Spell from last year's Holiday Hustle Collection.

Elle's Spell is a wine red jelly base with tons of multi-sized and duochrome flakes in it. The flakes are the same kind as the ones in say, Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Elle's Spell is beautiful and totally reminds me of the holiday season. Thanks to the rich color and jelly finish, my nails look like little radioactive cherries, and I just want to nibble them off. My only gripe is that the flakies don't change color on the nail as well as they do in the bottle, but maybe layered over a darker color, one could get more colors out of them. I don't know yet, but if I do that, I'll update with pictures and stuff.

In terms of formula, Elle's Spell was fine but for one terrible flaw. It was really really really sheer. This was like four coats over one layer of Essie Limo-Scene (five coats on my index and middle fingers), and I'm still not quite satisfied with the depth of the color on the four coat fingers. So this is one definitely best saved for layering.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone is enjoying their Saturday! ^_^

Barielle Blackened Bleu

2011-07-22T14:43:00.001-04:00

Today's Barielle actually came from a blog sale instead of from the actual place, but whatever, I'm still including it. This is Blackened Bleu, from the All Lacquered Up Collection.

Blackened Bleu is a black jelly base stuffed with bright blue to teal shimmer.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I'm so superbly in love Blackened Bleu. I was kind of scared that it would be another NOPI Drama in the Dark dupe, but it's actually so much better. It's deeper, richer, and the shimmer is more distinct and sparkly. It's so pretty...like looking at the ocean on a gorgeous starry night.

Blackened Bleu had an okay formula. It was a bit thinner than what I would have liked, but it wasn't terrible. I needed four coats before I was satisfied with the opaqueness and depth of the color, so next time I wear this, it'll be over a black or dark blue creme. Also, it needed a really shiny topcoat to be at its absolute best, but at least after all the struggle and whatever, the end product is lovely.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your Friday!

Barielle Swizzle Stick

2011-07-21T14:40:00.000-04:00

It is so damn hot today. I want to go outside and do something, but I'm too afraid, since just taking these pictures, I feel like the part in my hair got sunburned. To make myself feel cooler, I decided to put on a chilly blue. So here's Barielle Swizzle Stick, from the Sugar Rush Collection.

Swizzle Stick is a bright baby blue creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Swizzle Stick was one of the colors that I went back and forth on, but I'm glad that I ultimately pulled the trigger. I have such few pale blues, and this one is beautiful. I love that it's bright, but still quite soft against my skin, and I really like the vaguely squishy finish.

And finally...finallyyyy the formula was not thick or gluey. On the contrary, it was actually pretty thin and liquidy, but happily, not unmanageable. I went with three layers for opacity, but upon reflection, I could have used one more, just to make it all perfectly even.

My only sadness is that Swizzle Stick did nothing to help me....my nails make me smile, but I continue to lounge beneath Satan's balls. *weeps softly*

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a great day peeps!

Barielle Blossom

2011-07-20T16:06:00.001-04:00

Hello guys!! For today, I have a polish that I was lemming for like a million years, so I'm excited to wear it and show it to you guys. Meet Blossom, from Barielle's Wildflower Collection!

Blossom is a pale but saturated peachy pink creme.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light. no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I really love Blossom's color. It's very cute and ladylike, and satisfies the intense craving I've been having for peach and coral polish. I don't know why, but I just really want to wear them. And I like that Blossom is probably more wearable for most people (including moi), because it leans more towards pink than orange.

However, Blossom was again kind of hard to work with. It was thick and gluey, and needed three coats to be opaque and streak-free. And really, I'm kind of reaching a point of annoyance with Barielle over this. It's easily solved with thinner, but I'm lazy in my soul and don't want to go through the trouble of thinning the polish. I have to open the bottle and then pour it and shake it and test it....ugh, I don't want to do that stuff!! Whyyy? *rolls around in bed*

But enough whining...time to go find something productive to do with my life. Have a beautiful evening and thanks for reading!!

Barielle Falling Star

2011-07-19T13:59:00.000-04:00

For today, I have Barielle Falling Star from the All Lacquered Up Collection.

Falling Star is a saturated deep periwinkle creme base, filled with small copper hex glitter.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Falling Star is pretty and I was happy to see that it didn't look like toad skin at all. Barielle chose a rich, flattering and eye-catching shade of blue, and the copper glitter creates some beautiful contrast against it. I also like the amount and size of the glitter, because it allows the glitter to be a noticeable accent without being garish or looking like a craft project.

Formula-wise, Falling Star was not as bad as Sweet Addiction, but it was still uncomfortably thick and gluey. I used two coats for opacity, and was relieved to find that with topcoat, it dried pretty smoothly, but I'm still gonna drop some thinner in it.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a great Tuesday!!

Barielle Sweet Addiction

2011-07-18T10:32:00.001-04:00

A little bit ago...maybe in May, Barielle had a one day 50% off sale. I'd been interested in their stuff for a while, so when that happened, I went and placed myself a little order. Sadly, it was too early for me to get anything from their new collection, but I still thought it would be fun to make this Barielle Week around here. So to kick it off, here's Sweet Addiction from their Sugar Rush Collection.

Sweet Addiction is a slightly dusty jade green creme.

I couldn't get the dustiness to come out on the screen, and I think it may be a bit greener than it looks in my pictures. My camera clearly can't play nicely with greens.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

I fell in love with Sweet Addiction's color right away. The smoky but still kind of bright shade of green was so pretty, and it looked so cheerful and sweet that I couldn't help but smile when I looked at my nails.

However, the formula was kind of bad for me. It was very thick and gluey, and it was so hard to get it to level correctly, which I feel comes across in the pictures. It also bubbled like mad. The upside is that Sweet Addiction dried quickly and was opaque in just two coats, or one thick coat if you were a good polisher.

Although Sweet Addiction gave me hell, I'm not quite ready to let it go. It's so pretty, you know? So I think I'm gonna drop some thinner in it and try again later. If it works out better, I'll update this post with new pictures.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a happy happy Monday!! ^_^

Milani Hi-Tech

2011-07-16T10:06:00.007-04:00

Hi guys! So as some of you know, I've been trying to clean out my stash ~~to make room for more children~~ for the sake of my sanity, and I'm happy to announce that I'm finally ready to have my blog sale! I made a little tab up there for that, so feel free to check it out!

On the nail polish front, today, I have Milani Hi-Tech from their 3D Holographic Collection.

Hi-Tech is an electric lime green polish with a strong holographic effect. I know the pictures all look more celery green, and I reallyyy do not know why or how that happened, but it's brighter and more yellow than it looks here.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Okay, so since I have bombarded you with a million pictures, I'll keep the writing portion short. Hi-Tech is amazingly beautiful, and is a really good example of why you can't count drugstore polish out. The color is so bright and lovely, and the holo is uber strong....my camera dulled it, but in person, it's stunning. If you love holo greens, you gotta pick this one up.

However, Hi-Tech's formula gave me a tiny bit of trouble. It was a little gluey feeling, and initially, I had trouble with bald spots. But after three coats, everything seemed to be okay. Next time I wear this, I'll have to try it over some kind of Aqua Base. And I used Seche Clear Base as a topcoat. It didn't dull the holo at all, so huzzah.

And that's all from me today!! Thanks for reading, and have a beautiful Saturday!

The Hungry Asian Fender Bender

2011-07-15T11:10:00.043-04:00

Hello guys! For today, I have another franken from The Hungry Asian sale. This time, it's Fender Bender.

Fender Bender is a ton of tiny lime green, fuchsia, and bright blue glitter in a clear base.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Fender Bender is pretty, but it's not quite what I wanted. When worn opaque, it comes out much darker than I thought it would be and I can't see the individual colors as well as I hoped I would be able to. I do love that it's super sparkly, and I enjoy how in terms of the sparkle, you can get individual colors (like you see blue sparkle, green sparkle, etc. all at one time) but that's not quite enough to make me fall in love. Before I relinquish it to the purge pile though, I'm definitely going to try it layered over other stuff to see if I can't bring some brightness to it.

Fender Bender's formula wasn't bad though. It needed four coats to be opaque, but the polish went on smoothly and dried fast, without too much grit. One layer of topcoat was enough for it to be smooth and shiny.

And that's all from me today! Thanks for reading, and have a happy Friday!