Zoya Lulu + Axolotls!!

     Today's animal is kind of weird, because people breed them for pet-keeping and research purposes, so it's probably not actually going to disappear from the Earth altogether. But the wild type of it is very endangered. Meet the ridiculously adorable and Pokemon-esque Axolotl, also known as the Mexican Walking Fish. And I guess people who breed them as pets call them Water Dragons:

They don't all look like that...they can also be golden, grey, black, brown, and olive green, but I think this kind is the cutest.

But anyway, these lovable little guys are amphibians native to Mexico, and are friendly and gentle. That's why people like to keep them as pets...they're like goldfish, but are cooler, smarter, and have better personalities. However, they are dying out at a rapid pace in the wild, due to water pollution in their habitats and intrusive species eating all their babies. 

  I didn't have a color that would match the Axolotl exactly, but the closest thing I had was Zoya Lulu:

Lulu is a pale peach jelly.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

      Lulu is beautiful. The color is demure without boring and pale without being stark. I also love the soft, dreamy, and appropriately squishy texture of the finish. This is actually the kind of finish that I would have preferred for Diamond Cosmetics Tranquility.

     However, Lulu's formula was pretty bad. It was very thin and sheer, and I had trouble with streaking and uneveness. I ended up needing four coats (and even five on some fingers) to get enough coverage and smoothness for my satisfaction. Bleh.

And that's all! Thanks for reading!

Revlon Peach Smoothie

            Today, I'm wearing Revlon Peach Smoothie, from the Scents of Summer Collection. I'd like to get these documented and out of the way, so I plan on wearing all the ones that I own consecutively. I decided to start with Peach Smoothie, because I was really curious about what it looked like on the nail, and because it's a nude, which I wouldn't be caught dead in unless there was no other choice. Today is Sunday, and I'm staying in all day to study and pack, so no one will ever know. No offense to nude lovers, but man....I don't like most nudes. Naked Ambition was cool beans though. Okay, enough rambling.

Peach Shimmer is a pale peach creme, with subtle gold micro-shimmer. The color here isn't accurate...this is too dark. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash. This picture is more true to color, in my opinion. In the bottle, it was a pretty even-keel peach...equal parts white, orange, and pink. But on me, it starts to tilt just a little more to the pink side, which I don't mind.

Natural light, no flash. The lack of sun really washes it out.

Sunlight, no flash. This shows more of the sparkle.

This is what made me so excited to wear this. At the top of the bottle, there's lots of shimmer, and then in the bottom, there are all these little iridescent flakes. They don't show up so well on the nail though.

       Peach Smoothie is an okay color. It's not ugly, but it is very...middle of the road. There's nothing very special about it, except for the fact that it smells like peaches. The smell itself is pretty good! Of course, it's going to smell artificial (it's nail polish), but it lasts a long time, and is recognizable as peach.

      But while the color is nice, the application was sad. It was fairly opaque in two coats, but it went on streaky and gross. Some of my nails have three coats, and some have four, just because I was trying to get the finish even and smooth. The topcoat helped smooth it out alot, but when I look at my right hand, there are still spots where brushstrokes and bald spots are visible. No bueno.

    So while I like Peach Smoothie, and think that it may come in handy for situations when I can't have fun with my nails, I'm glad that I didn't have to trouble myself to get it. My Walgreens is in easy walking distance from my school, and it's right on my way to work, so it was easy to get this. If I had to get on the bus or train to get to the Walgreens, I would have been too mad. Because Peach Smoothie is nice, but in all honesty, it's not really worth the fare or the trouble. 

    

   

We Interrupt This Earth Week Already In Progress...

            ....to show the nude color that I wore today, courtesy of my teacher. The name of it is Naked Ambition, from Sally Hansen. 
.

Naked Ambition is a creamy pale peach color, with a crystalline secret shimmer. I call it a secret shimmer, because most likely, the wearer is the only one who will really notice that it exists. 

Sunlight, no flash.

Sunlight, no flash.

Natural light, no flash.

     This is a great color! It's delicate and feminine, but quite robust and rich. No sheerness here.  The shimmer keeps the finish from being flat and gives Naked Ambition a hint of sparkle and interest. And the base shade  itself is really flattering. I always worry about paler colors looking horrible with my complexion, but this is looks really good! And I think it'd work well with other complexions too. 

    My only real beef with Naked Ambition was the horrible application. I did three coats, and you could still see all the brushstrokes. And I actually love the Sally Hansen Brush, so the brush wasn't the issue. After the third coat, I was tired, so I slapped on some Poshe and hit it on down the road to bed. When I woke up this morning, my nails were creamy perfection and the brushstrokes were gone. I don't know how that works, but I don't like it!

And even though this post is technically not included in the Earth Week ones, I'm still going to give my tip so nyah.

Today's tip is: Ease up on the air conditioning! This is a hard one for me to follow because I am totally addicted to my air conditioner. I love the feeling of the cool air against my skin, especially when I sleep. But using it places a huge strain on the power grid and by extension, on the planet. So instead of cranking the AC up to polar, either use it on fan mode, power saver mode, use a regular fan, or just open a window. It's good for the environment and your pockets!