Archive for July, 2008

New Nail Blog Alert: The Crystal Files

Thursday, July 31st, 2008

My girl Hillary from MUA is starting up a new nail blog, The Crystal Files. There’s so much out there in terms of nail polish so it’s really great that the nail polish blogging community is growing. Hill is an especially excellent addition because her taste in nail polish is the anti-thesis of mine & Scrangie’s – so if you love pink, red, and shimmah, she’s the perfect blogger for you. She already has an excellent post on the continuation of last year’s navy trend, complete with color suggestions. <3

Image from Cute Overload.

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And the Fall Bombardment Continues: Zoya Vibe & Pulse Collection Teasers

Wednesday, July 30th, 2008


I’ll have to reserve judgment for when I see these in person, but mmm I suspect I will love the vampy goodness.

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Misa Poisoned Passion Collection Swatches and the Horrible Tale of How I Broke a Nail

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

So everyone and their mom has already seen this collection and sadly, I don’t feel like my swatches are going to add anything to the interpretation of these colors. First, Scrangie and Misa Masa, already did an excellent job of photographing and discussing these, but the real issue is, it’s like every thing on earth was working against me to get these swatches done. (I’m about to launch into a tirade here so if you’re not interested scroll down for the polish porn. XD)

I got this collection almost 2 weeks ago but with the move and starting a new job, I just haven’t had a minute to post them yet. Finally, this past Sunday, I sit down and get to business. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, swatches are progressing on schedule. The article was nearly complete, ready to be posted that same Sunday. And it really would have been posted since everything was going according to plan, until, for no apparent reason at all because there wasn’t one dark cloud in the sky, we get a deluge. And, of course, this happened right as I was about to take the very last swatch photo for this collection. I was planning on doing a holo mani that day because my new job as the assistant for my school’s trial practice program doesn’t restrict my nail bling. So I say to myself, “Well ok, I’ll just put on a strengthening basecoat and wait to finish these swatches tomorrow.”

Monday, not one ray of sunlight all day long. At that point, I thought… crap, if I don’t get my nails painted soon, I foresee a break in my future. I could have just done a Misa Dying Love mani and taken the image the next day but I really don’t like wearing very dark or extravangant colors when my nails are so long, so I decided against it. Instead I opted to wait and added another coat of clear polish. Monday afternoon, as I was driving to the post office to drop off some swaps, to my unspeakable horror, I look down at the steering wheel only to see that my right hand index nail broke. ‘Broke’ is not really the right word, it’s like the nail breakage gnomes took a mini sledge hammer to my nail. It split-peeled in half, horizontally. Yes, imagine that break for a second. Oh, the horror.

There was no saving this one, I had to cut them all off. I’m not bitter about the break this time, it gave me an excuse to rock Misa Dying Love, which I actually got compliments on – believe it or not that is a rare occurrence for me. People really seem to love dark colors on short nails.

Ok enough nail breakage ranting, let’s get down to today’s order of business:

First let me say, that I love the concept behind this collection – Poisoned Passion, um, awesome. Not to mention that I love the names of the actual polishes – A Sin Worth Committing – wow, I would have bought that one for the name alone. Misa gets 5 points for naming creativity.

I thought all the polishes applied well, I do wish the formulas were a little thinner. However, they weren’t so thick as to cause serious application issues. I just prefer to apply very thin coats and it was nearly impossible to do that with these. I needed 3 (as thin as I could get) coats for all of these colors except for Dying Love which was perfect in 2.

Without further delay, here they are:

As a lot of you know I’m not really into shimmer, but man, this color is pretty. Misa Masa says that this shade looks really similar to OPI Yoga-ta Get This Blue. I don’t own that one, shocking, I know, but now I’m glad I never took the plunge because I can’t imagine that it will look or apply any better than A Sin Worth Committing. Plus, the name cannot be beat.

Not sure if this one is called Fatal Attraction or Fatal Affair. It’s a very deep purple with blue microshimmer. This image does not do the color justice. It’s very, dark, like sexy macabre dark.

Misa Forbidden Lust is rumored to be fairly similar to Zoya Yasmeen (Here are Scrangie’s and Misa Masa’s comparisons). This color really isn’t me, but I can appreciate a color that I know other polish addicts will go go nuts over and I suspect that to be the case with Forbidden Lust.

Misa Love Bite didn’t get as great a reception as the other colors from this collection, but I really like it. That might have a little something to do with the fact that it is a vampy jellyish creme, to which I am partial. Unlike Misa Masa, I didn’t have any trouble with the application. Vampies tend to be streaky, but I didn’t have issues with this one. I also like the name to color relationship: Love Bite – Dark Dried Blood Color – Vampires – Vampy! Get it? Get it? Ha.

Misa Toxic Seduction is, hands down, my favorite from this collection. Shimmery green with a dark gray base, it’s calling my name. L.o.v.e.i.t.

And finally – Misa Dying Love, my mourning color.

Misa Dying Love, my current NOTD, is closer to black than to charcoal, the shimmer is grayish in tone. You really can only see the shimmer in the sunlight, so indoors this shade is like a muted black creme. Surprisingly, I got compliments on this one today. That’s surprising only because I never get compliments and very few people (who aren’t into nail polish as a hobby) can appreciate a good almost black shimmery polish. I really like this one. I think I might make it, and colors similar to it, my official broken nail mourning color. For this mani, I used Misa BACKbone Natural Nail Base Coat and BREAKneck Fast Drying Non-Yellowing Top Coat for the first time. I’ll let you guys know how these worked out for me.

Special Thanks to Misa.

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Confessions of a Polish Addict: Sometimes My Application Sucks

Monday, July 28th, 2008

Oh the horror (… dun… dun… dunnnnn). This was my 2nd or 3rd mani after the Tragic Nail Breaking Incident of 2008. I decided to revisit it today because, well, my index nail broke again. I’ve dubbed this break the “Tragic Nail Breaking During Swatching Incident of 2008″, the whole sordid tale will be disclosed at a later date. In any case, I began waxing poetic about the deeper meaning behind a broken tip. It’s like the time I fell off the treadmill at the gym and had an existential crisis, there are existential implications here too. My nails break, therefore I am? Descartes just turned in his grave, I’m sure.

I never posted this swatch because I really fudged the application and I was so defeated by the break that I just didn’t have the strength of will to clean it up. So, that’s my big secret, sometimes I just paint my nails however and wash off the excess in the shower. In fact, the only time I ever do real clean up with a little orange wood stick, remover, and cotton, is when I’m swatching for you guys. For regular manis, if I mess it up, which I do sometimes, I just let it ride.


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Link Wrap Up (Oh who am I kidding, I don’t do this weekly.)

Saturday, July 26th, 2008

Scrangie swatches one of my hugest lemmings Dior Liquorice.

Misa Masa has great news for those of us who are not fortunate enough to own the coveted OPI Hollywood and Wine.

Nail Juice gives us some details about the OPI France Collection.

I’ve converted Sminkan into an Adoree fan…. I think… I wish I could read Swedish instead of just admire her pretty swatches. (Sminkan also found an overseas website that carries these polishes for those of you who can’t order from the U.S.)

Steph’s Closet reports on OPI’s upcoming 90210 Collection.

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Link Wrap Up (Oh who am I kidding, I don’t do this weekly.)

Saturday, July 26th, 2008

Scrangie swatches one of my hugest lemmings Dior Liquorice.

Misa Masa has great news for those of us who are not fortunate enough to own the coveted OPI Hollywood and Wine.

Nail Juice gives us some details about the OPI France Collection.

I’ve converted Sminkan into an Adoree fan…. I think… I wish I could read Swedish instead of just admire her pretty swatches. (Sminkan also found an overseas website that carries these polishes for those of you who can’t order from the U.S.)

Steph’s Closet reports on OPI’s upcoming 90210 Collection.

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Rescue Beauty Lounge Spongebob Pre-Fall Collection Swatches

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

Ji Baek did it again. I am not a fan of creme sheers and I am completely and totally taken with this collection. Of course, I expected nothing less than perfection from Rescue Beauty Lounge – Ji and company consistently design colors that are in a league all of their own. Ji conjured up the Spongebob Squarepants Collection after hearing that Marc Jacobs drew inspiration for his collections from the popular children’s TV show. I love that these delicate sophisticated colors were designed based on a TV show, the silliness of which is rivaled only by Ren & Stimpy.

If delicate isn’t your thing, Ji says these colors look positively amazing layered over Rescue Beauty Lounge Underwear, the brightest white on the market. The brightness of Underwear gives these sheer colors a back-lit effect. As soon as I get my hands on Underwear, I’ll hook you guys up with swatches. Until then, enjoy these polishes in their unadulterated form.

These swatches are 4 coats each, taken in artificial light. I prefer sunlight images but I got home too late from work and I just had to show these to the world tonight. Despite having been taken in artificial light, these swatches are true and accurate depictions of these colors. It goes without saying at this point that the application of these polishes was perfect, not a streak insight.

If my addiction to nail polish could be expressed in one color, Rescue Beauty Lounge Bikini Bottom would be that color. At first glance this blue looks dupish to Color Club Blue Light and China Glaze For Audrey, both of which I also love. Sorry guys, no such luck. Bikini Bottom is a very light watery blue, almost jelly like in its delicate finish. For Audrey is a greener blue creme, not jelly at all. Blue Light is a brighter light blue, also creme, no jelly. The only downside to this color is that I don’t think it can be pulled off at 2 coats – that and, this color should have been named Squidward. : P

Most people think that yellow is a difficult color to wear, Rescue Beauty Lounge Square Pants will prove those people wrong. I think there is a commonly accepted notion that yellow tends to run the risk of looking a bit garish, but Square Pants is soft and delicate. It’s visibly yellow, not pastel, but it’s not shocking on the nail. This color was put on earth for people who want to try yellow but fear it might be ‘too much’. Perfect.

Spongebob may be the star of the TV show, but for most people, Rescue Beauty Lounge Starfish Patrick is the star of this collection. Described as “wispy peach coral”, it’s definitely the most accessible of the 3 colors. Bikini Bottom is my personal favorite, but my NOTD right now is Starfish Patrick, primarily because it’s subtle enough for work.

I did take some swatches of Square Pants and Starfish Patrick at 2 coats for those of you who are not sheer polish adverse.

As you can see, these colors are wearable and streak-free even at 2 coats.

Special thanks to Ji Baek and Rescue Beauty Lounge.

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Bling Incognito: Misa Sugar Sugar Collection Swatches

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Misa contacted me after I posted a negative review of Misa Indescribable. They said that they would do their best to rework the formula to create better, less streaky application. I was really impressed that they reached out to me as a dissatisfied customer. Indescribable was the first Misa polish I tried, since then I’ve had much better results with their polish but it’s still pretty great that they were concerned. Kudos to Misa for the excellent customer service.

Sorry guys this post isn’t for the new collection. I know, how horrible of a tease am I? I’ll have swatches of Poisoned Passion up this weekend, until then, get your fix by checking out Scrangie’s and Masa’s swatches and comparisons.

Sugar Sugar is Misa’s previous Spring/Summer collection. It is composed of 3 base colors and 3 ‘toppings’. It’s my personal opinion that these polishes were meant to be worn mixed and matched, layered over each other. The name Sugar Sugar is very fitting, all the colors in this collection look powdery and sheer on the nail. But you’ll find, like I did, that this seemingly princess-y collection has a darker, cooler side. All these polishes applied exceptionally well, no application issues at all.

First, the base colors:

Misa Sugar Daddy is my favorite from this collection. Gorgeous. I’ve been loving whites lately and this one has very fine silvery microshimmer that sets it apart from the other whites in my stash. It’s opaque but still somewhat translucent at 3 coats. I feel that Misa Confection Section was meant to be the topping for Sugar Daddy.

Misa Lolli Jolly is a soft sheer pink with microshimmer. Lolli Jolly is dupish to OPI Princesses Rule and Sinful Glass Pink. It’s still very sheer even at 3 coats. Misa Candy Girl compliments Lolli Jolly.

Misa Honeybunch is the silvery white version of Lolli Jolly. This swatch is also 3 coats. In the image Honeybunch seems to fade from very opaque on my index finger to very sheer on my pinkie finger. That is the result of shading. Interestingly, Honeybunch looks more sheer in the shade and more opaque in full on sunlight. Finally, I think the teal in Misa Sweet Pleasure compliments the silver in Honeybunch.

Here are the three base colors side-by-side. They may look similar but each one has it’s own charm. I actually did try to capture images of all these polishes layered over each other. I just couldn’t get the subtle shimmer to show up accurately with my camera. Suffice it to say that the combinations are really pretty, especially using Candy Girl and Sweet Pleasures together over Lolli Jolly as a base.

Now for the ‘toppings’:

Misa Confection Section is a chunky multi-toned glitter polish. You can use this one over any polish in this collection (well really over any polish, period) but I think it’s especially suited to be layered over Sugar Daddy.

Misa Candy Girl is a pink jelly base with suspended blurple microshimmer. Ultra sheer, it’s gorgeous layered over Lolli Jolly. It’s my second favorite from this collection, you’ll see why below.

Misa Sweet Pleasure is teal toned microshimmer suspended in nude jelly polish. This is 3 coats in the sunlight. Even in the full on midday Sun this polish is very subtle and tame. It’s beautiful, I don’t say that very often about sheers.

Now for the really exciting stuff – the ‘toppings’ over black:

Sugar Sugar is rocking the major undercover bling.

Candy Girl is blue to purple duochrome! DUOCHROME! *dies* Confection Section becomes green toned over black, very ‘the truth is out there-ish’ so I think this will be my mani for the X-Files opening this weekend. Sweet Pleasures over black looks a bit like Zoya Kotori but more blinged out.

Special thanks to Misa.

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Alternatives to Chanel Kaleidoscope

Monday, July 21st, 2008

Like I said before, I usually don’t buy Chanel nail polish *but* Chanel Kaleidoscope was so beautiful and unique, I just had to have it. The minute I saw a swatch of it taken by MUA’s Mrs_Brightside, I called Nordstrom and put a bottle on hold. That was incredibly out of character for me but it was totally and completely worth it. Even though I can honestly say that I love Kaleidoscope, I want to show you guys some possible alternatives to it. With the economy the way that it is right now, a luxury item like a 20 dollar bottle of nail polish, is probably not the most prudent way to spend money. Of course, some colors are must-have, recession or not, but if you can settle from something less extravagant, why not do so? (I’m a hypocrite, I know.)

First, here she is (are bottles of nail polish female? hmm) in all her glory:

*Heavy Sigh* In the sunlight, Kaleidoscope shimmers with ultra bling. Indoors and in the shade, it’s more of a subtle mirrored greenish platinum color. It’s beautiful but I have no idea why it’s called Kaleidoscope, neither does Scrangie. If the other shade is Gold Fiction, why not call this one Platinum Drama.

Essie Steel-ing the Scene is the closest thing to Kaleidoscope in my stash. These are actually fairly close color siblings. The main difference is that Kaleidoscope has the greenish tone and a lot more shimmer. However, if you really want to follow this trend but don’t want to blow the cash, Essie Steel-ing the Scene is a great alternative.

Here is Kaleidoscope and Steel-ing the Scene side by side. Despite several attempts, I couldn’t get the image to show the differences between these colors. I blame the inferior camera. While these colors are very close they really don’t look as similar in real life as they look in the image. Steel-ing the Scene has a smoother finish, less bling, less shimmer and is less mirrored.

Adorée Rockport Gray doesn’t have a mirrored finish. It’s a pseudo-metallic light silverish gray with some mossy shimmer throughout. Rockport Gray is not a dupe but it’s a pretty good alternative, especially for people who don’t want to go full out metallic. This is my NOTD right now, it’s subtle enough that I was able to get away with it at work. The application and wear is excellent.

I first lemminged Milani Key Lime Shine when I saw it on FiveZero. The polish doesn’t show the brush strokes, the lines on the surface are actually my nail ridges. If I did this as an actual mani, which I will soon, I would use Camo as a base to eliminate that issue. Key Lime Shine is a highly mirrored metallic light lime green. This is the only one of the colors exhibited here that is available at drug stores, although it is rumored to be hard-to-find.

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Essie Fall 2008 Collection Swatches

Sunday, July 20th, 2008

What is this collection named? I have no idea. It’s a very mysterious collection, but the colors are great. While other polish companies are doing grays, purples, dark colors, and metallics for fall, Essie stayed true to form and maintained their usual palette range. These colors are more classic than they are exciting but these are colors that should be standard staples in all stashes. Scrangie has reviewed these already and I agree with her insights. The reds are *hot* and I, too, love the jelly-like finish that these colors sport. I wouldn’t call them true jellies per se because the colors aren’t completely translucent, but the finishes definitely have a unique quality. I imagined that these colors would be ultra glossy, but strangely, they weren’t. I know some people like the finish to be somewhat matte but I like my nails to blind oncoming traffic, so I plan to top these with an ultra gloss top coat. Finally, these were all 2 coaters, excellent application. Well played, Essie. This collection should be out in August.

Essie – Big Spender is a sophisticated purple-y pink. It’s not a neon shade, but it reminds me a lot of the neon colors that were so popular this summer. For that reason, I think it would be good transitional color to wear from the switch between Summer to Fall. Even if you don’t have those sorts of seasonal concerns, it’s still a sexy color.

LOOOOOVE this red. Essie Forever Young, a tomato red, is gorgeous, plain and simple. I used top coat for this swatch because of the matte drying. I’ve noted where I’ve taken the images with top coat, notice the contrast?

In my swatches, Essie Lacy Not Racy looks deceptively similar to Essie Tomboy No More pictured below. Both are ridiculous sexy colors, but they’re very different. Lacy Not Racy is more of a true red, while Tomboy No More is a deeper more vampy red. This swatch was taken with top coat, if you look at the swatch of Tomboy No More in contrast to this swatch, the matte drying is really apparent.

I just can’t get enough of these reds. Essie Tomboy No More would be perfect to use for the half moon mani, well actually all three reds would be. Love it.

This color is just one huge mystery. Scrangie and I, apparently, have different colors both named No Boundaries. My bottle was a hot pink as you can see above, but hers was a vampy plum. I like my version of No Boundaries but I really like Scrangie’s, so boooooo. I’m a little confused as to what happened, I’ll let you guys know when I figure it out.

People haven’t been very excited over Essie Swept Off My Feet but it’s my absolute favorite from this collection. It’s a muted pink, Scrangie describes it as dusty – I completely agree. I love these muted dusty colors that been released as of late. There’s just something about them, to me they seem edgy but classic. I love it.

Special thanks to Essie.

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Confessions of a Polish Addict: I Am a Compulsive Moisturizer User

Friday, July 18th, 2008

I get a lot of emails asking how I go about taking care of my hands and cuticles. The overly simplified answer is that I own 9 trillion different hand creams, balms, salves, and moisturizers. It’s so ridiculous that if you look in my purse right now you will find 3 hand creams (Neutrogena Norwegian Formula, Jaqua Butter Cream Frosting, Eucerin Healing Ointment), a nail salve (Embrace Bath & Body Nail Salve), and two cuticle balms (Sally Hansen Shea Butter Cuticle Balm, Qtica Cuticle Repair Balm). That’s *just* in my purse.

Why does one person need a virtual army of moisturizers? Look, this addiction thing is no joke. In my compulsion, I’ve found that different products work better for different situations. For general cuticle care, I use cuticle balm several times daily. For after hand washing, I usually use the heavy duty ointment type stuff, Norwegian Formula or Healing Ointment. These have no scent and are very effective. However, every once in a while, I want something that moisturizes and smells delicious. The two wonderfully scented products in my purse are Jaqua and Embrace. I plan to eventually tell you guys about all the moisturizers I use (mmm fun), but today I’m going to give you the skinny on Embrace Bath & Body.

I try to support small companies whenever I can. Embrace Bath & Body is comprised of two girls from Port St. Lucie, FL (right around the corner from where I live). They sell their products on Etsy (adorable) and just recently expanded into supplying vendors like Esther’s Nail Center. They make all natural highly affordable products: lip balms & tints, body powders, body & hand creams, foot balms, and hand & nail salves, etc. I can’t vouch for all their products, yet, but I love their Coconut Lime Verbena Nail Salve and Peppermint Fresh Feet Balm (more on this at a later date).

The topic of today’s post is Coconut Lime Verbena Nail Salve. It contains mostly all natural ingredients: Olive Oil, Beeswax, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba Oil, Tea Tree Oil, fragrance (sadly, the frangrance is synthetic but oh well) and Vitamin E. To me the lime and coconut scent makes the nail salve smell kind of like mojitos, minus the alcohol. As someone who has used just about every moisturizer under the sun, I’m really impressed with Embrace Nail Salve. I love products that contain Olive Oil, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba Oil, Beeswax, or any combination of these ingredients, because these are all excellent and extremely effective natural work horse moisturizers. My mom, for example, has been using Olive Oil for as long as I can remember and her hands are the softest on earth.

I use the nail salve the same way I would use a cuticle balm, rub into my cuticles and nails, but then I spread it all over. It does give my hands a somewhat greasy feeling initially, but the product gets absorbed quickly. Afterwards, all that is left is a light sheen and the delicious but subtle scent of coconuts and limes. The packaging, a small balm tin, is perfect. I love tins because they don’t let dirt get into the product, unlike pop-off or screw on caps. That’s important to me because, frankly, I live in filth, my purse is no exception. When I run out of Coconut and Lime Verbena, which will be soon at this rate, I plan to try out Embrace’s other nail salves Lavender Vanilla and Oatmeal & Honey. When I do I’ll let you guys know what I think.

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Color Club Fall Preview!

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

I am SO excited for these!!!! I’ll have swatches up as soon as humanly possible once I receive them.

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These beauties belong to the official Fall collection. I’m not 100% sure of the name of the collection but I think it might be the ‘Dance’. Cremes seem to always be standard for the Fall so I applaud Color Club for doing shimmers – or are they metallics, duo-chromes!? Gaaaah, I have to know! Either way they look amazing. Blue! Black! Gun Metal Gray! Cannot. Wait.

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I’m not even going to bother raving about this because you guys should know how I feel about glitter by now. Really though, an entire collection of glitter polish…. *explodes*. It’s like a dream come true. I think this collection can possibly help quench some of the thirst for the re-release of the China Glaze Wizard of Ooh Ahz Collection, at least temporarily.

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Color Club decided to jump on the go-green nail polish wagon and release this new eco-friendly line. I don’t know the deets yet but I’m assuming these are going to be big 3 free. I’ll let you guys in the scoop as soon as I get the press release.

Special thanks to Color Club for allowing me to share these promotional images.

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Rescue Beauty Lounge Fall Preview

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

The Rescue Beauty Lounge Pre-Fall collection is Sponge Bob themed!! How adorable is that!!! And I LOVE these colors, I don’t think I can resist taking the plunge for long!! Bye bye dollars. *sobs*

I hope I don’t get in trouble for posting this but here’s the fall preview link. (eeep!) But I highly recommend that every one join their VIP mailing list legitimately. They always send these awesome previews to us.

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CND Discontinuing More than Half of Entire Collection

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

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CND decided to do away with over half their collection. MORE THAN HALF!?!? Can I just tell you guys that this news made me die a little inside. I love CND, especially their style book. I can only hope that the company isn’t going under and that they’ll continue to release their seasonal collections. I have a huge CND wish list and now I feel incredible pressure to order everything on the list this very instant. *sobs quietly*

Special thanks to MUA’s Sdevil23 who scanned this announcement for us.

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Blinged Out Adorée Swatches

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

I’ve decided to adopt Adorée as my pet brand. Adorée is fairly unheard of, but the line is high quality and inexpensive – not to mention unique. Sadly, they don’t have seasonal lines, but that means no ‘limited editions’ and no discontinued colors. Adoree also has a reputation for listening to their buyers. Hopefully, they’ll listen to me and release a dark creme jelly green. I can hope, can’t I?

As my new pet brand, I’m going to be showcasing a lot of Adorée swatches. Let me know if there are any particular Adorée colors you guys want to see. I’ll try my hardest to get them up for you.

For now, I’ve decided to counteract some of my recent nail polish conservativeness with a round of blinged out glitter swatches:

Adorée Riding Hood is my second favorite of the Adorée colors I own so far, the first being Wild Inkberry. This color reminds me of some of the Nfu Ohs I’ve seen, very unique. Riding Hood is composed of multi-sized duochrome-ish glitter suspended in transparent jelly coral polish. It flashes gold and green. This swatch is four coats but I really feel that this polish was put on earth to be layered. It’s gorgeous over black.

Adorée Oriental Coral is actually orange, not coral at all. It’s exactly the same as Riding Hood (multi-sized duo-chrome glitter suspended in transparent jelly colored polish) but there is more pigmentation in the polish. Due to the higher pigmentation, Oriental Coral can be worn alone or layered. This swatch is only 2 coats. Oriental Coral also seems to have less of the duo-chrome quality that Riding Hood displays but it’s still very bling.

Adorée Ice Mist is a traditional glitter polish… for the most part. What makes it really unique is that it is slightly more dense than regular multi-chrome iridescent glitter polishes – so you get some extra bling. This is 4 coats.

Adorée Hamilton Blue reminds me fondly of the 6th grade. The glitter is multi-colored (black, blue, red, green, silver), back then, I used similar glitter to help portray the universe in science class. Using 4 coats you end up with a color somewhat reminiscent OPI My Private Jet minus the holo. Using 1 or 2 coats you get slightly more sparse bling. I think it can be successfully worn either way.

Finally, Adorée Evening Blue. Beautiful. This is 4 coats. You can’t tell in this picture but Evening Blue is actually made up of both blue (rather, turquoise) and green glitter. The green is subtle so the result is depth of color within the blue. At first glance, Evening Blue looks dupish to Zoya Kotori but Evening Blue does not have a black base and the glitter is toned differently.

Here’s all of them over black:

Since Riding Hood and Oriental Coral look nearly the same over black, I used two coats on the index nail and one coat on the middle nail to show the contrast in density between using different coat amounts. All the other swatches are one coat. (My thumb is making a rare appearance here.)

Again, Adorée is sold online at Esther’s Nail Center.

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