L.A. Girl Rockstar - Double Platinum (02/05/2012)

L.A. Girl Rock Star Double Platinum is a difficult one to "capture on film" and this is the best few shots out of gazillion.  It's so much prettier in person than this.  Here's Scrangie's phot of Double Platinum (w/ three coats) so you can get another vantage point of what it looks like.


Color Description: This is a smokey taupe that leans gray and is chock full of holographic glitter.  It's a really special color and would look great layered over something like OPI's Designer De Better for  a bit more bling or maybe Essie Case Study to bring out more of the taupe.


Similar To:  This is another stand alone lacquer that has no rival in my collection.


This Look: Two coats of OPI Acrylic Base Coat (white), two coats of Double Platinum (three or four is preferable) and one coat of Shine & Hold topcoat.


Price Point/Availability: Most brick and mortar retailers have moved on from the Rock Star collection so it may be a bit hard to find in person, however, the good news is that it's not discontinued and can be found on L.A. Girls website for $4.  I've also seen it in other places for under $3. So it's a bargain for a unique lacquer.


Well, thanks so much for peeking at my latest look and have a great Sunday!

Milani - HD/Silver Holographic (08/14/2011)

Sunday's Best!  This is such a gorgeous color that I just had to revisit it (haven't worn it since February of 2010).  Milani HD is a great lacquer and I hear it's being discontinued, go figure?  So, I have a few back-ups one for me and one for swap.  Here are today's pics:

Color Description: Scattered holographic silver effect with a smooth finish.  Can take on the appearance of silver glitter in certain light and even from afar just a beautiful silver lacquer.

Similar To: An excellent comp post was done by beauty blogger Kayla Shevon of Milani HD and OPI DS Coronation.  I own both but Coronation is one of my untried and as she mentioned, though these are not dupes the are extremely close.  So if you can get your hands on HD I would say "run, don't walk" to your nearest drugstore (CVS, Walgreens, etc.).

This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, three coats of HD and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine.  Some have used up to four coats of HD but since I've shortened my length the VNL (visible nail line) is not as apparent and 3 coats were sufficient. :)

Have an AWESOME SUNDAY!  And see you later on in the week, if not before.

China Glaze - OMG (07/15/2011)

No special occasion to celebrate tonight but this lacquer is truly putting me in a celebratory mood!  Listening to some good music (old-school, James Bradley), just finished a fantastic mani and winding it down for the evening. OMG is "Oh My Goodness" all bottled up and then some...


Color Description:  Holo-rific goodness and awesome sauce in a bottle, China Glaze OMG is considered a linear holographic lacquer (defined by the oil slick appearance).  Shining silver with a microcosm of rainbow particles, OMG, is one of the most special nail lacquers I own.  To bling out my mani a little more I add Maybelline's Planet Pluto on my ring fingers, making for a spectacular combo.


Similar To:  I don't have another silver linear holographic but from online pics this reminds me of Nfu Oh 61, Chanel Holographic, and a few others.  Here's a comparison post from More Nail Polish that might help a bit.  As you will see, even though OMG reminds me of others, there's really no dupe out there because they're all slightly different.  I'm just glad to have this on right now, that's all.


This Look:  One coat of Starting Over After Artificials and two coats of OMG (I left the topcoat off for the pictures).  Then added two coats of Maybelline Planet Pluto to ring fingers.


Price Point/Availability:  This lacquer is now discontinued but others from this collection can go for as high as $25/ea. on Ebay.  Wowzers!


I think this was the most difficult review to type up because I keep stretching out my hands and looking at my nails.  Until today, this was an untried and I'm so happy that I'm experiencing what all of the hype is about this lacquer - WORTH EVERY PENNY!  Do you own this or anything similar?  Would ♥ to hear from some of my polished peeps!

Fun-Friday Mani: LaRosa Crackle - Hot Purple over Essie - Status Symbol w/ OPI Silver Shatter (5/27/2011)

This weekend I will be going to the Purple One's concert so I did a funky fresh mani for the occasion and I am lovin' me some Hot Purple crackle right about now!  For an added Purple Reign effect, I added a faint layer of glitter over top; for this I used L.A. Colors Glistening Purple and then a little Silver Shatter on my tips to "ice it up" a bit - lol.

Color Description:  As mentioned in my previous review, Status Symbol, is a flamingo pink, however LaRosa Hot Purple is a shimmering dark purple that is muy, muy caliente, my friends and the crackle effect is awesome with a capital 'A'.  

Photo by Cooper Griggs (via Flickr)

L.A. Colors Glistening Purple is a very sparse magenta glitter in a clear base that will not detract from your mani, it will only enhance it; a very nice layering glitter.  As you see, the Silver Shatter didn't shatter much, but I still like the look.

Similar To:  Hot Purple isn't similar to anything that I know of - a purple crackle with hidden shimmer?  This crackle is TDF (to die for) and although the Glistening Purple glitter was a disappointment when I first swatched it alone, over a crackle is definitely the way to go with this sparse glitter, and again, I own nothing else like this.  Silver Shatter is also in a stand-alone category for the gorgeous shimmer effect it gives.

This Look:  One thin coat of Hot Purple over a 3-day old mani after surface was prepped with a nail primer, one coat of Glistening Purple, tipped with Silver Shatter and one coat of Shine & Hold top coat.

Outside during Sunset :)

Crackle Application: LaRosa crackle works best on completely dry lacquer, I mean completely dry, like an hour or so (or a day or so when creating a new look), unlike Kleancolor which works best over freshly painted nails and I'm still on the fence about OPI's crackle lacquers, they're a bit thick and inconsistent, in my book.  Of all of the crackles on the market I ♥ LaRosa the best.

Price Point/Availability: LaRosa Hot Purple crackle is retailing online for about $4.00 a bottle and I picked mine up from a beauty supply store while on vacation last week.  L.A. Colors Glistening Purple was found at the Dollar Tree and was, of course $1.00 and I purchased OPI Silver Shatter in the JC Penney Salon a few weeks ago for regular retail.  All are fairly new to the market and should be readily available online.

Well, this should be a fun weekend!  I've never been to a Prince concert for various reasons, but today is a new day; not only has he cleaned up his act, per say, he's lowered his ticket prices to a mere $25 a seat.  If just only for curiousity's sake, I'm going and I can't wait to see what he has in store for the last weekend of his 21 Night Stand concert.  

So far he's had guests ranging from Whitney Houston to Chaka Khan and Mint Condition to Nicole Scherzinger.  I've also heard that Janelle Monae performed one night and then on another night grammy-award winning Esperanz Spalding was in full effect and you can be sure that Sheila E. will be on the drums.  So, yeah, I'm a little geeked right now...  Hope you enjoyed this look and TTYS!

OPI - Not Like The Movies (4/23/2011)

Hello there my pretties!  Today I'm going to a baby shower at a country club (nice!), so I wanted to wear something exceptionally pretty for the occasion.  Well, Katy Perry's Not Like The Movies was just screaming, "wear me, wear me!". 


Color Description:  
While my version has virtually no violet/pink undertones, it definitely is a duochrome that changes from a beautiful silver to a lovely shimmering green.  Oh, and I can't forget the silver micro-shimmers that take this color over the top.  


Similar To:  The original version has been compared to Wet N Wild's Gray's Anatomy and this one puts me in the mind of OPI Brand New Skates in certain lighting (so pretty)!  


This Look:   One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, three coats of Not Like The Movies, and one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine. 


Price Point/Availability:  I found mine in the JC Penney Salon where it retails for $8.00.  Although this is a Limited Edition color, you can still find this online and at other Salon locations.   


I believe this is the second batch to be released but I can't be too sure.  What I have been noticing, however, is that if your batch number on the bottom starts with a 10 then you have the first batch and if it starts with an 11 then more than likely you have the second batch.   

Last Thought:
Even though Not Like The Movies will, more than likely, go down in history as OPI's biggest debacle of 2011, I'm glad to own this version. 


What do you think of this color and which version do you have?  Better yet, what number is on the bottom of your bottle?  Do tell...

Del Sol Ruby Slipper (01/09/2011)

I love, love, love this nail polish.  It's so much fun to wear that I felt like I was back in grade school showing all of my friends its wonderment.  Del Sol Ruby Slipper changes color in the sun and is not to be confused with mood changing nail polishes.  It encourages you to get out in the sun and get active, but in any light it is absolutely gorgeous.


Color Description:  In the bottle, Ruby Slipper is a silver glitter.  On my nails indoors it's a platinum, almost pale gold beauty and outdoors, in full on sunlight, it's a beautiful ruby red.  Each bottle has a hibiscus flower on the front and this is the color that it will change to in the sun.  It really works!


Similar To:  As mentioned above, one could say it would be similar to the mood changing polishes on the market, but I really think Del Sol has the market cornered with dozens of colors and finishes to choose from and the "get up, get out and do something" factor.  This polish awesome!  Del Sol makes hats and watches, and you name it, all for the active lifestyle...  I need some of that in my life. :)


This Look:  Patience is preferred when applying this glitter.  It's very fine and sheer with the first coat so I did four coats (no base), with one coat of Sally Hansen Mega Shine (optional).  This was not a gritty, bumpy glitter, but went on smooth.  I only put on a topcoat so that it wouldn't chip!

Price Point:  Online these are going for $10 per bottle and just until recently were being sold at Walgreens for $8 ea.  Recently, Walgreens has changed their pricing strategy and are selling them 3/$10 or $4 ea.  I picked a few for me, some for my nieces and took three of my friends to Walgreens where the purchased "a few" for their girls and themselves.


Thanks again and see you real soon!  If you have any "well-polished" questions, feel free to ask and I will get back with you... :)