Pink Wednesday: Miss Marion - Neapolitan

Can you say yummy?  Who doesn't like Neapolitan ice cream?  Strawberry, Vanilla and with a hint of Chocolate, this Miss Marion lacquer is very appropriately named.  I must say I was a bit puzzled at the name until I sat down and took a real close look at the bottle, then it all came together like two scoops and a spoon - lol!!!


Color Description:  A creamy, dusty pink with brown undertones, Neapolitan is definitely a neutral to be reckoned with.  It applies sheer and shiny like the best jellies, which was a pleasant surprise. So I guess I would sum this one up as a dusty pink with a jelly finish.


Similar To:  I found this to be close in hue (not finish) to Sally Hansen's Infinite Natural, which I previously compared to OPI's Dulce De Leche but again Neapolitan is definitely a jelly which makes it unique.


This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, the coats of Neapolitan and one coat of Shine & Hold.


Price Point/Availability:  Miss Marion can be purchase directly from Miss Marion via JBK Trading for 3 for $8.95.

Boy does this bottle (and picture) bring back memories.  In the late eighties and even into the early nineties all the ladies (including myself) would request Miss Marion's Garnet to be placed on our medium to long acrylic talons.  Well, Miss Marion's is still in business and I found them to purchase a multitude of colors a few years ago and am happy that I did.  


Have you ever worn Miss Marion's lacquer?  If not, you can still find out about their history here.

Finger Paints - Winter Sky (01/16/2012)

I just recently found Winter Sky at Sally's on clearance and boy oh boy is it a joy to wear!  This is a great color for the winter blues and will get you right out of any slump (real or imaginary) with one glance at your nails.


Color Description:  A gorgeous turquoise/teal with fine silver shimmer, Winter Sky is a keeper. This can be considered a one-coater but you know I didn't stop there. :)


Similar To:  I searched my stash and found many similar colors but no dupes.  What makes this stand out the most is the fine silver shimmer that make it oh so shiny.  The closest lacquer I've seen this compared to is Zoya Phoebe (which is in my untried collection).  However, Phoebe is a matte shade.  See swatches here from Manicurity...  Very similar, indeed!


This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats of Winter Sky and one coat of Shine & Hold.


Price Point/Availability: Right now this color is still available at Sallys.com for $1.99 (their clearance price); some brick and mortars may still have it lying around, as well.


Gonna try to get back on the Pink Wednesday bandwagon this week.  Let's see, which pink shall I wear?  The possibilities are absolutely staggering!

OPI - Visions of Sugarplum

OPI Visions of Sugarplum was released in the Fall/Winter of 2009 and was an Ulta Exclusive.  This is how behind I am in wearing my lacquers, because I actually wear them for a few days (sometimes up to five) when its a really good color and stays in tact. :)

Color Description: A sparkling purple/wine lacquer with beautiful iridescent shimmer.

Similar To: There are many dupes on the market but the closest is Finger Paints Icy Iris (which is discontinued), however Zoya Valerie is also said to be extremely similar.  This type of color is not hard to find this time of year.

This Look: One coat of Starting Over After Artificials, two coats of Visions of Sugarplum 

and one coat of Shine & Hold.

Price Point/Availability: Again, this was an Ulta Exclusive for the 2009 Holiday collection and is now discontinued but there are many drugstore and higher end lacquers with the same look as Visions of Sugarplum.

Thanks for checking in folks!  Talk to you real soon...

Cover Girl - Spiced Tea (01/10/2012)

After wearing many of the dark colors for this season, I found Spiced Tea to be a nice palette cleanser.  This is my first time  wearing Cover Girl lacquer and I'm pleasantly surprised.  This is one of their Continuous Color 3-in-1 lacquers that boasts of a, Base + Lasting Color + Topcoat all in one.  I put it to the test and it actually works!


Color Description: Champagne/tan foiled lacquer with shimmering pale blue and silver flecks.  Even more beautiful on the nail than in the bottle, Spiced Tea is a great neutral for all skin types, so, if you come across this give it a try.


Similar To:  Though it's a different base color, Ulta's Spice Drop is similar in finish and color in certain lighting.


This Look:  Three coats of Spiced Tea - that's it and that's all.


Price Point/Availability: This was Limited Edition and the first reviews I could find on this was back in 2005 so it's definitely discontinued.  However, I'm sure you've seen the double-pack nail polish at your local dollar store, well, that's where I recently found this in a pack along with a light blue lacquer in the same finish called Crushed Ice.


Have a great Tuesday! Off to go job-hunting now...  This job market is treacherous but I'm pretty tenacious and not gonna stop looking.

OPI - Have You Seen My Limo? (01/06/2012)

So gorgeous in the bottle and out this, somewhat vintage, nail polish was released in 2007 in the limited edition Holiday in Hollywood collection.  This is a very mysteriously beautiful lacquer and I must say that I am not, at all, disappointed.


Color Description:  Have You Seen My Limo? is a subtle duochrome that flashes dark green but is predominantly a deep eggplant purple; one reviewer said it reminded her of a bowl purple of olives - very nice description!  It has very find silver shimmer (just enough not to be frosty) and is one of those colors that have someone grab your hand and say, "What color is that?"  Again, mysterious.


Similar To:  This puts me in the mind of Orly's Royal Velvet (see my post here) but at the same time is totally different. However, this is a nice addition to my Bruised Beauties collection (right click to view post here).  It has also been compared to Sally Hansen's Black Tie.

This Look:  Two coats of Starting Over After Artificials (needed some extra strength because I've been washing dishes with no gloves - FOR SHAME!), three coats of have you seen my limo (for added umph-factor), and one coat of Shine & Hold.


Price Point/Availability:  I found this at an old dusty beauty supply and only found one for sale online for $15.99. So if you see this lacquer and you like the color, definitely pick it up because it has now become a collector's item.

As always, I love sharing my beautiful colors and rare finds with you all and hope you like listening to my thoughts.  Also, if you have any good suggestions for dish gloves let me know.  I use these: Water Stop Gloves and they're pretty and water does not seep through the top but I've gone through at least three pair because they are thin and finger tips wear easily and they get discolored (not long-lasting, at all).  So let me know what you use!

AllThingsNails! Ultimate Mani Picks - Top Eleven of 2011

Good Morning Lovelies!  I decided to do a somewhat popular yet unconventional take on "my" top lacquers for 2011.  

Some of these came out in 2011 and some did not but after looking at a years worth of manis, totaling well over 100, I decided to choose which of them made me the happiest to wear.

Whether it be that the picture came out awesome (Turquoise & Caicos), I received compliments galore (Milani - HD), the mani was linked to a special event (Prince Concert Mani or Bubbly Bombshell for my Anniversary) or there was some sort of nail craze (i.e. Chanel Peridot or Crackle Lacquer), these all marked great memories throughout the year.

 These are my Ultimate Mani Picks of 2011 and as always, there's a story behind each look so right click (open in a new tab) on the links below to revisit my personal favorites:  

1.  Essie - Turquoise & Caicos

2.  Prince Concert Mani

4.  Chanel - Peridot

3.  Milani - HD

5.  La Rosa - Crackle Shatter in Sea Weed

6.  Orly - Bubbly Bombshell

7.  Orly - Pure Porcelain

8.  OPI - Warm & Fozzie

9.  OPI - The "IT" Color

10.  Del Sol - Ruby

11.  Wet N Wild - How I Met Your Magenta

Hope you enjoyed my 2011 Ultimate Manis in Review and have a great 2012!

Finger Paints - Asylum over Revlon Fearless (12/27/2011)

Asylum [əˈsaɪləm] n.  An institution for the shelter, treatment, or confinement of individuals, esp. a mental hospital (formerly termed lunatic asylum). - The Free Dictionary (online)


Finger Paints Asylum will have you questioning your sanity it's so beautiful and I'm also glad that Finger Paints has brought a few more unique flakie formulations to the general population.  "Hidden Treasure" (Sally Hansen) is so "2010" (Nubar) - LOL!!!


All jokes aside, what I mean is that these type of multi-colored flakies (see FingerPaints ad below) are usually a bit more pricey and available online only - this is not the case with Finger Paints.  Plus, I'm not a fan of buying polish online when I'm literally swimming in nail polish in my local area.  Now that my mini-rant is done, on to the review...

Color Description: Asylum is a mix of purple, orange and yellow flakies suspended in a clear milky base and will amplify the look of medium to dark lacquers.  It may get lost on pastels or paler colors.  My red combo is showing peeks of color for a more subtle look but to really show this line off you'll need to go much darker, if not black.


Similar To: A combination of Nfu Oh #56 & #43, but I doubt there's anything on the market right now that has these colors all mixed up like Asylum.


This Look: Two coats of Asylum over my previous mani with a coat of Shine & Hold for a nice shiny quick-dry.


Price Point/Availability: These will be available at your local Sally's Beauty Supply come January 1st, 2011.  I just asked if they had them, they did and I purchased two on sale for $4.99 (regular $5.49, I believe).  I'm hoping for these to be placed in Finger Paints core line but know today's marketing strategies, they will more than likely be "Limited Edition".


I can truly say that Asylum and Twisted are my favorite lacquers of 2011 (even though they're not to be officially released until 2012).

Revlon - Fearless (12/24/2011)

I spotted this new Revlon at CVS this weekend and fell in absolute love all over again.  I keep falling for these colors and just convince myself when I'm in the check-out line that it's slightly different from the the four or five other brands that I have at home.  


You do have to be very careful with Revlon color choices, though, because they have been known to rename and recently repackage the same color and sell it as new.  How Tricky!


Color Description: Fearless is a gorgeous orange-red creme that can almost be jelly-like, but not quite.  It is bright, thus the name but I find it to be very wearable and this shade always garners lots of compliments.


Similar To:  Let me count the ways (cough, cough)! Let's just say that a few in my collection are similar... Click here for my orange-red collection.


This Look: One coat of Nutra Nail Touch of Color Nail Strenghtener, one coat of Instant Artificials, two coats of Revlon Fearless and one coat of Shine & Hold. Great application that gives a flawless finish.


Price Point/Availability: This lacquer is $4.99 and was found at CVS in a new freestanding display toward the front of the store.  Be careful, there's a dupe of Perplex in this collection called Naughty (do not be fooled, like me - lol).


Thanks for checking me out today!  I can't wait to try the new flakies at Sally's later on.  Picked up Asylum and Twisted - crazy names but beautiful effects. :)

Color Club - Nouveau Vintage (12/23/2011)

Do you see what I see?  A gorgeous and fairly new (Fall 2011) lacquer from Color Club that is just perfect for the fall.  Nouveau Vintage is from the Back to Boho collection and so far this is the only one I've picked up.  Do you have any from this collection?


Color Description: In the picture below there's lots of green and brown which makes for a very interesting bottle but once Nouveau Vintage is on the nail it translates into a beautiful antiqued bronze with super fine micro-shimmers of gold, rust and green with a brown base.  Very, very suitable for an everyday look.


Similar To: Nouveau Vintage (i.e. New Old) totally reminded me of OPI's Warm & Fozzie once I placed it on my nail.  I quickly did research to find out was I dreaming? Am I the only one that sees the similarities?  The answer was, "no".  As a matter of fact as seen in my last post there was a comparison post done.  So, again, if you can't find one check out the other for a similar look and feel.


This Look: One coat of Nutra Nail Touch of Color Nail Strengthener, three coats of Nouveau Vintage and one coat of Shine & Hold.


Price Point/Availability: Color Club can be found online and are also sold at Bed, Bath and Beyond. (retails for $6/ea.)


Well, as I type and look down at my nails I wonder when I will want to change my nail color.  I like this as much as I like Warm & Fozzie and just hope it won't be another two weeks before I have the heart to move on.


Take Care! ♥

OPI - Warm & Fozzie (12/22/2011)

I love this lacquer!  When I wear Warm & Fozzie I can't seem to take it off and as a matter of fact when it is time to remove it I reapply it; I ended up wearing this for two weeks straight one time. As with Designer De Better, this came out this Fall in the Muppets Collection and is limited edition (LE).


Color Description: Straight from OPI, "This feel-good shade of metallic copper will brighten even the dullest days and leave you feeling as if Fozzie Bear just told you his worst joke!" Maybe that's why I couldn't take it off (hehehe). This beautiful coppery-bronze has gold, rust, green shimmer and flecks that will really keep you coming back for more.


Similar To: If you can't find Warm & Fozzie take a look at Color Club's Nouveau Vintage.  Though it's not an exact match it definitely gives you the same feel and is so close I had to check my bottles.  Nouveau Vintage is a tad darker and not as glass-flecked but is a cozy Fall/Winter lacquer just the same.  As a matter of fact, Chromatic Misadventures did a comparison post which I'm attaching for you viewing pleasure (click here).


This Look: One coat of Instant Artificials, two coats of Warm & Fozzie and one coat of Hold & Shine.


Price Point/Availability: Warm & Fozzie was one of the first to sell out at my local salon, however, they did restock.  So check out your local OPI distributor (Ulta, JCPenney, Salon) soon before it can't be found, after all it was LE.