Orly- La Playa

Hey Blue, there is a song for you
Ink on a pin
Underneath the skin
An empty space to fill in
--"Blue" by Joni Mitchell




This was a color I was "lemming" and finally found on clearance at Ulta this past January. The color is just gorgeous! It is a bright, yet also dark and dramatic blue and so glossy. However, as pretty as the color is, the quality...meh, it leaves something to be desired. You wanna guess how old the above mani is?

You probably are thinking a couple days or so. NOPE! It was just 12 hours! Yeah...you see why I am disappointed. But the color...oooh, it's so pretty. Maybe if I can find the right topcoat (I used Orly's Top to Bottom I think it was called). Either way, I love the color quite a bit, and certainly think it's worth another shot. Especially since it was basically a one-coater!

Report card:

Color= A (pretty dang beautiful)
Formula= C+ (thick, difficult to paint somewhat, and did not hold up)
Brush= B (pretty good, but not quite sturdy enough to maneuver the polish adeptly)
Price= C- (4.99 usually at most beauty supplies, not too bad if it were good quality, but it was disappointing. I at least found mine on clearance for 2.99)

Overall= B-

Color Club- Catwalk Queen

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I do my little turn on the catwalk
---Right Said Fred "I'm Too Sexy"




Ooh, how pretty! It's a shimmery, vampy, plummy browned-purple. It applied like a dream and was just so flattering on my skin-tone. I think it probably would be flattering for most, even though it's so dramatic. It's just pure sexiness. I found this in a 7 pack at Ross for 7.99 so if you find it, it is worth the money. The other colors were good too, so it's a nice investment.

Report card:

Color= B+ (pretty, although not unique)
Formula= A (very close to perfection, just a smidge unwieldy with the thin brush)
Brush= C+ (thin and a little flimsy, not good with the thick polish)
Price= A (ended up a dollar a polish, which is kick-butt)

Overall= B+

Sally Hansen- Pink Rose Diamond

A rose must remain with the sun and the rain or its lovely promise won't come true.
Ray Evans




This is one of the Nail Prisms holos I got at Dollar Tree in the Sally Hansen 2-packs.

I will try and set aside my dislike of holos, but I am really generally not a fan. It just looks too techno or futuristic to me. I'm just kinda meh.

Setting that aside, I do like the base color, a funky, juicy, fruity pink, and the holo glitters are more subtle than the other Nail Prisms I got. It unfortunately was more sheer than the others, and very very similar to the Blush Diamond. You can see the difference between those two, and the Purple Diamond here.

Report card:

Color= C+ (not my style, and kinda cheap looking)
Formula= D+ (kinda took a while to dry, and had a dull finish, so a topcoat is a must)
Brush= D- (thick, bristly, and splayed...very poor)
Price= A+ (excellent, considering it was just 50 cents basically!)

Overall= C

Barielle- Snow Day

Hal Branston: Come on Lane! This snow day happened for a reason. It's given me a second chance with Claire.
Lane Leonard: Hal, what do you think she's gonna do? Hold you to your chest and lick your ear and call you funky?
---Snow Day (2000)




Ok, so the weather outside is nice today. I thought I'd be contrary and post this polish today. In the bottle, I was pretty wowed. It looks like a pretty metallic grey-blue shade. It unfortunately was not my cup o' tea.

During application, it was thick and globby and hard to maneuver. Remember, I've been out of the polish game for a while, plus, I have a health problem that sometimes gives me shaky hands, so polishes too thick or thin can be a bad idea for me. This was definitely too thick. Not only that, look at all the brush-strokes. It was not attractive. I later tried a topcoat which did not help at all. I think if you try it, you will need one thick coat of topcoat or at least 2-3 regular ones, just to overcome the chalky texture.

It did last a while though. 3-4 days with no damage. It may have went longer but I was way bored with it.

Report card:

Color= C- (kinda generic, and even if pretty in the bottle, it doesn't stay that way on the nail)
Formula= D (I found it extremely difficult to apply and hated how bad it was for brushstrokes)
Brush= C- (again, just too long for this polish)
Price= D+ ($6 at Ulta usually, though mine was 1.99 on clearance)

Overall= D+

Rest in Peace- OPI "A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find"

Victim of children, jumping on the couch, unaware of my upturned mani basket. Oh the humanity! The couch got collateral damage as well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Essie- Demure Vixen

Among the taller wood with ivy hung,
The old fox plays and dances round her young.
---"The Vixen" by John Clare








Shown is about three days of wear, so w00t! I had a big lust for this color after seeing it on another blog, and I found it by happenstance on clearance at Ulta last month. I wasn't quite like I thought, it was much sheerer, but I have now come to understand why everyone says that about Essie. It's true! They are so sheer usually! This is about 4 coats I think, maybe even 5 on my thumb and middle finger.

I don't care though, it was gorgeous, and lasted forever, so when my mini one runs out, I will be buying another. It's just such a lovely, unique color and I can see it working for multiple occasions/scenarios.

Report card:

Color= A (love it, so perdy, but would get top marks if it was more saturated)
Formula= A (ditto, only prob is it's too sheer)
Brush= B (well, it's a mini, but even so, it's not a bad brush)
Price= D- (they seem to be 7ish bucks regular price, and that's expensive if you end up not liking it)

Overall= B-

Zoya- Penelope

In the pathway of the sun,
In the footsteps of the breeze,
Where the world and sky are one,
He shall ride the silver seas,
He shall cut the glittering wave.
I shall sit at home, and rock;
Rise, to heed a neighbor's knock;
Brew my tea, and snip my thread;
Bleach the linen for my bed.
They will call him brave.
-"Penelope" by Dorothy Parker




LOVE this! It's a creamy brownish pink. It is officially one of my favorite colors. It's so neutral, yet different from the average red, pink, or beige. It's just chic, minimalist, classiness.

It applied easily, dried at a decent pace, and lasted for a while. I think I wore it 5 days or so and it had nary a scuff and I only changed it because I get bored easily.

So, if you need a nice, yet different business-appropriate color, this is a winner!

Report card:

Color= A+ (it's neutral yet I swear it pops on your nails!)
Formula= A (it was just a little thick, but still so wonderful)
Brush= A (a little thin for the thickness of the polish, still excellent though)
Price= D- (it's $7 a bottle, which is expensive, but for me, this was a great investment!)

Overall= B

A note as from a single place,
A slender tinkling fall that made
Now drops that floated on the pool
Like pearls, and now a silver blade.
---Robert Frost "Going For Water"





This was just a dollar at Dollar General. I had high-hopes, since I have had decent luck with L.A. Colors. Unfortunately, this one sort of bombed. Shown is 5 coats and as you can see, there is still VNL. It was pretty aggravating. Also, it just wasn't as lustrous and I wanted it to be, it just looks milky. And it's too brush-strokey for layering, so this lacquer is just sort of useless to me. I have since frankened with mine and it doesn't even seem useful for that either.

Report card:

Color= C- (bleh- too frosty, too milky)
Formula= D- (wayyyyy too thin and sheer)
Brush= B (actually ok here)
Price= A+ (just a dollar, so if it sucks, you haven't wasted much)

Overall= C+

Cover Girl- Copper Penny

God if you're listening would you come up with some change?
Cause I wake up every morning with a penny to my name.
---"Penny" by Idina Menzel




This swatch is from about 36 hours of wear. Obviously, not too good. Chipped, grubby looking, scuffed, etc, just not a good look.

I love the color though. It's a rich, coppery autumn-brown-red. It was very flattering on me, colorwise, and even if a little brush-stokey, the metallic finish was nice with the color. It is just very thick.

I had a coupon though and only paid 65 cents for it, yeehaw!

Report card:

Color= B+ (I like it, it's also a generally flattering color)
Formula= C (thickish and brush-strokey)
Brush= C+ (for the thickness of the polish, the brush was definitely lacking)
Price= B (was just 2.65 and I had a $2 off coupon)

Overall= B-

OPI- Yodel Me on My Cell + exciting news!

I went across to Switzerland
Where all the Yodellers be
To try to learn to yodel
With my yodel-oh-ee-dee
I climbed a big high mountain
On a clear and sunny day
And met a yodellin' gal
Up in a little Swiss chalet
---Frank Ifield "She Taught Me How to Yodel"




Lovely color! It's a pretty teal with a metallic shimmer. It wasn't as opaque as I would have liked, but applied well, especially considering it was a mini, which tends to give me probs. Whenever I run out, I do believe I'd like a full-size bottle. It would make for an awesome summer pedicure.

It's rainy and dreary outside today, so this swatch from a few weeks ago is just the thing to brighten my mood.

Report card:

Color= B+ (it's kinda generic in theory, but it's done right)
Formula= B+ (hits all the marks except it is more sheer than it ought to be)
Brush= A (basing it on a full-size bottle, since minis suck)
Price= D- ($8 is either good or bad, if you love or hate the polish, so it's a gamble)

Overall= B-

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++=

And the exciting news is I won a giveaway! My very first actually! It was hosted by Rachel Marie's Nails. I can't wait for it to arrive in my mail box!