Nailed It Tag

Today, I have something different for you guys! Little Beauty Bag, one of the great blogs I follow, posted this tag a bit ago. I really liked the tag so I decided to do it myself as well.

1. Which color family of nail polish do you own the most of?

Without a doubt, it's blue! I'm a sucker for them! ;)

2. Name your most favorite memory you associate with a specific polish.

Chanel Taboo. Ever since I saw swatches of it, I scavenged the web for dupes. The best dupe I found was from Kiko, but it's a European brand not sold where I live. :( But while hanging out with my high school friends this past summer, I found it in a department store. They knew how much I loved Taboo and bought it for me. <3

3. What's your best-kept secret for chip-free polish?

I don't have one actually. Polish, from any brand, usually wear really well on me. Above are the base and top coats I usually use.

4. Which brand do you own the most colors of and why is that formula your favorite?  

Unsurprisingly, it's OPI! I love the consistency of the polishes - they're usually wonderful, opaque, and easy to apply. However, there are a few polishes that are runny or require at least 3 coats to become opaque. (And let's not mention the wide brush.)

5. Name the polish you like the least in your collection and why you still hold onto it.

Hmm... I would say Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty because it takes at least 4 coats to become opaque. It's a really sheer yellow! I keep it because I like the color and was the first polish (I think) in my collection.

6. Name your holy grail of nail polish remover! 

I haven't tried that many nail polish removers, but, out of all the ones I've tried, I like Zoya Remove Plus the best. However, I don't like the slightly sticky residue that's left behind after using it.

7. If you use glitter or nail effects, which is your favorite brand, and why?

This is a super tough question! I really love my indies, and most of them are glitterbomb toppers or in a jelly base. I would say Candy Lacquer for glitter polishes and Zoya Pixies for nail effects. (Ahhh, this question makes me remember about Glitter Lamb polishes. I really want to try out her glitters!)

8. Do you match your toes to your nails when you re-polish?

Nope, never! Actually, I don't even paint my toenails a lot of the time. But if I do, then I usually wear nude polishes.

9. Name the specific polishes you've repurchased more than twice to show us your holy grail colors!

I haven't repurchased any of my polishes twice. I've only repurchased one once (Essie Turquoise & Caicos) because thinner couldn't save my old one and my mom loves to wear the polish. Also, I own two dupes of Chanel Ciel de Nuit/Essie Starry Starry Night. They are Maya Cosmetics Stargazing and Colors by Llarowe Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I think both are worth having! Heh. (Would having two of the same color, but from different brands count as repurchasing? :P )

10. Do you paint accents nails or only use one color?

Usually, I only use one color because I'm mostly a swatcher. (As you readers may know...) Recently, however, I've been doing two accent nails to speed up swatching my collection... And so I can wear more polishes at a time. :D Above is my favorite combo, which I swatched here.

11. Can you name the oldest nail polish in your collection?

I'm pretty sure they're either China Glaze White Ice, Purple Rain, and Visible Shivers (my dad bought me these three at the same time <3) or Sally Hansen Yellow Kitty.

I tag my nail buddy, Millie of The Nail Smith, and anyone else who would like to do this tag! :)

Thanks for looking! Happy Halloween!

Michelle

Lime Crime Lavendairy + KBShimmer Kiss & Spell

Self-purchased

Lime Crime Lavendairy (index and pinky fingers) is a pretty lavender creme with pink undertones. It has a paradoxical nature because of its bright, yet soft appearance. I used 2 coats, which is amazing for a bright pastel shade! The formula was wonderful and the application seriously a breeze. No cleanup necessary! So many people have said how amazing the pastel Lime Crime formula was that I started doubting their claims... Until I tried one myself. It dried flat, yet with a nice shine. No top coat. I definitely recommend this little one!

KBShimmer Kiss & Spell (middle and ring fingers) has a whimsical mix of lime, yellow, purple, orange, and black star and hex glitters in a clear base. I dabbed on 1 coat on my middle and ring fingers. I didn't like the formula because application was tricky (a bit too much clear base, which made dabbing a bit gloopy) and the glitters tended to sink a little in the bottle (which could be remedied by placing the bottle upside-down for a little bit). With top coat. Despite the disappointments, I still really like this polish!

I purchased Lavendairy here and Kiss & Spell here.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Starrily Halloween Night

Self-purchased

Starrily Halloween Night has a delightful mix of orange hex and holo microglitter and matte black diamond, bar, and hex glitter in a sheer black jelly base. I only used 2 coats because I liked the look when the nail line peeked through. You'd need 3 coats for complete opacity. The formula was alright. It was easier to lay down the black jelly base and the microglitter before dabbing on the bigger glitters. I found it much easier to get the black glitters out when I set the bottle upside-down for a few minutes. It dried bumpy so I used two coats of top coat to smooth it out and give it some shine.

I purchased Halloween Night from Starrily's shop.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Wet n Wild Blazed + Starrily King Midas

Self-purchased

Wet 'n Wild Blazed (index and middle fingers) is a very bright, orange-leaning coral crelly, though it does have a slightly pink undertone. I used 4 thin coats. The formula was great as it was easy to apply and glided on smoothly. Surprisingly, it dried shiny, but I still used top coat. (Usually, neon-esque polishes dry satin or matte.)

Starrily King Midas (ring and pinky fingers) is a linear and scattered holographic gold glitter that can be used as a layering or full-coverage glitter. For this swatch, I decided to use it as a full-coverage glitter. It is GORGEOUS in person! I used 3 full coats with a dabbed fourth coat to fill in some small gaps. The formula was good. I was able to apply King Midas like a non-glitter polish and manipulate it easily. However, it did dry a little as I went along swatching it. I'll need to put in some thinner to restore the suspension base. It dried a little gritty so I used top coat, which doesn't damage the amazing holographic quality. :D

I purchased Starrily King Midas from Starrily's shop.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Doctor Lacquer Polygon Flash + Essie Ballet Slippers

Self-purchased

Doctor Lacquer Polygon Flash has a spectacular mix of holographic silver, matte black, and matte white bow, triangle, and hex glitters in a clear base. Normally, I'm not fond of triangle-shaped glitter, but this mix made me fall in love with it. I used 1 coat over Essie Ballet Slippers. The formula was okay. The glitters were hard to get onto the nail so I had to dab them on and carefully manipulate them. It dried bumpy because of the triangle and bow glitters, which don't conform to the nail because they aren't flexible. Despite the formula and stiff glitter, I still say that you should definitely have Polygon Flash in your collection because it's a "neutral" so it'll go with EVERYTHING! (I'm looking forward to wearing it over pastels!)

Essie Ballet Slippers is a whitish pink sheer nude, though it looks like a pale pink in the bottle. It made my nails look very classy, polished, and dainty. I, now, understand why Ballet Slippers is such a popular shade! I used 2 thick coats, finishing with a thin third coat. The formula was fairly typical of many sheer nudes. It was thin and streaky, but, luckily, not very hard to apply and control. The streakiness evened out with each consecutive coat. It dried extremely shiny so I didn't have to use top coat. 

I purchased Polygon Flash from Doctor Lacquer's shop.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Inspired By zuckerdonut: Pastel Skittles

Today, I have a very simple mani that was inspired by zuckerdonut's picture of some of her pastel Essie polishes. It's a very atypical mani for me, but I really love it. This mani reignited my love for pastels so I'm definitely going to wear them more often! I didn't have all the colors in zuckerdonut's picture so I chose very similar ones.

From thumb to pinky, I used 3 coats each of Sinful Colors Easy Going, Essie Go Ginza, Essie Lilacism, Avon Vintage Blue, and Essie Mint Candy Apple. I was very surprised to find that I didn't have a petal pink. I'll definitely have to search for one!

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Above the Curve The Baby Blues

Self-purchased

Above the Curve The Baby Blues is a pretty baby blue with very subtle linear holo, which was hard to discern even in sunlight. I used 4 thin coats because the polish was so sheer. The formula was thin, but not runny so it was easy to apply. It dried quickly and shiny. I didn't use base or top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Barry M Greenberry

Self-purchased

Barry M Greenberry is a GORGEOUS green-leaning turquoise creme. LOVE , LOVE this color. I used 3 coats. Unfortunately, the formula left a lot to be desired. It didn't level well and was extremely thick, almost to the point of being unusable. Luckily, I was able to salvage Greenberry by putting in a good amount of thinner. I just couldn't give up on it because it's such a marvelous color - and I'm so glad I didn't! I believe my bottle was an isolated issue or from a bad batch because most people didn't report any problem with theirs. It dried shiny, but I still used top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls

Self-purchased

OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls is a grey-toned white creme. In the shade, it looks more like a light grey on me because of my pale skin. I used 3 coats. The formula was thin and runny, but quite opaque. It dried shiny. I didn't use top coat.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Elevation Polish Vinson

Self-purchased

Elevation Polish Vinson is a purplish gray metallic with strong linear holo. It's sooo much prettier on the nail than how it looks like in the bottle! You should give this one a chance! I used 3 coats. The formula was thin, but not too difficult to control while applying. I found it interesting that it had a buttery application. Quite paradoxical! Because of the metallic finish, brushstrokes did show when the polish dried. I recommend painting the sides first and the center of the nail last on each coat to try to hide the brushstrokes. It dried quickly, but I still used top coat. I'm happy to report that Seche Vite didn't dull the holo! :D I didn't use base coat since it's a holo. This was my first metallic holo, and I found it very intriguing! I hope there will be more metallic holos in the future because they're unique.

I bought Vinson from Elevation Polish's store.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle

Les Nail Smiths: October 2014 - Science

Welcome to October's Les Nail Smiths! I had the pleasure of choosing this month's prompt so I chose "science"! Millie and I are big science people - she majored in chemistry while I in health promotion and disease prevention (which is just a fancy way of saying "public health"). Before that, I was a biological sciences, pre-dent major. Unfortunately, I don't have time to write a "full and complete" post because October is known as the Month of Midterms (a.k.a Hell) so I'm not going to say much.

I used OPI My Vampire is Buff as the base for my index and middle fingers and OPI Life Gave Me Lemons for the rest of my fingers. I topped my accent nails off with CrowsToes Gomez. The stamping was done with Vivid Lacquer 17 plate and Zoya Purity, which is actually a white creme.

You can purchase Vivid Lacquer plates from her Etsy store or Harlow & Co.

Thanks for looking! See you on the other side of the day!

Michelle