LynBDesigns - Frogs Breath: I've made a huge mistake. But frogs make everything better!

Today I have another LynBDesigns!  This is also from The nightmare begins collection.

I sort of wanted to put this and Deadly Nightshade together, but I didn't want to overload the post.  The reason I wanted to put them together is because along with Deadly Nightshade, Sally also put Frogs Breath into Doctor Finkelstein soup.

Frogs Breath is a bright green, jelly polish.  It kind of reminds me of murky water.  The polish is filled with matte black hexogonal and bar glitter.  As well as black matte shards.  Application was really easy and was 3 coats.  This is not a polish you'll ever get light impenetrable opaque and in my opinion, that's just fine.

Here is where I made my mistake.  I layered it over Orly's Lucky Duck.  I honestly don't think it worked.  Don't get me wrong they didn't look bad together they just kind of fell flat.  SO I ADDED A FROG WITH 3D EYES!  And everything was better...minus the blah nails that weren't the frog.  I would have loved the accent with the polish on it's own.  If you are going to layer this you need to find the right colour.  Or you kind of just destroy the magic of the polish.

 If you would like a bottle of this you can head over to LynBDesigns Etsy shop.  Polishes retail from between $8-$10USD.  And if you order now through Sunday, and use the code CHICAGO you can get 50% of your purchase of $16 or more. 

Do you think it looks better with the undies I chose or without?

 *Product sent for honest review

Illamasqua Viridian and Glitterati - You win some, you lose some..

First some news: Guess who's getting a pretty new computer so she can finally blog in style?  THIS GIRL.  My sexy new 21.5 inch iMac should arrive soon and I AM EXCITE.  It will be so nice to be able to edit photos properly instead of having to settle for a crappy online editor because my ancient macbook can barely scroll without extreme difficulty.  Cannot wait.

Now onto the real purpose of this post:  Illamasqua Glitterati and Viridian.  These came in a duo from Sephora that I believe is still available.

First up: Glitterati.  Oh yeah.  This is my kind of polish.  It's a sexy dark purple-y magenta-ish jelly with just the right amount of glitter to be both classy and eye-catching.  The glitter doesn't sink into the base - It's really visible, but without the rough finish.  I have on two coats here and the application was a breeze with no cleanup needed.

I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love this polish, it suits my skin really nicely, and it's really wearable for almost any occasion. It's just FABULOUS.

As usual, all photos are in natural light with no flash.

Now onto Viridian.  I bought two bottles of this, one to give to Robyn for Christmas and one in the duo for me, but I ended up passing both on.  This colour is absolutely amazing, but just not on me.  It's a gorgeous dark green that leans blue and has that fabulous Illamasqua formula, perfectly opaque in two easy coats, few brush strokes, just no complaints.

Except the lobster hands.  OH THE LOBSTER HANDS.  Can someone explain to me how my skin can look incredibly sallow and green one moment(see: Essie Pretty Edgy, which is possibly the least flattering colour on me ever in the history of the world) and then red and awful the next?  Never mind, don't. You'll just depress me.  I know it's not terribly obvious in the photos, but trust me that in person, this was just not a good thing.  Cooler toned ladies should get their hands on this one, it'll suit you much more than it did me!  And I will sit in jealousy.

Orly's Fowl Play: I don't get you.

I don't get it guys.

Fowl Play is a deep purple jelly based polish (it reminds me of Blackcurrant Ribena if it we made with glitter and a dash of poison).  It's full of  micro glitter, a bit of blue glitter and of course duochrome flakies.  It was opaque in 3 coats.

I feel like this is another polish I can't get an erection over.  Don't get me wrong I don't hate it(great for  fall days when I have really don't know what polish to wear) but I find it underwhelming.  The only place it comes to life is in the sun.  When you can actually see everything.  And I hate the sun.  And even then I almost expect more umph.  This is yet another polish that I don't get what people see in it sometimes.

This polish is probably another reason I don't LOVE flakies.

This polish is also apparently almost a dupe for OPI's Merry Midnight.  So if you do like this or you liked Merry Midnight and either want a backup (and don't want to spend eBay money on it) or you just missed out on it.  I would suggest buying Fowl Play.  And you don't have to worry about ever running out because it's part of their permanent collection.

All photos taken in the sun/natural light.  Minus second last photo (indoor + flash).

China Glaze - Lubu Heels: Feels? I don't know!!!

Sorry I haven't been commenting much.  I go through commenting binges when I have time.  Otherwise I don't comment all that much.  Just post and run.  Like after this I have to buy and kill a lobster!

Now back to the polish.  Lubu Heels is a black jelly filled with small red glitter.  I used 3 coats in the photos.  But I could have used 2 if I had used a slightly thicker first coat.

I don't know if I like this.  I feel like everyone LOVES it.  I've worn it once before and I took it off because I thought "Meh".  Then when I tried it this time I though "Okay I see why people like it".  Then as the day went on my feeling went back to "It's just ok".  Sun, natural light, it doesn't matter I always feel like it's just okay.

Are there any polishes out there that you think are "just ok" even though everyone else seems to go gaga over them?

L'Oreal After Hours - I Dont Hate Flakies

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been busy and my wisdom teeth have been a bitch over the past week.  But I have returned.  Nail polish in one hand, rapier in the other.

Fist I have a swatch to show you.  This is L'Oreal After Hours.  I found it on sale when I was in Montreal.  It's a blackened navy blue jelly.  And when I say blackened I mean it.  It's almost black.  I used 2 coats for most of my fingers.  But some needed a third(as you'll be able to see).

After I put on after hours I decided it needed a bit more unf.  So I added a coat of Inglot 204 on top of it.  And that did the trick!

Well I hope you guys had a great week.  I should be around more :)

 You can see a small bald spot on my ring finger.

Barry M Red Black - My Nails Express My Inside Feelings!!!

Remember how a few posts ago I was talking about how I had a bad night due to being stuck in the rain amongst other things?  Well on Sunday I had a talk with that someone who may or may not have forgotten me in the rain.  I had obviously been angry.  Before I met with said person I used tape and kind of made my nails look like claws.  I mean if I couldn't actually claw his face off, I wanted to at least give the illusion I could.  Long story short though everything is all good now. We kissed and made out up.

 The silver is Wet n Wild Metallica

Now on to the swatches. Barry M Red Black is a deep blood red jelly... you can almost call it red black.  It's full of all sorts of vampy sexyness.  And what makes it even better is I'm pretty sure is an almost, if not dupe for Chanel's Rouge Noir. Who doesn't like saving money? (The Kardashians, that's who).  For this manicure I used 2 coats on most fingers but a couple needed a bit of touch up. The formula overall was great.  I love, love, love this polish!!!

Seeing Red/Double + My New Nails!!!

So I've had a pretty crappy night that involved being stuck out in the rain and cold so I'm kinda seeing red today.

You're probably seeing double. I know Cult Nails Quench has been posted here before but I decided now that I've worn for a few days I needed to do a quick review too.

It's a glossy red jelly that varies in shade depending on the light.  After 2 coats it looked opaque but you could tell where it was patchy in different light.  So I needed 3 coats for complete coverage.

Here's where my problem is.  It's a beautiful, alluring colour (and I'm glad I own it).  But after a day of wearing it I had tip wear.  Also I got sheet marks... on the SECOND night I was wearing it.  I've worn jellies before and never had this happen.  I also used my normal base and top coat.  So that was a bit disappointing.

Here are also my new nails.  No, I didn't have some accident that required I even them all out.  I just wanted shorter nails.  I think they look cute, especially with the deeper colours I like to wear.  Also a couple of my nails start to grow funny if they get to long and that looks blah!

Cult Nails Quench

So I just got a nice box of nail mail from Cult Nails, and I wanted to try something out.  I picked up Seduction, Quench(x2, one for Kas!), and another bottle of Wicked Fast in their $5 sale.

So in this post you'll notice two things:  My short nails, and the henna on my ring finger.  My nail broke at my old job and so I needed to cut them all down :(  I'm hoping they grow quickly because as you'll seel, I'm not the greatest at dealing with nubbins.  I also went and got some henna on my hand with a friend who had an Indian wedding to go to, but I didn't realise til it was too late that I put it on my swatching hand.  So you will get little glimpses of my henna hand for the next little while.

Quench is a GORGEOUS blood red jelly(though it's a LITTLE on the opaque side for a jelly) that applies like butter.  Seriously, if there's such thing as the perfect formula, I think this is it.  I'm hoping it doesn't thicken too much with time because it's really wonderful to work with.  On my middle finger, you'll see that I decided to see how Quench would work for a jelly sandwich(or candy mani), and  as you'll see, the result is... Underwhelming.  I used one coat of OPI Servin' Up Sparkle in between two layers of Quench.

I really, really love this red.  It's a great shade that looks classic and modern at once, with a really nice shine.  The jelly finish makes it really fun to play with.  I used two coats for these swatches, but in the future I'll use three as I had a TINY bit of VNL in some lights.  The colour is really hard to capture.  It's amazing.

Cult Nails Quench - 2 coats, no topcoat, over Cult Nails Get It On.

This photo is the most colour accurate.

Do you like Cult Nails?  

What(if anything) did you get in the $5 sale? 

I will be posting a review of Cult Nails Get It On and Wicked Fast before too long.  

Have any of you used them?  What did you think?

Deborah Lippmann Lady Sings The Blues

Lady Sings the Blues is a deep navy blue jelly filled with small silver glitter and large hexagonal glitter. Application was 2 easy coats. Needs topcoat, drys semi matte.

Kas: Now this is one of the  2 DL polishes I own.  Which I bought at the same time.  And I can say as pretty as the colours are I don't think I'll be getting anymore.  First off I don't know how to describe it but it smells different in a weird way from all the other polishes I own.  And the smell lingers even after it's dry.  Also the pictures are a tad deceiving the glitter is no where near as visible as in the photos.  Flash bring out all the glitter.  Finally I find DL polishes have HORRIBLE wear time (24 hours).  And for the money they cost, they are not worth it.  I shouldn't have to make a polish a special occasion polish because of wear time.   Maybe in the future I'll give DL another go because she does have other VERY pretty, and unique polishes. But for now I'd rather not waste my money on a one night wonder. I mean you wouldn't pay full price for a BMW with a Pinto engine? Blerg... I always feel bad after writing stuff like this. :/

George: Another of your expensive pretties. I like this one, but to be honest it's not a favourite. I love the jelly texture and the way it can appear almost purple in some lights, but the sequins are the part that disappoint me. I wish there were more variety, even more colours. This could've been great if there were maybe an extra size/shape of glitter, and maybe if there were blue glitters instead of just silver. Just more to catch the eye. As it is, this one is pretty, but it doesn't make me want to jump up and buy it, and to be frank, at this price point, that's what I need to feel. No comment on wear time.

 Kas

 Geoege

Zoya - Sam

I'm quite excited to be posting this. This is the first time I think I've posted a vampy colour.  Now I love all sorts of colours but when it comes down to it if you were to ask me what I like best I would probably say vampy colours (especially reds).  Not only do I think darker, vampy colours work better on my skin tone, I just think vampy colours ooze sexy.  I always love having nice nails, but colours like these just add a little something else that I don't get with brights or glitter bombs.

Anyhoo I should get on to the actual polish now.  Zoya Sam is a deep red polish with brown undertones And a jelly finish.  If I were to really describe this colour to someone I would say it looks like dried blood... but wet.  I used 3 coats in these pictures.  I had a bit of cuticle drag but it might be because I was rushing.  I used three coats.

Now truth be told while I love vampy colours this isn't my favorite.  It's really nice and all but I have others that I just like a lot more.

New contributer!

Hi polish fanatics!

I'm George, and I'm Kas's best friend and fellow polish addict who will now be contributing here!  I had my own blog briefly, but we decided it was silly to be separate, so I'm moving over here!

A little about me:  In addition to nails and nail-related posts, I'm a skincare junkie, so I will be posting reviews for skincare products too.  I love glitter, bright colours, and all things eye-catching, so my posts will be leaning more toward the crazier end of the scale.  I have a few neutrals that are basically relegated to the "job interviews and tea with the queen" part of my polish rack.  The gaudier, the more I'll love it.

So, to introduce you all to me and my style, here are some recent favourite manicures from me!

Valentine's Day.  Very subdued for me but still cute.  Still mastering small details on my non-dominant hand, so the other middle finger had a larger heart and spots.  Obviously took this pre-cleanup.  Polishes used:  Illamasqua Load and Illamasqua Throb.  Couldn't resist those names!

 Dots - These are quite old, and I used OPI's Fly and Did It On Em from the Nicki Minaj collection. 

China Glaze Ruby Pumps and Pure Ice Crushed.  Pure Ice Crackles are the best I've found.  Excellent formula cracks like a dream. 

Explosions with OPI's Fly and Did It On Em.  In case you couldn't tell, I'm a little obsessed with these colours.  Another pre-cleanup shot. 

Excuse the old blackberry picture!  These were my NYE 2011 nails.  Polishes used:  Zoya Julieanne, OPI Last Friday Night, Sally Hansen Urban Chic(China Glaze Fairy Dust is a dupe), and Orly Glitz and Glamour. 

Goldfish scale nails with Finger Paints Outta Sight Orange, China Glaze Solar Flare(Milani Gold is a dupe), and OPI Y'all Come Back Y'Hear. 

This one was a surprise!  Julep Taylor with a single coat of OPI Servin' Up Sparkle.  The glitter changed the colour of Taylor, which is rather periwinkle.  It was such an odd and profound shift! 

OPI Crown Me Already over OPI Lucerne-Tainly Look Marvellous.  This is my go-to for when I want to be blinding!

Until next time, George.