Skeptical Saturday Mani.. OPI Rising Star

I've been experimenting with New Year's Eve Manis and I came across OPI's Rising Star and thought I'd give it a try.  It's shiny and festive and it kinda matches a shirt I was thinking about wearing, but it's totally not "my color."  So, I thought it would be perfect for my "Skeptical Saturday Mani" this week..

Let's see how it looks:

Ummm... No, thanks.  Not for me.  It drains the color from my skin.  My hands look dead. I know a lot of you will like this color, but I don't like it with my skintone.  It's too warm, too orange, too copper.. yuck.  So, I'm off to find another color for New Year's Eve...  I think I know just the color I'll wear..

So, Yes, I should be skeptical about Rising Star.  This one remains on my swap list.

Happy New Year!!

A Silver Glitter Gradient with Zoya Kotori..

I've been throwing around some ideas for a New Year's Eve Mani and this is one of them.  I just got my hands on Zoya Kotori during one of the promos they ran recently on Facebook.

Here is Kotori alone:

Zoya describes Kotori as: "A dense bright blue shimmer superimposed over a sheer black base."  Kotori is beautiful.  Although it's sheer, full opacity was still reached with two generous coats.  Worn over a black polish, Kotori would look great, too... more rocker-like :)  Yet another Zoya I love... they're all wonderful!!

Here is OPI's Crown Me Already! sponged over Kotori:

Crown Me Already! over Kotori

Crown Me  Already! over Kotori

Crown Me Already! over Kotori

Crown Me Already! over Kotori

I like these two together..Crown Me Already! is easy to work with and can be worn with almost anything.  I don't think I'll still be wearing this New Year's Eve, but it's pretty.... (I'm still hating that damn hot pink camera of mine... ugh.. you can see it's reflection in the glitter! LOL)

Have you decided what you're wearing for your New Year's Eve Mani yet??  It's tomorrow already!!

Deborah Lippmann Glitter in the Air VS. Revlon Whimsical..

Glitter in the Air was my first Deborah Lippmann polish.  After wearing it once, I was just kinda "blah" about it, so it's been sitting in my helmer for a while.  When Revlon released Whimsical, a so-called dupe of GITA, I wanted to do a comparison asap..

bottle comparison 

So, in the bottle right next to one another, they look like dupes to me. (Whimsical actually has more glitter, but the colors of the base and glitter are pretty much the same).

I gotta be honest, both formulas were such a pain to apply.  They're both runny and I had to dig and dig just to find some glitter.  Pictured above is 3 generous coats.  Both polishes have a milky blue base with pink and light blue hex glitter and small round silver (?) glitter.  I wish the base looked blue like it does in the bottle, but on the nail alone, it just looks... blah.

I didn't want to give up on these polishes just yet, so I layered them on Blue Me Away! by Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear:

  

A little better, maybe??  Not much.  Trying to apply this glitter is like pulling teeth! LOL.  Here are 3 coats of both Whimsical and GITA over Blue Me Away!  The only difference between these two polishes is...Whimsical is just a bit easier to work with!! (and that's the cheap version)!! Blech, I don't like them.  I guess you could layer them over a nude or white, but they'd still be boring in my opinion.  So... my advice.. IF you must have one, just buy Whimsical and don't waste your money on this Deborah Lippmann..

OPI- Pink Friday and Deborah Lippmann- Candy Shop!

Hey All...I'm excited about this post for two reasons: 1.) Both of these polishes are brand new AND 2.) They're PINK!!  I love pink.  I've been lemming Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop for some time, so my husband gave it to me for Christmas and I finally received OPI's Nicki Minaj Collection at my salon....

Pink Friday is up first:

Pink Friday

Pink Friday

Pictured above is two coats of Pink Friday followed by Out The Door Topcoat.  I love Pink Friday.  It's so girly.  It's a fun, chalky, cotton candy-like pink!  Pink Friday is a creme and two coats are needed for full opacity... L.O.V.E.

Next is Candy Shop layered on Pink Friday:

Candy Shop atop of Pink Friday

Candy Shop atop of  Pink Friday

Candy Shop atop of  Pink Friday

Two coats of Candy  Shop alone

Candy Shop came in a trio called "Get this Party Started"... Happy Birthday and Forget You were the other two polishes included in the set.  The only other Deborah Lippmann I owned (before Christmas) was Glitter in the Air.  I'm so excited to finally have Candy Shop!!  I love this one, too!! Candy Shop is tons and tons of multi-colored glitter in a "pepto pink" base.  I like it over Pink Friday.. it kinda makes the base look neon.  This glitter was so easy to apply.   Sometimes you have to fight with a glitter (see tomorrow's post) to get it to apply evenly.  I only applied one coat of Candy Shop over Pink Friday, and the last picture is two coats of Candy Shop alone.

So, did you receive any polishes for Christmas you were this excited about??

LASplash Cosmetics.. Pink Sparkle, Charcoal, and Midnight Rain

Hi Again...  Today I have a few colors from a company new to me called LASplash Cosmetics..

Here is Pink Sparkle:

Pink Sparkle

Pink Sparkle

Pink Sparkle is a sheer peachy pink.  I love pinks, but I'm not too crazy for peach hues.  This color is pretty and the formula was nice.  It did leave brush marks and I wasn't too crazy about the "frost-like finish."  I think I may like it more if there was a little more sparkle and a little less frost.

Next is Charcoal:

Charcoal

Charcoal

I really like Charcoal. It's a sheer shimmery gray with an excellent formula.  Pictured above is two coats.  Again, you can see the brush marks, but not as profound with Charcoal.

Last is Midnight Rain:

Midnight Rain

Midnight Rain

Midnight Rain is such a neat polish. It's packed full of red and blue glitter in a blue base.  I thought Midnight Rain would be a pain to apply, but it went on so smoothly for a glitter.  I only needed two coats. A base color is not necessary with Midnight Rain, so it's good for a cute, quick mani!

You can purchase LASplash Cosmetics on their website here.  They are running sales throughout the month of December, so hurry over and check them out! :)  I have more colors to share with you, but I wanted to post some now before the sales end.

**The above products were sent to me for review**

Essie..Luxeffects.. As Gold As It Gets..

Hey Everyone... Hope you all had a nice Christmas!  It seems like Christmas came and went so fast this year..

Today I have a gold glitter topcoat from Essie's Luxeffects collection called As Gold As It Gets...

Here it is over OPI's Boris & Natasha:

As Gold As It Gets is a shimmery topcoat full of gold flakes in a clear base.  You can basically layer this one over anything.  I chose Boris & Natasha because I think As Gold As It Gets looks better layered over darker colors.  Pictured above is two coats of Boris & Natasha with one coat of AGAIG on top.  I like AGAIG, I don't love it.  I wish the flakes were larger and not quite as dense.  I only bought two polishes from The Lexeffects Collection... AGAIG and Shine of the Times (which I like much more).  This one is pretty, just not my fave..

Enjoy your day... It's sunny here today and I'm loving it :)

OPI... Smitten With Mittens

Merry Christmas Everyone!!  I picked OPI's Smitten With Mittens for my Christmas Day Mani!  This is the first time I've worn this polish, as I have it more as a "Collector's Item."  Smitten With Mittens is from OPI's 2009 Holiday Wishes Collection and it's a "Hard to Find" (HTF) polish.

Here is two coats of Smitten With Mittens with Poshe Topcoat:

Smitten With Mittens is a rich cherry red full of small red and gold glitter.  The formula almost reminds me of a jelly finish because the glitter isn't so profound... it seems to shine through the red base like it would with a candy mani.  Regardless, I love Smitten With Mittens.  It's a wonderful Christmas Red!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas surrounded with family, friends, and happiness!!

China Glaze.. Party Hearty

Happy Christmas Eve!!  I gotta make this post quick.. I almost forgot it, but I had to post because this glitter is perfect for Christmas...

This is two coats of Party Hearty over OPI's Alpine Snow.  I love this glitter...  As far as glitters go, it's simple and it's fantastic for a Christmas Mani!!  Small green glitter, mixed with larger red hex glitter and micro gold glitter in a clear base!

Merry Christmas All!!  Santa comes tonight! :)

OPI.. DS Magic and a Christmas Tree..

AHHH.. It's Christmas Eve Eve and I'm stressin'.  I did manage to wrap all my presents today, though..  Are you all ready??

 Today I have a gorgeous deep blue sparkle to share with you.  It's OPI's DS (Designer Series) Magic...

DS Magic is such a rich, deep royal blue... it's almost too blue.  It screams BLLLLLUUUUEEEE!  LOL.. I do like it, though.  I'm really liking blues lately.  DS Magic is filled with purple, pink and blue sparkle although my camera only captures the blue.  The finish is like a foil except the formula isn't as dense as most foils.  Pictured above is three generous coats.  I decided to get a bit creative and stamp a Christmas Tree, but as you can see.. it's a bit crooked... ;)  Kinda reminds me of our tree down in the living room that's starting to dry up and lean to the right. :)

Holiday Candy Mani..

I love Candy Manis, so I decided to try a "Holiday Themed" Candy Mani...  Well, this mani fits but for the wrong holiday ..lol.  This mani looks a bit "vampy".. like a nice halloween candy mani...

Ok, so I used: one coat of OPI Vodka and Caviar, then added one coat of Color Club Holiday Splendor, then topped it off with another coat of Vodka and Caviar.  (I call this a candy mani, some people call it a jelly sandwich).  Anyhow, I didn't think the red would look so dark, because in the bottle, Vodka and Caviar is more of a true red.  I should have used a pink glitter in the middle... this greenish glitter was too dark.  Oh well, it's still pretty and kinda festive ;)

Are you ready for Christmas??  I can't believe tomorrow is the 23rd already! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday!!

Rescue Beauty Lounge.. Anne

Hey Everyone!  I have a gorgeous color to share with you today.  The name of the color is Anne and it's made by Rescue Beauty Lounge AND... it's AMAZING!  Warning-- Picture Heavy--

I absolutely love colors that change depending on lighting or the angle you look at them.  I could not stop staring at my nails after applying Anne...This color is beautiful!  It a gray-olive that sparkles with gold and sometimes pink micro glitter!  Above pictures are two coats of Anne followed by Poshe topcoat.

I've recently read about Rescue Beauty Lounge (or RBL) on other blogs or in Nail Polish Groups on Facebook and I just had to purchase some.  I got Anne and Scrangie (named after the famous blogger --wouldn't that be so cool??) These polishes are a bit more expensive at $18, but I seriously don't mind, since the formula is amazing.

You can buy RBL polishes here and like their Facebook page here.

Tomorrow I'll be back with a Christmas Mani... I just couldn't wait to share this one with you... :)