Orly FX Black Pixel

Hi all!

More pretty nails to show you!  (What did you expect, right?)

I'm still slowly drifting into the more muted tones of Fall but that doesn't mean I can't have fun with my manicures, right?

Today, I have more special effects finish polish to share.

Orly FX Black Pixel

Say hello to Black Pixel from the Orly FX line, MegaPixel FX from last Spring.  (Yes, I said Spring, but it's black!)

This collection was yet another response to the new textured finish polishes, one full of glitter and fun metallic colors.  This polish is a black base with silver mini-hex glitters all through it.

Of course, as mentioned, this one dries with a textured finish, but one much more subtle than most I've used so far.

I've seen some describe it as simply a glitter polish with a little extra something to it.  I'd say that's kind of close, but I do really like the smoother feel of this texture as compared to others I've worn.

This particular polish was the only one I picked up from this line, simply because metallic-glitters aren't always my first choice to reach for when I'm starting a new manicure.  But I'm glad I did get this one.

What do you guys think?

Let me know below and leave me questions and comments!  Follow and Like me on al your social media too!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Double Post: L.A. Girl Sand Storm & China Glaze Hawaiian Punch

Hi everyone!

Sorry to bring in another catch up post, haha.  I'm trying to get back  to regular posts but haven't quite made it.

Hopefully, some pretty polishes will make up for my irregularity.

L.A. Girl Sand Storm

First I have Sand Storm from L.A. Girl's summer Sand Blast collection.  This polish is a nice nude, sand color with that added element of texture.  The formula is nice and goes on evenly.  This is two coats which gives a nice texture on the nails.  I like this as one of my polishes that I could theoretically wear to work and still have fun with finish.

Obviously, this was the L.A. Girl answer to the new textured polish trend.  The Sand Blast collection had eight textured polishes, most of which had creme bases, though there were a couple with hints of shimmer, very different from a lot of the glitter heavy textured polishes we've been seeing.

The texture on these polishes is great, not uncomfortably gritty and is actually closer to what I'd expect of a polish described as a leather finish since there is a bit more gloss to the creme bases.  Also, these textured polishes are quite a bit friendlier to the pocket if you're looking to try the trend without having to shell out $8 or more. 

As far as I know these are still for sale on L.A. Girl's website, though I found mine at the local grocery/drugstore.

China Glaze Hawaiian Punch

Next I have a classic China Glaze, Hawaiian Punch.  This polish is a sheer red juicy jelly base with a subtle pink frost to it.  This particular shade of China Glaze has been around for a while, originally released in the old bottles, long before the reformulation of the polishes. 

The formula on this one was kind of a double edged sword.  The application was smooth and pretty even, what I normally expect from jelly polishes.  However, the dry time was kind of ridiculous!  I left about 10-15 minutes between coats and then used a quick dry top coat and still knicked the heck out of one of my nails.  I rarely have bad luck with dry time with jellies, but every now and then you get one.  So I'd say be patient with this one.

Also, if you're not a fan of VNL, you may want to paint this over a base color, this is three coats and it's not anywhere near opaque as you can tell.

What do you guys think of these?  Do you have any polishes that just go against what you expect from certain formulas or finishes?

Leave me comments and questions!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Essie Cashmere Bathrobe

I have some pretty things to share!

As I've been talking about, all the Fall collections have been appearing and recently I was lucky enough to stumble across the Fall collection from Essie.

Now, in general, this year's Essie Fall collection is a little blah as compared to more recent collections.  But sometimes Fall collections have a bit of a lull.

However, there were a few colors in this collection that caught my eye, and I have one to show you today.

Essie Cashmere Bathrobe

This is Cashmere Bathrobe, a dark grey creme base with silver/blue glass flakes through it.  This color is gorgeous!  As with most Essie's the formula is smooth and goes on well.  There is a lot of pigmentation in this one, enough to get away with two coats, though I did my usual three.

Essie always does a good job of creating cozy fall colors with a little something extra while still being nice and simple.

As I said, I only picked a few...technically a couple and the other is a beauty also.  Can't wait to show it off!

What do you guys think of this one?  Leave me comments or questions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

China Glaze Gothic Lolita

Hi everyone!

Hope you're all doing well this fine day!

I'm sure some of you started school again today (if you haven't already started last week), so I hope that was a good day for all of you!

Have to admit I miss first days of school...the other like 200 days of school not as much, but first days were always a lot of fun.

But now I have my fun with nail polish, since I didn't find out how amazing nail polish was while I was in school.

Today's manicure certainly falls in the fun category for me even though its simple.

China Glsze Gothic Lolita

This is Gothic Lolita from China Glaze's Electrop Collection in the Spring of 2012.  This polish a fun, flirty light purple base with a hint of fuchsia/violet shimmer in it.

I'm loving this color for the stage between Summer and Fall, it's bright and playful but still has a kind of warmth or whatever it is about certain purples in the Fall.  I'm sure that makes no sense haha, but nonetheless, this is a great color for this time of year.

Also, as a side note, the formula on this one is a dream, not streaky or patchy, maybe even a one coater if you're good at even coats.  And the dry time is great!

I'm excited to get into my Falls (as I mentioned before) but having a nice pop of color like this makes me smile.

What do you all think of this one?

Leave me comments and questions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Maybelline Color Show Vintage Leather Collection: Antique Teal

Have a swatch semi-review thing for you all today!

With Fall fast approaching, that means all kinds of new collections popping up all over the place, some you may have already seen and some that have yet to appear but are just as highly anticipated.

One collection to appear in my local grocery/drugstore and probably at some of yours too is the new limited edition Maybelline Color Show collection, Vintage Leather.

This collection consists of 10 leather finish (basically matte) polishes is your typical fall earth tones.

For today's post, I have one polish from the collection, and I'd be happy to do color swatch-fest pics of all the colors soon.

Maybelline Color Show Antique Teal

This is Antique Teal, a dusty blue color that reminds me more of denim than leather but is still very pretty.

These polishes have a smooth matte finish but what makes them different than most mattes is the fact that Maybelline incorporated flakes to add a little more texture and add to the "leather" look.

My experience with this polish is kind of so-so.  Being a matte, painting the first coat can be kind of tricky since it dries so quickly.  If you don't work fast enough and use a thick enough coat, the polish can pick up quite a bit.  But the second and third coats even out much more easily.

The color payoff was great and I didn't have a whole lot of staining, though there was some during removal...it is a blue polish after all.

The bigger problem I had was lasting power.  Since it's a matte, top coat isn't advised if you want to keep the finish (thank you captain obvious).  All of that is fine with me, I've never had bad luck with mattes without top coat, but this polish...dang.  In the pic, I'd painted my nails the night before, as I usually do and by the next morning when I took this picture the edges had worn so badly!  You can see it in the picture.

I'd say, as far as this collection, for the unique factor and the colors definitely worth the buy, but don't paint it too far in advance if you're trying to coordinate for an event or an outfit, you'll have some issues with wear at the tips otherwise.

What do you all think?  Have you tried the Vintage Leather polishes?  Have you had better luck?

Leave me comments and questions below and Like and Follow me on all my social media thingies!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Finger Paints 15 Seconds of Frame and Orly Mermaid Tale

Who here wants to see a bright and sparkly manicure!?

Then you've come to the right place!

Since I'm desperately trying to cling to Summer colors I had to do a little glitter for my recent manicure and keep colors nice and cheerful.

Finger Paints 15 Seconds of Fram and Orly Mermaid Tale

 For this particular manicure I started with Finger Paints 15 Seconds of Frame, one of their 2013 Summer Neon colors.  This one isn't exactly a true neon, it doesn't dry to that semi-matte finish like neons do, but it's certainly bright and very pretty.  In person it's a bit more blue toned, more of a super bright teal or turquoise color but just amazing.  There's almost a jelly aspect to this polish and as you can tell its a bit sheer but really only in direct light.

To add a little bit of sparkle, I went for my Orly Flash Glam FX glitters and found Mermaid Tale, a matching teal/turquoise glitter made up of tiny hex glitters and larger hex holo glitters.  The coordinating color tone kind of gives a fun almost mermaid scales look to my accent nail...or at least I think so haha.

What do you guys think of this one?  I'm hoping to keep some summer brights on for a little while longer, but I'm sprinkling in a few more Fall shades to ease into the season (not to mention the new Fall collections!)

Leave my comments and questions below!


Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat

Catching up from a busy week...

Hey all!

I have quite a bit of catching up to do.  So sorry, but this last week has been busy with job interviews and my still new obsession with my Netflix account and catching up on all the shows I never got to watch like a normal person rather than a nocturnal beast, haha.

Anyway, leaving my crazy blabbing behind I suppose I should do the catching up now, huh?

China Glaze Unrefined

First up is China Glaze Unrefined from their Texture collection from this summer.  This polish is a blue-toned pink creme base that has the sandy grit texture that's all over the place right now.

These polishes are great as both polish in general and as far as the textured polishes go.  They apply smoothly and the colors are gorgeous.  As far as the texture, these aren't too gritty or anything, so if you're still a little iffy about the grit finish, these might be a good option.

 I was able to score the whole line on clearance at Sally's in their last clearance markdown weekend.  If you guys would be interested I can do a swatch-a-thon of the whole collection, just let me know.

Savina Pumpkins and China Glaze Glistening Snow

Next is Savina Pumpkins a pretty much neon orange-peach shimmer polish.  This color is so pretty and fun for summer, but it being so close to the end of summer (I know I'm sad too) I thought it could only be improved with a little bit of a glitter gradient, so I added China Glaze Glistening Snow, a silver holo glitter polish.

This manicure was a lot of fun, and I'm loving Pumpkins.

Bongo Canary Island and Sally Hansen Diamond

Finally I have Bongo Canary Island, a bright pale yellow creme with almost a chartreuse tinge to it.  This polish is not neon exactly but it is a very bright sunny color that would look great with that Summer tan you surely have ;-)

Of course, with my bucket list entry of eventually finding a truly yellow holo (it's my unicorn) I decided to give myself the next best thing and added a quick coat of Sally Hansen Diamond as a holo top coat, which you can kind of see in the picture.

If you're curious about Bongo, you can find them at KMart and possibly Sears I'm not sure, but the formulas I've tried are all really nice for an inexpensive polish.

So anyways, that's all caught up for the last week!  Hopefully I can stay on top of things for the next few days and keep you all up to date.

What did you guys think of these manciures?  Any of you want to see some CG Texture swatches?  Leave me comments or questions below!

Hugs & Kisses & Great Polishes!

~ Cat