PerryPie's Nail Polish Adventures

Claire's Bright Skies

2013-04-16T20:33:00.002-06:00

Pretty, blue, jelly, holo, cheap. What more could you ask for?

Whim of the Moment: On Saturday, StBFF and I had two hours to kill before dinner. Conversation went like so.

Me: What do you wanna do for the next two hours?
StBFF: Let's dye your hair!
Me: Sure!

And I bought a bottle of Manic Panic Fuschia Shock and a box of bleach. Done deal.

I was actually going for purple, but fuschia is good too. The container doesn't look like how it actually turned out. I should have known better, but oh well. It's only semi-perm. I'll go purple after it fades. What y'alls think?

I just want to add to the end of this, I turned my bathtub bright fuschia pink. I kid you not, it looked like I had murdered and dismantled a pink My Little Pony in my shower. So warning for anyone who wants to do this, get a spray bottle, fill it with 3/4 water, pour in some dawn dish soap, and fill the rest with bleach. When you're finished in the shower, I suggest you spray down your shower and let it soak for 15-30 minutes, then rinse.

OPI DS Jewel

2012-10-01T18:26:00.001-06:00

Jewel is a really interesting colour. You're never really sure what colour it actually is. But as far as I can tell, it's a reddish brown based purple with shimmer. And it shifts back and forth between the purple and brown. I didn't really like it on me. But I think it's because it doesn't really work with the yellow in my skin.

I wore this back in May of 2011. It's been so long that I don't even know how many coats I used. Sorry about that.

Pic of the Moment: You know what? I have a pretty sweet job. If you ever hear me complain about it, you are welcome to reach through the computer monitor and smack me upside the head. Because I totally get to take pictures like this:

I love you Quatchi! For those who do not know, that's Quatchi, one of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic mascots. Of all the mascots, he was the most work to get out, but in my opinion, probably the most worth it. He was awesome!

OPI Cosmo Not Tonight Honey! Redux

2012-07-01T22:13:00.000-06:00

Cosmo Not Tonight Honey! is by far the most viewed post on this blog. It has twice the views of the next most viewed post. Crazy sauce! So I figured it was high time to try and do better swatches. Try being the operative word here. They didn't turn out all that well. But here they are anyway.

Cosmo Not is a frosty oyster polish. Doesn't sound attractive at all, but I do really like the way it looks. It has a soft colour which is unassuming, simple, and classy.

Three coats with topcoat. There are some definite application issues, though. It's sheer, even at three coats, you can still see VNL. It's also streaky. Make sure you are careful to use straight strokes because every application imperfection will show. It also shows every imperfection on your nail. You can probably see all the unevenness and and ridges on my nails. Overall, though, I think the trouble is worth it for the colour. Really like it.

Exciting news of the Moment: Sooooo, on this Canada Day, I officially become a full time permanent employee of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Not contract any more! At least for the next little while. My new title will be Junior Curator. Sounds spiffy, doesn't it? Hehehe. Title comes with a promotion and benefits, but as with increased compensation, I'll have increased responsibility. Fun and scary!

Anywho, have a picture of the hall. I think it's a very nice picture. Anyone in Calgary should totally go and visit. It's awesome... I'm not biased or anything. *Innocent*

Essie As Gold As it Gets Sandwiched in L.A. Girl Addict

2012-05-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

Oh jelly sammiches, you look so yummy. I'm speaking of nail polish jelly sandwiches, of course. I've seen them around the net and they all look so squishy, so sparkly, so glorious. Made me want to try my own. Although mine didn't turn out as blingtacular as a lot of the ones I've seen, I really love it.

I used L.A. Girl Addict as my base with Essie As Gold As it Gets as the glitter in the sandwich. Addict is a berry red jelly with gold flakies of its own, but every time I've worn it, I wished the gold flakie was more prominent, so I put a coat of As Gold As it Gets in between. Definite more blingy than Addict on its own but not hugely obvious. Check out the pic anyway. Love it!

One coat As Gold As it Gets between two coats Addict with topcoat. No application issues, but definitely wish I had given more time between coats. Little bit spotty under the harsh lens of super macro mode.

Nail Polish Containment Unit of the Moment: I have no idea how to start this segment. I've kinda sat here for the past 5 minutes trying to come up with a good segue way or witty opening, but I got nuthin'. So I'll just go right into it. My Melmer is awesome. That's right, just look at it. Can you not tell me that it is not awesome?! Hahaha. Mine is on the right. StBFF's is on the left.

Look, the design wraps around the side. Mine also wraps around the other side, but it's just leaves, so not that interesting.

StBFF got the brilliant idea from somewhere on the internet to decorate a Melmer. After that, she was all over the idea. But the original poster had used modge podge, StBFF decided to use wall decals we had bought from Dollarama for $2. It was a great idea. So we did the placement and used an exacto knife to cut and trim all the pieces so they wouldn't tack to each other or the other parts of the Melmer and peel off.

Here's a picture of what the Melmer looks like bare and before I put the drawer handles on. Taken with camera phone, so not great.

And my Melmer in its new home beside my Helmer. They homies.

One last picture of how I strapped my Melmer into my car so that I could take to StBFF's to decorate. I thought it looked funny.

OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air

2012-04-15T10:00:00.000-06:00

I love Kermit the Frog. I think he's down to earth, hilarious, and adorable. He's also green. And if you're intrested in watching George Stroumboulopoulos interviewing Kermit the Frog, please click here. I honestly think this is one of the best interviews evar. (I totally just rewatched this after finding the link. Hehehe.) So that's why I nabbed this polish even when I didn't think I'd ever wear it. Its namesake. But then I got all into glitters and this was one of the ones at the top of the list to wear.

Fresh Frog of Bel Air is a clear polish with small green glitter and large silver hex glitter. The photo makes this look patchy, but in general, it looks fully covered. I really loved the way it looked with the green and silver. And it was so blingy. So fun.

Four coats with topcoat. I was a bit surprised that this one required four coats of colour and was still patchy. After wearing a bunch of China Glaze and Sally Hansen glitters in a row, I was expecting this OPI to be of comparable quality, but not this around.

Nom of the Moment: Breakfast cookies. That's right, they have bacon, buttermilk pancake, and maple syrup. So delicious. So delectable. You must go try. I have the recipe on my food blog, check it out here. I love how these taste. Sweet and savoury. Delish!

Barielle Buddha-ful

2012-04-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today I have for you a lovely sheer polish. I was feeling au naturel so I picked Buddha-ful. I was surprised how much I ended up liking this polish. After the first week, I took it off and put it back on. Buddha-ful is a sheer soft pink polish with green/blue duochrome flakies. The flakies are subtle, but definitely there. I would say this polish isn't a good layering polish because the base is quite milky. So if you are going to layer with it, make sure you use a very thin coat.

The overall look you get with this polish is like a soft french mani as you definitely still see VNL. It's a very clean and feminine look. Sorry for the scab on my middle finger. Weirdly placed paper cut. Ick.

Three coats with top coat. I had slight streaking issues, so just be careful. And make sure to wait between coats. Also, try painting polish onto sides then one stroke down the middle to blend, so the streaks aren't as evident. (A trick I learned from All Lacquered Up) But again, streaking was minor.

Awesome of the Moment: Dude!!! Canada's getting a glow in the dark dinosaur coin! Not only does it have a dinosaur on it. It. Glows. In. The. Dark. Check it out.

Read more here.

30 Hour Famine Report & Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

2012-04-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

Thank you to everyone who supported me for 30 Hour Fame. I appreciate your donations and your words of encouragement. You have no idea how much it meant to me. Now for the Clean Water Giveaway winner.

Congrats Carina! Hope you enjoy your nail polish!!

Now the important part, my nail polish. Lol. My 30 Hour Famine manicure was Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe. I chose it because it had a water type feel to it. And since I was raising money for clean water, it fit.

I never ever thought I'd own this polish. First off, it's quite pricey and I thought it was limited edition so I assumed it was out of my reach. But Spa Boutique, a Canadian online retailer, happened to have a 15% off sale and I grabbed it. I was so excited. So excited. And it arrived the night before 30 Hour Famine. Perfect timing.

Across the Universe is a dark blue jelly with small blue glitter and large blue and green hex glitter. I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it! But this is a horrible picture. It looks all streaky and sheer and yuckies in the unforgiving light of Ott lite. But in regular and bright indoor lighting, it just looks like a squishy dark blue polish with lots of different glitter. Just glorious and beautiful.

Three coats with top coat. It applies watery so I gave it time to dry between coats and used thick coats.

30 Hour Famine Report: My fast has began Friday, March 30th, 2012 at 1:00 PM. I was eating right up until 1:00. And of course, that's the exact moment the new CEO has to walk in with the most glorious and delicious looking cupcakes known to man. Boooo. Hahaha.

I ate at least three pork chops, two hardboiled eggs, a bowl of rice, and three pieces of chicken breast at lunch. It can not be healthy to have had so much protein in such a short period of time. But it lasted me until about 10:00 PM.

And here's a little video report I made in the last hour of the fast. Warning: This video contains high levels of awkwardness. Watch at your own discretion. Hehehe.

At one point during the vid, I say I was up until 1:30 AM and was up at 8:30 AM and I realize how old I sound. Man, years ago, that would have been no problem.

OPI Wooden Shoe Like To Know?

2012-03-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

One last time, ladies and gents! Mostly ladies, a few gents, I think. Go enter my Give Clean Water Giveaway! It ends tomorrow! That's right, tomorrow, I begin fasting for 30 hours. I'm kinda scared. I've been training. I find I can go 5 hours without eating before I get a lil' light headed... That's not even a quarter of the entire time. Eeef.

I love this polish! It's so awesome! Can you tell? I am excited. Hahaha. Wooden Shoe is a gorgeous, creamy milk chocolate brown creme with gold shimmer. That gold shimmer is so nice. I love it. I highly recommend you click the picture to see the hi res version.

Two coats with topcoat. Applies smooth and flawless. I have bubbles, but that's from my super thick bottle of Poshe. Sorry about that. Time for some thinner.

Morbid Thought of the Moment: So I was thinking last night, what would you want to happen to your polish when you die? I know, totally morbid. But I've been feeling the morbid lately. I know many of us must have a lot of polish at this point. And probably lots of friends and family who aren't interested in our little obsession. I personally have more than 600 bottles. And it takes up quite a bit of room. So if you suddenly were no longer of this world, what would you want to happen to your nail polish?

I think the only person who would really have any appreciation for my collection is StBFF. I'd will it to her and she can do as she pleases with it. Ideally, I would like for what polishes she isn't interested in keeping to be donated to a museum. But I can't really see a museum taking my collection. Most fashion museums deal with textiles primarily, or shoes, costumes, hats, jewelery, etc. Not make-up. Which is too bad, because nowadays the packaging for make-up itself can be works of art. Maybe someday I'll start one. Who knows.

Sally Hansen Big Money

2012-03-26T08:00:00.000-06:00

I'm probably starting to sound like a broken record. Oh, what the heck, let's be honest, I totally sound like a broken record. But I care not, because I want you to enter my Give Clean Water Giveaway! Go! Shoo! There really aren't that many entries, so your chances of winning the pot are quite high. Please, please, pretty please? By the way, it's my Birthday today. Totally shameless I know, but go enter the giveaway, it'd make my Birthday just that much awesomer. *Wink*

Anyhow, onto the polish. I've been calling this polish the blonde, as does StBFF. I don't feel like Big Money is a very good name for this polish. Doesn't fit, ya know? But the Blonde, I like.

The Blonde is another polish from the Gem Crush line. I have to admit, these polishes have been amazing. They should come out with more. In darker colours. *Hint hint*, Sally. Big Money is a clear polish packed full of pale champagne glitter and larger lavender hex glitter. I love it. It's like subtle bling. The overall effect you get with the combination is a cool, pale glittery gold on your nails. Love. It.

Three coats with topcoat and spackle. Great application, but suffers from the same affliction as its siblings, an awkwardly shaped, unwieldy brush.

Adorableness of the Moment: YOMG PUPPIES!! Yeah, that's all I got. Hahaha.

Chanel Paradoxal

2012-03-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

Just another reminder to enter my Give Clean Water Giveaway if you haven't already done so. Enter to win nail polish for a good cause!

I'm sure most of you have heard of Paradoxal so I won't go into too much intro. Paradoxal is a greyed purple polish with a very subtle shimmer. I like to call it work-appropriate funky. Teehee.

Two coats with topcoat. No application issues to report. I'm always happy when I pay a ridiculous amount of money for a polish and get a good quality one. Nothing like shelling out big bucks to end up with a poor formula, soul crushing disappointment, that is. Yes, exactly that dramatic.

Pics of the Moment: I really don't have anything amazing or wowsee to post about for the moment. So have some pics of me at work. I'm installing the Lui Passaglia case at work. Shorties of the world unite! Stretch to get that top case locked! Boo yah!

Sally Hansen Lady Luck

2012-03-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've added seven more polishes, courtesy of StBFF, to my Give Clean Water Giveaway. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should totally head over and give it a gander.

Lately, I've been really into glitters. Especially since instead of having remover take it off, I just wear enough coats that it pops off on its own. Lol. Seriously, glitter would be the perfect polish if not for removal.

Anyhow, Lady Luck is a clear polish with magenta glitter and larger holo hex glitter from the Sally Hansen Gem Crush collection. I really love the colour saturation of this one. Also, it's so glittery, I'm pretty sure I'm a hazard on the road. Today, on my way home from running some errands, after I got out of the car, I kinda stood on the road and admired my nails for a bit... Before I clued in that I was on a road. Good thing I live in a relatively quiet neighbourhood.

Three coats with topcoat and a clear spackle coat to try and reduce bumpiness. Colour built up well. The only issue I had with application with the large, thick, weirdly shaped brush. Just made it hard to get the polish where I wanted it.

of the Moment: A couple weeks ago I took this pic at work. Someone had requested an up close shot of the dash of a model we had of the Miss Canada IV Speed Boat. I just really like how the picture turned out. So check it out!

The Give Clean Water Giveaway

2012-03-19T23:25:00.000-06:00

Giveaway time! But this time it'll be for a good cause.

A little back ground: On March 30-31 I will be taking part in 30 Hour Famine. If you haven't heard of it, it's where you don't eat for 30 hours to raise money for a cause. This year the money we raise will go to drilling wells for clean water in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to build irrigation systems in Sri Lanka. To find out more, go here.

Now, what does this have to do with my giveaway? Well, with a minimum $5 donation, you will be entered into this draw.

The prize:

I may be adding more as I go. So check back in with the blog periodically.

Photographed on my lovely quilt.

Lynnderella Connect the Dots (Not pictured as it is being donated by StBFF), Joe Fresh Brick, Joe Fresh Persian blue, Joe Fresh Moss, Joe Fresh Starry, Joe Fresh Twilight, Joe Fresh Mallard, Joe Fresh Jade, Joe Fresh Eyeshadow: Gold Rush, Joe Fresh Tinted Lip Balm: Coral, Joe Fresh Zip Bag, Essie Clutch Me if You Can, Sally Hansen Gem Crush Big Money, Sally Hansen Gem Crush Lady Luck, Ardene Taupes Off, Ardene Midnight Purple, Ardene Grape Times, Ardene Princess Cut, Ardene Emerald Green, ACO Outer Space, China Glaze Yee-Haw!, OPI Grand Canyon Sunset, and OPI Nail Envy (Mini).

And here's a closeup of the Joe Fresh polishes because the little makeup bag distorts the polishes.

Notice the black flakie and silver holo.

Edit: StBFF has given me some more polishes for this giveaway.

OPI Chop-Sticking to my Story, OPI Take the Stage, China Glaze Drive In, Claire's Evil Queen, Claire's Venomous, Claire's Poison Apple, Claire's Bright Skies, Bloomers Scented Cuticle Oil, and Essie Russian Roulette.

How to enter:

Donate a minimum of $5 HERE

For each $5 donation, you will receive one entry.
You will also receive one extra entry for spreading the word about this giveaway. I don't care how you spread the word, as long as you can send me a link that I can verify.
Donations require a credit card.
I'm in Canada so Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt for a donation of $20 or more.
You don't have to be a follower to enter the giveaway.
Giveaway ends March 30th, 1:00 pm MST, exactly when I begin fasting.
Help me reach my goal! Thank you all for your donations.

**Giveaway ended. Thank you for your donations and entries!**

China Glaze Some Like it Haute

2012-03-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Oh I love glitter. So funnsy. Why can't removal be the same? Lol. Anywho, Some Like it Haute is a clear polish packed with gunmetal grey glitter and larger round iridescent glitter. So blingy and fun. The photos just don't do this polish justice. The camera picks up way too much detail. Wherein real life, your eyes will blend all the glitter together producing a glorious sparkley grey mani. Also, my nails are too little to showcase the wide range of colours the glitter turns. Check the bottle for that.

The good thing about wearing anything bling-tastic during winter time is my hands are safely tucked away in gloves where they can't distract me while driving. Teehee.

Three coats with topcoat. I also added an extra coat of clear under my topcoat as a spackle coat. Didn't really have any issues other than it thickening during the mani. I actually went and added a couple drops of thinner to it while I was applying my second coat. So just keep that in mind during application. Don't leave the bottle uncapped too long.

PS: This mani only really lasted three days for me. After that, it just started to pop off. Literally. The nail polish was so thick that instead of chipping, the entire whole sheet of nail polish on my nails just came off. So if you want to wear this for a special occasion, I would suggest not doing it too far in advance because you won't know when you'll just lose a nail of nail polish.

Mini History Lesson of the Moment: I want to share this little vid with you guys. It's the history of the Keep Calm and Carry on Posters. It's really interesting. I had absolutely no idea it originated in the Second World War. Please watch and enjoy.

Cult Nails Iconic

2012-03-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Iconic is a berry red polish with gold shimmer and flakies. It's like red with a twist. Very unique and so hawt. Mmmm... Yeah, I just used the term hawt. I don't quite know how I feel about that, right this moment. Hahaha.

Two coats with topcoat. No application issues. Smooth as butter.

I could go for some buttered toast right now. Yummm.

Lol of the Moment: We just recently got a new washing machine. Our old one was older than me. And I'm a quarter century. So it was definitely time. But the new one is kinda, sorta "fancy" so my mom has no idea how to use it. In an effort to make it easier for her, I have included sticky notes. This makes me lol to no end.

Color Club Nouveau Vintage

2012-02-25T13:52:00.001-07:00

Ooooh. Perdy polish. Nouveau Vintage is a cozy brown polish with copper and green micro-glitter. Very unique. The green and copper definitely gives it a vintage feel. Like something old and tarnished. It also reminds me of gorgeous mahogany hair. If I could have any coloured hair, it would so be mahogany.

Two coats, no top coat. Good application. No issues.

Vid of the Moment: Funny that this polish is called Nouveau Vintage, you must all check out this amazing video. (My bad attempt at tying in this vid and the post. Lol.) I watched it four times and I still got misty on that last viewing. It's a story about a tractor. Please enjoy.

THE FLOOD from Juicy Studios on Vimeo.

And because of the attention this vid has gotten, the tractor isn't getting retired. *Tear* So. Touching.

Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle

2012-02-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

origami's pick.

Dark green creme. You know, I was so enamoured with this polish when I got it. But now that it's been around for a while and there are more polishes like this, I'm kinda blah on it. I need something to kick-start my nail polish enthusiasm.

Two coats with top coat. I have bald spots, I know. I shouldn't have them with this polish, but again, a case of not waiting between coats. Sorry for the crappy application.

Creation of the Moment: Oh good gravy. I just put my blog through Wordle and it turns out the word I use the most is like. *Facepalm*

Sinful Colors Bleeding Heart

2012-01-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Bleeding Heart is a classic red creme. For some reason, it photographs much more orange than it is in real life. I think it's like photographing purples for me, they turn out blue and reds turn out orangey. Anywho, I'm surprised how much I like this polish. Just simple and classic. Also awesome that I got it on sale from London Drugs.

Two coats with topcoat. Applies very smooth with good pigmentation. Although it is a bit thick. Doesn't level out as nice and I would have hoped.

Obsession of the Moment: Coins. I love collecting coins. The Canadian Mint has come out with these collectible circulation coins to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Parks Canada. I think these coins are awesome. I just screen capped these off the Canadian Mint site. Check it, check it. And yes, we have coloured coins. Teehee!

OPI Pink Me I'm Good

2011-12-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

Heather's pick.

Pink Me I'm Good is a Barbie pink jelly with gold glitter. I love the way this looks, but not on me. I just feel ridiculous wearing this. Like I should be a complete air head or something. I don't know why. Colours don't tend to get to me like that. Just pinks like this. *Facepalm*

Two coats with topcoat. You still see VNL, but I liked how it looked at just two coats. Applied well. The glitter goes on evenly, but it is slightly bumpy.

Funny of the Moment: I'm a bit amazed at how true each and every once of these truths are. Just hilarious. Hope you get a laugh out of it.

Sally Hansen Commander in Chic

2011-10-28T23:28:00.001-06:00

Oh man, my arms feel like jelly. I'm so out of snow shovelling shape. Everything is sore. Lol, so sad. Anyhoodle, onto origami's pick.

A mousy purple, brown, and grey creme. When it comes to cataloguing colours like this, I never know where to put them. I just know I love'em.

Two coats and topcoat. Perfect application. Blame the bubbles on the top coat. I even really liked the brush on this one. Contours nicely to the curve of my cuticles and just made it super easy to apply.

Pic of the Moment: So recently I got sucked in by the entity that is Pinterest. There are just so many awesome, beautiful, and glorious things on there. For anyone interested, check out my Pinterest here.

This is one of the things I found on Pinterest and wanted to share. So cute. So geeky. Enjoy!

Carlo Di Roma Pure 11

2011-10-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

Heather's pick.

I always feel like I'm one of the only people in the world who like sheers. I just think they're so pretty. Well, the sparkly ones. 11 is a sheer pink polish with silver microglitter that flashes that lovely green and pink. I have pictures of the polish at one and two coats.

The bling-age increases at two coats.

Application was smooth. No major issues to report.

Pics of the Moment: My dad and I like to take walks in a ravine near our house. I have to admit, we're really lucky to have this green space so near our house. If you've been following me for a year or so, you've probably seen the various pictures I've taken of the area. So have some more! We saw some deer on our walk.

First we glimpsed.

Then we spotted this little guy trying to hide.

And then we were like, hey, where'd you come from?

Then we rounded the corner and went wow, this is so nice. So I snapped a pic.

Nfu-Oh 558

2011-10-22T10:00:00.000-06:00

Deep blue jelly-creme. I would say it's almost a jelly, but stays within the realm of creme. I really love this colour. Reminds me of the darkest part of the ocean. Also reminds me of Nicole by OPI In Your Hands, but more creme than jelly. Anyway, it didn't look this bad in real life. Sorry for the bad swatch.

Two coats with topcoat. I have a feeling this one is going to stain when I take it off, judging by my cuticles. So, highly pigmented. But slightly goopy formula. That could just be because my bottle is old though. Ended up with bald spots despite how dark it is. Probably because I'm lazy and never wait for one coat to dry before putting on the next.

Pic of the Moment: This is more of a shoutout for StBFF. She's got midterms right now so I just wanted to wish her good luck.

OPI Gargantuan Green Grape

2011-10-17T16:34:00.000-06:00

origami's pick. By the way, I've run out of picks. So if you guys wouldn't mind, going up to my What I'm Wearing Next AKA Pick My Polish page and picking something for me to wear, I would be ever so grateful.

GGG is a light green creme. It's probably a pastel, but I dunno, doesn't feel that way to me. Right after finishing this mani, I smudged the heck out of it trying to get my bottle of black shatter open. I had a serious rage-out as it was such a pain to apply. I spent the better part of a half hour trying to get it perfect. There might have been some screaming involved.

Three coats no topcoat. Like I said, it was a pain to apply. Even at three coats it's not perfect.

Pic of the Moment:

WARNING. Graphic close-ups of dead mosquito ahead.

As some of you may know, I hate mosquitoes. Absolutely hate them with a passion. I can be a bit of a bleeding heart about killing things sometimes. Like accidentally stepping on earthworms after it's rained. But not mosquitoes. The only thing I'd feel bad about if I managed to annihilate all mosquitoes is that a lot of bats wouldn't have anything to eat.

So I will admit, I got a bit giddy at finding this mosquito dead on my windowsill. I may have cackled. Well, ok, I totally cackled. So I took some pictures because how often are you going to get a chance to get photos like this? Please excuse the dust, I swear, it only looks that bad because these are extreme close-ups.

BECCA Billy Tea

2011-10-02T11:00:00.000-06:00

Billy Tea is a brown taupe creme with minor grey and purple tones depending on the light. Definitely mousey. Really reminds me of delicious chocolate milk though. Especially since I like to water down my chocolate milk with white milk. Yum! And loving this colour. My pictures show it a little bit warmer than it actually is. But again, it changes colours depending on the lighting. Forgive my cuticles. I was baking before I did my nails so they were all sorts of dried out.

Two coats with topcoat. Applied like butter. Smooth and shiny. Definitely a fan of the formula.

Disclosure: Bought this polish with a sponsored gift card from Apothica.com.

Food of the Moment: I was baking cinnamon apple oatmeal cookies before I did my nails. I'd post the recipe, but it's not perfected yet. I improvised these cookies because I had an apple pie craving. They turned out tasting really good, but the texture's off. They kinda fell apart on me. I have to tweak bake time and how much flour I need. But when the recipe's good, I'll post it for you guys.

Essie Love, Beverly Hills XX

2011-09-27T23:51:00.000-06:00

Oh, you guys are in for a very very long post. Hahaha.

This is terry's pick. Love Beverly Hills is a classic blue based red with gold shimmer. My collection has so many of these reds, but I love them so. Fantastic wa-bam colour.

Two coats. Applied like a dream. Well pigmented.

Now let me get rambly. I want to actually tell you guys the origin of the "of the Moment" series. When I first started this blog, I swore to myself that it would focus on nail polish and nothing else. Each and every post would have nail polish content no matter what. This is why I haven't done reviews of other random products. This blog is called Nail Polish Adventures after all. This was what I was passionate about, and this was why you guys were here. But as I invested more time and effort into NPA, I wanted to share more with you guys. You started to feel like family and this blog had become my own unique outlet to the rest of the world. This is why I created the "of the Moment" series at the end of each post. It was a place to share random little things that caught my fancy, pictures, stories, and anything I thought you guys might be interested in.

Random Review of the Moment: So I thought I would add random reviews of non-nail polish products. There are some products in my life that I just sort of love and would love to tell you about. I probably won't do this often, but hopefully, you guys will find this interesting.

Onto the review. There's probably one other beauty product that I can't get enough of. Lip balm. I know, weird. I don't wear any makeup, at all. But I love getting lip balm. I don't even know if you can call it a beauty product. Hahaha. Let me share my three favourites with you in no particular order.

Frilly Lilly Peppermint Lip Butter. I first mentioned this stuff back in October of last year. I didn't talk much about the lip butter though. Recently I developed a rash on my lips and they started peeling like nuts. I've got incredibly sensitive skin that will randomly react to things. Yeah, totally sucks and gross. But anyway, the 99 cent stick lip balm I was using didn't do anything to sooth my poor lips. So I pulled out my trusty Frilly Lilly Peppermint Lip Butter. I love this stuff because it's super hydrating and protective without a waxy build-up. It just slides on and is really soothing on chapped lips. I'm also a huge sucker for minty things. The only thing I hate about it is the fact that it comes in a little pot and I'm forced to dip my fingers in it to put it on my lips. This is why this stays home when I can wash my hands before I use it. If they could put this in a stick form, I'd be all over it like white on rice. I put it on every morning and every night before bed. Another thing about this lip butter is that it will really harden in cooler temperatures and melt in the heat of summer. Even though it stays home where the temperature is mostly regulated. Probably because it's all just natural oils and waxes. Bonus is that this is a local Calgary brand. (Ingredients: Sunflower oil, beeswax, carnuba wax, olive oil, avocado oil, kokum butter, jojoba oil, flavour)

LaNatura Vitamin E & Aloe Shea Butter Lip Balm. This is probably tops in my lip balm arsenal. I only recently bought this from skinbotanica.com, who is one of my sponsors, and I love it. I would definitely get this again and multiple ones as backups and for each and every purse. When you look at it, you'd think it'd be waxy, but when you put it on your lips, it just slides on and melts into oils that just absorb into your lips leaving them feeling nice and soft. This is also the lip balm that sits in my purse and goes everywhere with me because it comes in stick form so even if my hands are dirty, I can still use it without getting all germaphobe. This lip balm also comes in a bunch of different flavours, but I opted for the one that has just about no scent. I think next time, I'll give the other flavours a try. Bonus is that this is nice and wide so that I can cover my lips in a couple quick swipes. (Ingredients: Vitamin E, Aloe Vera Oil, Organically Grown Shea Butter Fruit, Beeswax, Sesame Seed Oil, Borage Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, Avocado Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Vitamin C)

LypSyl Honey rose Lip Balm. I didn't link to any place online for this one because I totally got it at the dollar store. If you do a search, I'm sure you can find a place to get it. But I got it for $1.25 CAD. I don't even remember what the dollar store was called. But it was an awesome purchase. Super moisturizing with some shimmer. This is about as close as I'll get to wearing lip gloss. I kicked the gloss habit a while ago and haven't gone back. I couldn't stand the sticky feeling. With this lip balm, I can get the shiny look without the gooey all over my lips feeling. It also smells like pink lemonade. (Ingredients: Mideral oil, petrolatum, paraffin, hydrogenated coconut oil, ceresin, beeswax, flavor, organic shea butter, vitamin E acetate, Vitamin A Palmitate, titanium dioxide, silica, mica, tin oxide, calcium aluminum borosilicate)

Hope you guys found these reviews useful. Let me know what you think!

BYS Down the Rabbit Hole

2011-09-22T00:12:00.000-06:00

Polish Pauper's pick. So glad she picked this. I had forgotten I owned this polish. It was from the 2010 Wonderland Collection. Thanks to Kaz at Pretty Random for getting this for me. I asked her to get me one for StBFF too. StBFF was so excited when she got it that she swatched it on a styrofoam plate. Which it ate through. Lol. It's B3F but it sure does smell toxic.

Now onto the polish. Down the Rabbit Hole is a smokey black jelly with silver holographic glitter. Because it's a jelly it never hits full on black black. But it has good depth and shows off the glitter well. I really like it. It's a nice soft black which I think works better with my skin. For those who really want that sparkly black look, I would suggest a coat of black to start with.

Three coats with topcoat. The glitter isn't chunky at all. And the polish is very shiny and smooth on its own. After the first coat, I was thinking, this is not getting anywhere near the bottle colour. But at three coats, it looked pretty good.

Wicked awesome glorious baking equipment of the moment: My friend, Andrea, just completely out of the blue gave me this huge professional cupcake carrier that holds 36 cupckes. I was so surprised and happy I actually started crying at their house. It was a bit embarrassing. But look at this glorious thing!!!

I have such plans for you, my precious.