Scrangie

Can't think of a clever title for this post about smiling soap

2013-05-23T13:15:00.001-05:00

I was feeling pretty crappy yesterday (having a rough month, if it wasn't already obvious) and I was hoping a hot shower would make me feel better. Usually some really good smelling soap cheers me up a little, but I just wasn't feeling it... and then I looked at my soap dish.

My soap was smiling at me and I couldn't help but laugh about it. Hell, I even brought my camera into the shower to take a picture of it so I wouldn't forget how (eerily) cute it was. Message from the universe or weird soapy coincidence? I'll never know, but it sure made me smile too.

Hope everyone's having a good day today!

NARS Disco Inferno Nail Polish Spring 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-05-23T10:54:00.001-05:00

NARS Disco Inferno. A light greyed purple-based, frost-finish multichrome. It starts out with grey edges and a blue-toned purple in the center of the nail, but shifts to blue, green and just a hint of orange, depending on the angle and lighting. The overall effect is soft and faded, keeping a grey-ness in every color it flashes. In addition to the multichrome effect, it also has a good amount of tiny silver foil sparkle.

The formula on this was good. Thick enough to keep it from being runny, thin enough that it wasn't clumping or bubbling. It needs to dry for a minute or two between each coat, but otherwise decent application. It's pretty sheer and needs at least three coats to eliminate visible nail line. I did four here. Each additional coat enhances the duochrome effect. Dry time is average.

Very cool polish, but not a unique color. It's basically the same as Wet n Wild Gray's Anatomy / Deborah Lippmann Wicked Game (and I'm sure there are others), just with a little more sparkle. It is more opaque than those two, but it's priced a few bucks higher than the Lippmann so it's not the most economical choice for a purple-grey multichrome. Super pretty, just kinda pricey.

(This was sent for review.)

Color Club Halo Hues Holographic Nail Polish Collection Spring 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-05-21T15:40:00.001-05:00

Hey, more holos! Good ones. Linear ones. Holos pretty much speak for themselves, so just soak in the rainbowy goodness of the Color Club Halo Hues collection:

Color Club Angel Kiss.

Color Club Beyond.

Color Club Blue Heaven.

Color Club Cherubic.

Color Club Cloud Nine.

Color Club Cosmic Fate.

Color Club Eternal Beauty.

Color Club Halographic.

Color Club Harp On It.

Color Club Kismet.

Color Club Miss Bliss.

Color Club Over The Moon.

The formula on these was very good. Some of the older linear holographic polishes had huge problems with streaking and bald spots when not used with an Aqua Base-type basecoat, but these do not have that problem at all. They apply evenly without bald spots, streaks, running, pooling, excessively thin formula or sheerness, or really any noticeable problem. Some colors apply easier than others, but overall I'm pleased with the application. I'm also happy about how long they wear; the past few times I've worn these has been without any base or topcoat and each one lasted almost a week without chipping. Usually the stronger the holo, the faster it chips, but I didn't have that problem with these. Fast dry time, as expected. Zero complaints in the formula department. Opaque at two coats, which is what I'm wearing here.

Topcoat does seem to dull the holographic look a little, but it gradually returns to full strength the longer you wear it. I don't wear base coat or top coat with these, though- they don't seem to need it for wear, dry time or shine.

One thing I like about some of these is the intensity of the base color. Angel Kiss and Miss Bliss are two good examples of a colorful holo that's not overly faded or silvery-looking. Not all the shades have saturated, colorful bases, but they all still have a very strong linear holographic effect.

You may have noticed that there's a black holo in this collection. It's good. It's better than Revvvolution. I don't like it quite as much as my beloved OPI My Private Jet, but it is one of the better black holographic polishes I've come across. Good formula, reasonably and affordably priced and easy to obtain. I'd pick it up if you are a fan of black holos.

The price of these varies depending on where you get them from. I paid $8 each for mine at 8ty8beauty, but I just saw them on clearance at Meijer for $3.50 a bottle. Much cheaper than pretty much any other full-sized holo polish on the market right now.

Beyond The Zone Color Jamz Pro Formula Hair Color in Bubble Head Pink

2013-05-17T12:10:00.000-05:00

I know you all want to see nail stuff and not the side of my head, but I just finished my last bottle of this yesterday and it reminded me to write a review. More of a warning than a review, really.

This product gets a special award from me because it's the worst hair color I've ever used. I have pretty realistic expectations when it comes to beauty products, so it's rare that disappointed in anything as much as I was with this.

I bought it because it was on sale and already cheap (around $5). I'm really happy with my usual color, but I could get two bottles of this for the same price as one jar of Manic Panic, and the color looked similar in the bottle, so I figured why not?

I have two good things to say about this. One, the squeezy bottle packaging is convenient (except the texture of the color really thick and hard to squeeze out). Two, it's a pretty color right out of the bottle. Oh... And I guess it smells okay. Maybe that's three.

Other than that it has no redeeming qualities for me. Why?

It stains everything... except my hair.
Really, even leaving it on for five hours didn't make it stick to my hair.
It bleeds more than any color I've ever used. Even when my hair is dry. It gets on everything.
It dries my hair out really bad and makes it feel gross.
It only lasts one wash before any noticeable color it deposited on my hair fades drastically or disappears altogether.

I had already used one full bottle a few months ago and the second one I bought was just sitting in my cabinet taking up space, so I used the whole bottle to touch up my just-starting-to-fade ends.

Beyond the Zone Bubble Head Pink over Manic Panic Hot Hot Pink (Manic Panic Lie-Locks on bangs)

Really not much of a difference in color than before I applied it except that the parts that were starting to turn light pink are a little darker now. The only real difference is that now my hair feels dry and my neck and back are stained hot pink.

I purchased mine from Sally Beauty.

All better!

2013-05-05T18:27:00.000-05:00

Still sick, but at least I fixed it!

Manic Panic Amplified Hot Hot Pink mixed with one tiny, dime-sized dab of Manic Panic Atomic Turquoise

Oops

2013-05-03T17:31:00.002-05:00

I know, it's obnoxious, I keep complaining about it, but... I've been sick for almost an entire month. It's getting on my nerves. I missed the flowers blooming on my pear tree because I've been doing nothing but sleeping and coughing! I've been waiting for that all year!

The sickness started out as an innocent-enough itchy throat during the last week of March and then mutated into some flu-like monster that put me on my ass for two weeks straight. Then I felt better for about a week and BLAMMO! Back with a vengeance. So it seems I have bronchitis (nobody got time for that, et cetera, et cetera) and I'm feeling very lethargic because of it.

Lethargy and sickness = gettin' lazy with my normally enjoyable beauty routine. No polish. Cuticles a mess. Clarisonic battery dead. Every time I've put makeup on this week, my eyes just water until it all runs down my face. And... my hair. Yikes.

Lately I have on Manic Panic Hot Hot Pink with some combination of Atomic Turquoise or Ultra Violet in the front or sides, but I've been letting it fade out because I wanted to try a different color (Manic Panic Pretty Flamingo, anyone tried it?). The (extremely porous) ends had already faded to a nice pastel pink, but the roots were still super bright and it looked weird.

I didn't feel like bleaching my roots (even though they need it) and I didn't feel like touching up with mega-super-staining hot pink while I'm this sick, so for some reason I decided to just cover everything with Electric Amethyst.

Freshly washed Electric Amethyst over Hot Hot Pink (still damp)

So... black roots. Then a stripe of dark fuchsia, then a stripe of purple, and then... Grey in the front, blue on the sides and pink around the back. Oops.

After three washes with Shimmer Lights shampoo and blow-dried

Right now it's turned into a nice faded lavender/mauve type color, similar to all those grey-purple-taupe-putty polish colors that were popular a couple years ago. It's a lot bluer than I thought it would be, but I'm going to fix it as soon as I'm not hacking up my internal organs. I like the pastel/faded/antique look on other people but I need bright.

Just thought I'd share this so you can laugh with me while I'm recovering. I mean, don't laugh too much, but... yeah. I'm going to go make some tea and pass out in front of Adventure Time reruns now.

Pretty Serious Birthday Party Celebration and contest!

2013-04-29T12:23:00.000-05:00

Want to help celebrate Pretty Serious' first birthday and have a chance to win some Pretty Serious polishes? Check out the press release below. I think you're going to like the prize.

PRETTY SERIOUS IS TURNING ONE!

Our fabulous NEW sparkling birthday polish "Daphne's Birthday Party" is now on sale and you can help us make May 14th a very special day for both us and our girl Daphne, and pick yourself up some bonuses as well!

How can you be a part of the festivities? Easy!

Firstly, grab yourself a bottle of Daphne's Birthday Party as soon as you possibly can! You want to make sure you have yourself properly prepared in time. You can pick it up now at www.pretty-serious.com

Next, get that polish of sparkly explosion on your nails so you can grab yourself a swatch or two (a whole blog posts worth even!) If you are going to put it on your blog, you may want to get it ready before hand, but most importantly...

TRY NOT TO EXPLODE AS YOU WAIT UNTIL MAY 14TH!!!

Once it hits May 14th in your timezone, unleash upon the interwebs with all you have and wish Daphne a Happy Birthday! We want to spread the sparkly confetti far and wide on one big special day, and we don't care if you aren't a nail artist with but just a dormant instagram account to your name - join in with us!

Finally, come to our site and hit the Contact Us tab on the side of the page, or just email info@pretty-serious.com, and let us know where you put your swatch.

Why?

We're giving everyone who joins in a 20% off discount code for their next order! But most importantly, we'll put you in the draw to win the very special prize of

EVERY SINGLE POLISH WE RELEASE UNTIL DAPHNE TURNS 2!!!

Trust us, that's quite a bit of polish that will start paying off rather immediately.

As we said before though, just a few general rules-

Your swatches must be of Daphne's Birthday Party, and they must be your own. Stealing someone else's swatch of Poltergeist Puddle and putting it up on the day doesn't count. Just saying, because there's always someone... Also, the polish must have been bought by you. No buying one bottle so you and 5 close friends can enter. That's not very sporting. Group orders are okay, provided every entrant [purchases their own bottle.

Your swatch must be viewable to all on some form of social media or website. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, your own blog - the more the merrier!

Each person will only be entered into the draw once. We toyed with the idea of an entry per separate post, but obviously, some people have a much larger online presence than others and we wanted a fair and even playing field for everyone joining in. We hope everyone will simply get into the spirit of it all and go crazy, if possible, anyway!

When we say "every single polish", that does not include any special one off polishes we may do for whatever reason. An example of this is The Great Below, a one of a kind polish currently up for auction for Paint It Blue. Other Limited Edition's in the vein of Emma Louise or Golden Ticket - all yours!

The competition is open to anyone who buys a bottle of Daphne's Birthday Party. Any bloggers that we may give a promotional sample to are not eligible, but if they bought a polish like everyone else - fair game! Also, our immediate family and close friends - all ineligible.

We'll draw the winner as soon as we can possibly organise it after the day is well and truly done. It will be drawn by a mutual third party who we have not yet decided on, and we will post a video of the drawing on our YouTube channel for all to see. Kaz is already cranky that she has to be in front of the camera, but we will do our best to prove we have an honest winner.

If anyone has any questions or is confused about anything - PLEASE ASK US! Leave a comment on our blog or Facebook wall, send an email, whatever you are comfortable with! We won't bite, and we're happy to help!

We hope you'll be a part of our incredible first birthday celebration!

There's still time to grab a bottle, so feel free to share this info on your blogs and help us make our first birthday an even bigger party!!

Daphne's Birthday Party is now available from www.pretty-serious.com for $9.95. Our Aussie made polishes are cruelty free, vegan friendly and Big 3 free. Volume is 11ml/0.37fl.oz

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms 22 Bronze Coral

2013-04-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

One of my side projects has been working on swatching my stash of Sally Hansen Nail Prisms. I swatched a good portion of my collection a while back and I thought I had posted all of my swatches. Guess not. Found this one sitting in my drafts folder. Huh. Well, I'm posting it now.

Sally Hansen Nail Prisms in 22 Bronze Coral. Tons of colors in this one. Bronze and coral, like the name says, but also pink, gold, yellow, green, red, orange, mauve, red and a little purple. This has a very fine but distinct type of shimmer particle in it, as you can see in the bottle in the very last picture. It looks nearly holographic in certain types of light. Like most of the Nail Prisms, this one was on the sheer side. It's been so long since I took this picture that I don't remember exactly how many coats I needed, but I'm certain this is at least four.

Even with all of the new-style duochrome/multichrome polishes that have come out lately, I still have an extreme fondness for these. They're sheer and they take a million years to dry, but there's just nothing like seeing all of those unexpected colors shifting and changing right before your eyes.

Recent Bright Eye Looks

2013-04-24T22:04:00.000-05:00

Been a while since I've posted an eye of the day, hasn't it? I've been forgetting to take pictures. Plus, I've been wearing variations on the same three looks for a while, so nothing really worth photographing I guess. Here's some recent ones that I enjoyed wearing because they were bright and fun.

This was:
MAC Chrome Yellow over MAC Chromaline in Primary Yellow
MAC Nighttrain
Physicians Formula Eye Booster liner in Ultra Black

This was:
Ben Nye Tangerine
Ben Nye Aztec Gold
Ben Nye Ice
Sugarpill Poison Plum
Physicians Formula Eye Booster in Ultra Black

This was:
MAC Acid Orange pigment over MAC Chromaline in Genuine Orange
MAC Rocking Orange glitter over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy
Sugarpill Poison Plum
Make Up For Ever #92
Make Up For Ever #75
Physicians Formula Eye Booster in Ultra Black

This was:
Stila Stay All Day Wet-to-Set 3D Eyeshadow Trio in Daybreak
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner in Turquoise
Stila Smudge Stick Waterproof Liner in Turquoise

Kinda spring-ish, kinda summer-ish, right? It sure doesn't feel like spring, but maybe if I wear some brighter colors it'll start warming up outside.

China Glaze Running in Circles Swatches and Review

2013-04-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

China Glaze Running in Circles. Here's a little gem I recently picked up from the beauty supply store. I hadn't seen this color before and it looked amazing, so I had to have it. A quick Googling tells me it's from the Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away 3D collection which I don't remember at all... It must have come out while I was hibernating. It's medium green jelly base with bright, shiny, multi-tonal green and gold chunky glass fleck shimmer. The bottle shows a hint of blue duochrome flash, but I don't see any of that on the nail. It's mostly yellow-toned green, which is my favorite type of green, but you can see little flecks of blue-toned green within the shimmer. The jelly base is more on the blue side as well.

The formula on this was runnier than I expected from China Glaze. I had to go very slow while applying to prevent it from running and pooling in my cuticles. I used three coats here and I'm happy with how it looks at three. Once it is fully dried it loses some of its shine, but a nice, thick topcoat takes care of that. I'd recommend a quick-dry like Seche Vite since this has a slightly longer than average dry time.

Mmm, sparkly green polish. The best.

Pretty Serious Limited Edition Emma Louise Polish Swatches and Review

2013-04-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Pretty Serious Emma Louise was a limited edition shade (sent for review) that is, unfortunately, now sold out (whoops). You can read all about it on Pretty Serious' official website, or just check out some swatches below.

Pretty Serious Emma Louise. This polish has a rich dark purple jelly base and a crapload of green and purple glitter in different shapes and sizes. The purple base is surprisingly bright and vibrant; is there such a thing as a dark neon? Because it's totally a dark neon.

The formula on this is a bit thick. When I wear it, I make sure to apply very thin coats so that it doesn't clump at the edges. Applying thin coats also helps it dry faster, so it's a good idea to begin with. I used three coats here just to get it really dense and opaque, but it looks perfectly fine with only two coats, just a touch less dense. I wear two coats of topcoat with this one for a perfectly glassy surface.

Bright purple, glitter, and green? Emma, you've got some good taste. Damn.

Emma Louise is sold out, but you can check out the rest of the line here.

(This was sent for review.)

OPI Announces the San Francisco Collection for Fall/Winter 2013

2013-04-18T13:59:00.000-05:00

The latest news from OPI:

San Francisco by OPI brings street chic style with West Coast flair to nails and toes for Fall/Winter 2013. This new collection features a palette ranging from sky and sea-colored hues of blues and gray to reds, burgundies and browns inspired by some of the city’s most iconic elements – Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge and the Embarcadero.

This fall mélange is mixed with texture, seen in three new Liquid Sand™ nail lacquers in earthy hues of taupe, blue and gray: It’s All San Andreas’s Fault, Wharf! Wharf! Wharf! and Alcatraz…Rocks. Liquid Sand lacquers dry to a textured, matte finish, infused with reflective sparkle.

“To me, the women of San Francisco and the city itself really epitomize today’s multifaceted beauty consumer,” explains Suzi Weiss-Fischmann, OPI Executive VP & Artistic Director. “San Francisco offers a European flair with distinct West Coast attributes. These elements inspired a collection of urban chic nail lacquer shades, thanks to the sophisticated combination of high fashion and eclectic street style.

“With twelve colors ranging from moody grays and blues to garnet and ruby jewel tones, these lacquers are designed to accessorize fall’s hottest looks, from military details to winter whites,” continues Weiss-Fischmann. “On fall runways, models were seen wearing luxurious textures from head to toe.

The three new Liquid Sand nail lacquers incorporate the texture trend through nails, with rich matte finishes in colors to complement the season’s fashion.”

San Francisco by OPI includes the following shades:

A-Piers to Be Tan

I shore do like this chocolaty tan.

Dining al Frisco

Just feast your eyes on this fresh-air blue!

Haven’t the Foggiest

Can’t tell you why I love this misty gray...I just do!

Peace & Love & OPI

This holographic sage and eggplant is far out!

Keeping Suzi at Bay

There’s no holding back this assertive navy blue.

Incognito in Sausalito

You better keep this almost-black blue under wraps.

Lost on Lombard

Oh garn-et! I’m all turned around!

I Knead Sour-Dough

Are you bready to wear this toasty warm brown?

Muir Muir on the Wall

This trailblazing plum is the fairest of all.

In the Cable Car-Pool Lane

Good golly, Miss Trolley, this rich burgundy takes me away!

Embarca-Dare Ya!

Betcha can’t pass up this marvelous magenta.

First Date at the Golden Gate

You and me and this shimmery ruby make three.

It’s All San Andreas’s Fault

I’d move mountains to get this textured earthy taupe!

Wharf! Wharf! Wharf!

Dog-gone it...fetch me that textured matte blue!

Alcatraz...Rocks

There’s no escaping this arresting textured gray.

San Francisco nail lacquer shades each feature OPI’s exclusive ProWide™ Brush for the ultimate in application. Liquid Sand nail lacquers should always be worn without top coat. San Francisco by OPI will be available August 7, 2013, at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Beauty First, Chatters, Dillard’s, jcp Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, ULTA and ulta.com for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

Glitter Gal Citrine Swatches and Review

2013-04-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

Glitter Gal Citrine. Know how I like to complain about how gold and silver holos are too common and there need to be more interesting colors than that? Yeah... this is a gold holo that makes me forget about that. What makes Citrine so special? Well... look at it. It's crazy holographic. Instead of a frosty metallic base like most holos have, it has a thick golden-yellow jelly base. That jelly base is packed with very fine holographic particles. It's so holographic that it's even rainbowy in low light (top picture!). So not only is it a very strong, richly colorful linear holo, it actually has a bit of depth to it. It's too beautiful. It needs to come in a bigger bottle.

The formula on it isn't perfect, but it's not too bad. It's quite thick and gel-like, so I find it better to do three very thin coats rather than two thicker coats. It doesn't streak or make bald spots like frosty/metallic-based holos. However, it does take much longer to dry than your average holo, but quick-dry topcoat doesn't ruin the hologram effect on this.

The only other downside to this gorgeous color is that it's pricey. $11 for a 0.3oz (10ml) bottle. That's just a bit larger than an OPI mini. You can use one coat of this over a complementary opaque base color to conserve polish and it won't cheapen the holo effect at all, but that does tend to change the overall color of it.

Glitter Gal is an Australian brand, though it can be ordered from US supplier Llarowe.

(This was sent for review.)

OPI Bond Girls Liquid Sand Collection for Spring/Summer 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-04-17T14:40:00.002-05:00

Are you familiar with OPI's Liquid Sand finish? If not, here's a super-quick summary of it: It's textured polish. Think a glitter polish without topcoat, but chunkier. It has extra grit, like little grains of sand, and it has a bumpy, gritty, sandpaper-ish look once it dries. Got a basic understanding of it? Good, now check out the six new Liquid Sand colors (sent for review):

OPI Liquid Sand polish in Honey Ryder. Light neutral gold metallic shimmer base with gold, silver and champagne glitter.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in Jinx. Bright orange-coral jelly base with gritty, bright gold glitter. Ice/Psychic type. This is my favorite of the set. Not only is the coral/gold color combination absolutely gorgeous, it just looks 'right' with the gritty texture.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in Pussy Galore. Light, slightly blue-toned pink pearl base with light fuchsia-pink glitter and grit. I like the way the pink glitter shows up in this polish. Little glints of reddish-pink darker than the base color.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in Solitaire. Very light white-silver pearl base with silver glitter and grit.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in Tiffany Case. Medium aqua blue shimmer base with blue and silver microglitter, grit, and a tiny amount of larger (but still small) silver glitter. This is a different shade, texture and opacity level than Get Your Number from the Mariah Carey collection.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in Vesper. An eggplant purple jelly base with black glitter and white grit. This one's really interesting. It looks like a red/dark burgundy creme in the bottle, but not on the nail. The sand texture is most obvious and dramatic in this polish and the end result is really weird but cool. It's one of those ugly/pretty polishes that I'm always intrigued by. In my opinion, this looks horrific with topcoat unless you do three coats of color and another three of topcoat to make it look like a normal polish.

OPI Vesper, one coat. Can you see the mixture of white and black particles in here?

OPI says that, "OPI Liquid Sand lacquers should always be worn without top coat.", probably because topcoat defeats the purpose of these polishes, but some of them actually look like pretty glitter polishes if you use enough topcoat to smooth out the grit. I'm only using one coat of topcoat in the pictures below, but they absorb so much topcoat as they dry that you'll likely want two or more coats if you choose to wear them this way.

OPI Honey Ryder with topcoat.

OPI Jinx with topcoat. (ASJKHSFJKH AMAZING)

OPI Pussy Galore with topcoat.

OPI Solitaire with topcoat.

OPI Tiffany Case with topcoat.

OPI Vesper with topcoat.

The formula on these was very good. They apply evenly with zero effort and they dry very quickly. I have no complaints about the formula. All are opaque in two coats and that's what I'm wearing here. Removal is the same as any glitter polish, but the grit can be rough and scratchy on the nails if you don't let your remover soak on the nail long enough.

I'm still not in love with the liquid sand texture, but it's growing on me. I like these colors better than the previous ones. I'd choose Jinx and Vesper as my picks from the collection just for their beauty and uniqueness.

These six new shades will be available beginning May 2013 at Professional Salons, including Beauty Brands, Chatters, JCP Salons, Pure Beauty, Regis, Trade Secret, and ULTA, for $9.00 ($10.95 CAN) suggested retail for each nail lacquer.

(This was sent for review.)

Rescue Beauty Lounge Emoting Me Collection 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-04-11T15:36:00.001-05:00

The latest from Rescue Beauty Lounge is the Emoting Me collection (sent for review). It's a collection straight from the heart, and Ji's words are beautiful and thoughtful, so I'm not going to mess it up by adding too much of my own commentary. Ji's vision for the collection is this:

"May my goods come out greater than my own, every time I walk towards your path. Please usher my footfalls, guide me to be where to be, what to do, what to say, what to write, and to whom. Let me embrace every moment you've given to me with clear vision, strength, peace, love and grace. Let me be with you every moment to moment in your magical kingdom. Let me be at your service, my heart is open to you and use me for something greater than my own. Thank you for your abundance, blessings, and your love. Thank you for this beautiful gift of today."

This is my daily mantra and how I greet each day. I subconsciously and consciously recite it from that exquisite place sandwiched between my sleepy-dreamy blur and the lustering lights of a brand new morning. It took me many years of seeking, practicing, and learning to reach this point in my life. I feel stripped naked, revealingand sharing my private daily mantra, but this is my story and also the story that is within all of us: we are all emoting.

I’m convinced that if one is ready to truly learn, this generous universe paves the road in front of us. The trick is knowing when to admit the desire to take that first baby step.

Sadly for me, my desire to take this first step came five years ago, when my beloved mother-in-law suddenly left this earth. Our sunny, delightful home came under a dark gray rolling fog that thickened with our gloom. Lingering questions struck me during this time: Can emotional darkness be contagious? Are we enjoying this sorrowful place just a tad too much? It was time for me to open my own eyes and to start my first step toward my own path and to seek my true self. I became an observer of my own life.

I read self-help books and came across many sparklingly wise words and phrases that we're told should accompany our daily lives. But by painfully peeling the layers off of my own ego, I learned that I’m responsible for my own emotions and the energy I give out.

My everyday practice is simple: I've stopped labeling myself. I’m not so evolved that I levitate in the lotus position in the snowy mountains wearing my flowing pair of tai chi pants. I process and feel every emotion, just like everyone on this earth, but I keep my daily ego in check by knowing that I'm responsible for what I give out and what I receive.

No matter what the circumstances, these are the seven words I repeat persistently:

Thank You: Because I'm my own worst critic, I first thank myself, then I thank others, and lastly, I thank the universe. I know that I am loved and, even in negative circumstances, in order to grow, lessons must be learned. It may be tough in the beginning, but when I close my eyes in gratitude and start with a bare, neutral nude, a cast of beatific opalescent pink shimmers radiates with thankfulness.

Be Humble: I know that I can't be too self-congratulatory or judge others. I always remind myself to stay modest. I try to grey out my ego with this taupe lightness and allow hope to float in pink, blue, and lavender shimmers.

Forgiveness: To forgive and to ask for forgiveness is the ultimate emotional cleanser, but why is it so difficult for me to open my heart and admit that I'm wrong? Guilt and regret are useless emotions. When I forgive someone, or even when I forgive myself, I step into the serene opaqueness of this dove-lavender color and then I am able to let go and move on.

Smile: First, I always smile at the sky at least once a day. It is a privilege to be in this universe. When I lift my face to the sun and bask in its gloriousness, I blink my eyes and see this dazzling red light, a neutral red, and full of sunny, shimmery goodness. Like a smile, this color is contagious.

Pause: Violet is the color of the chakra that marks the union of the soul with the body, mind, and divine consciousness. With this come bliss, satisfaction, and rest. Being in the present moment is probably the hardest challenge I have. When I stare at the depth of this multi- faceted mid-violet silky shimmer and be at one with this color and nothing else, then I know I am in my present moment.

Become One: I imagine that one brilliantly sunny day in April when I looked up to see the sun flickering through a cascade of innocent leaves. This opaque green takes me to those young; verdant leaves in the spring and reminds me that nature is our best teacher of life cycles.

Turn It Around: Once I understood the universe's law of polarity, everything made perfect sense. Negatives can’t exist without positives. If I never allow pain to wash over me, then joy becomes meaningless. From this color's dark mossy green pond, a vivid, glittering cast of copper shimmer welcomes me back to joy.

The formula on these was good. Smooth, easy application, very creamy. Standard Rescue Beauty Lounge quality. The only flaw I could find is that they dry very slowly. If you apply a coat that is too thick or don't wait a couple minutes in between coats, the slow dry time can cause the layer below to streak, clump up, or, if it's thick enough, run toward the free edge and look bumpy. Just take care to apply very thin coats and you shouldn't have a problem.

I think the colors are beautiful and the collection is well balanced; a thoughtful mixture of soft and pale, saturated and bright. My favorite is Pause, followed closely by Become One and Turn It Around. For such a pale color, Thank You is really interesting and pretty. My least favorite is Forgiveness, not because it's a bad color, but because it's not terribly complex or unique. If you're a fan of Rescue's signature subtle shimmer, you'll love this. If you're looking for something with a more sparkly/glittery type of shimmer that stands out a lot, these may not be for you.

Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes are exclusively available at www.rescuebeauty.com for $20 per bottle. 48 hour Pre-Order starts 4/12/13 will be available to the public end of April.

Rescue Beauty Lounge nail polishes are created with resin and high molecular polymers to improve flexibility, durability, and high shine. They contain no harmful Toluene, Formaldehyde, DBP, and Formaldehyde Resin. We do not test on animals.

(This was sent for review.)

OPI Soft Shades inspired by Disney's Oz The Great and Powerful Spring 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-04-05T19:29:00.004-05:00

OPI's Soft Shades collection for 2013 (sent for review) is a set of three sheers, three glitters and one new Liquid Sand shade, all inspired by Disney's Oz The Great And Powerful. I don't plan on seeing the film since the original one still terrifies me, but the polishes are pretty much the opposite of traumatizing and nightmare-inducing.

What? Come on. Don't try to tell me that the Wizard of Oz isn't scary. It is. ANYWAY. Soft Shades.

OPI Don't Burst My Bubble. Sheer off-white. Has a clean look as if it has a touch of blue or violet in the base rather than a yellowed/antique look. This was a little streakier than the other two sheers but nothing terrible.

OPI Glints of Glinda. A sheer, mostly neutral beige creme. It's nice and sandy looking, not too strongly brown, too yellowy, or too pink, and light but not chalky or excessively white-ish. Very easy to wear.

OPI I Theodora You. A light, neutral, sheer pink creme. More pink than white, but also has enough warmth in it to seem almost peach-colored in certain lights. Very nice glossy-thick finish to this one, almost a creamy/milky jelly finish.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in What Wizardry Is This? This has a warm, dirty olive green shimmer base with glints of gold, bronze, brown, red and even a few flecks of blue. It dries to a sandpaper-like finish that's semi-matte. I let this one dry for an hour before taking the picture and it still has a bit of shine to it, but I've heard from many people that their Liquid Sand polishes turn completely matte after drying.

OPI Liquid Sand polish in What Wizardry Is This? with topcoat. I prefer it this way as the topcoat makes the multicolor particles stand out and sparkle instead of just looking textured. It needs at least two coats of topcoat to smooth out the sandy texture.

OPI Lights of Emerald City (over OPI Don't Burst My Bubble). A clear base (with slight blue-ish tinge) with medium square opalescent mylar glitter and large pearlized white glitter squares. I love the idea of this glitter but not so much the execution. The clear base is very thick and gooey and the glitter is very sparse which makes it difficult to apply. You end up with thick, globby nails and barely any glitter. I'm going to thin this and see if it applies any easier, but I still think it could use just a touch more glitter in the base so more ends up on the nail.

OPI When Monkeys Fly! (over OPI Glints of Glinda). A clear base with small, roung hologram glitter, medium hexagon silver and hologram glitter and giant gold chrome hexagon glitter. Glitters this large tend to do that taco-curl thing, but these stayed surprisingly flat on my nail. It is a bit odd-looking because there's less of the giant glitter than the other colors, but still pretty cool for layering. OPI recommends a gradient glitter tip look with this combination:

OPI Which is Witch (over OPI I Theodora You.) A clear base with silver hologram microglitter, medium silver and hologram hexagon glitter and tiny hologram bar glitter. This looks way more delicate on the nail than I thought it would from looking at it in the bottle. That's a good thing. It's the perfect bar-hex holo combo for layering because the pieces are so small and fine. It won't clump up or cover your base color in weird ways like larger hex and bar glitters usually do.

The formula on the cremes was good, and the glitters were smooth but thick. The sheer cremes have a thicker texture than last year's Ballet soft shades and were a little streakier for me, but maintain that same self-levelling super-glossy quality that I liked about the others. I didn't have trouble with any shade except Lights of Emerald City, which was thick and goopy. Dry time on these is very fast.

Pretty and delicate with a touch a glitter. Good for Spring or for office wear. I personally preferred the milky jelly look of the NYC Ballet Soft Shades (especially as a glitter sandwich), but these are still flattering and natural. They're neutral enough to be worn by a wide range of skin tones and they didn't give me a problem with streaking.

The Liquid Sand finish still doesn't have my heart, but I love What Wizardry Is This? with topcoat. Also: awesome name. I have to recite it all dramatically every time I say it. What wizardry is THIS??

This collection is available now!

(This was sent for review.)

Enchanted Polish Hey Jude Swatches and Review

2013-04-03T12:32:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite polishes of all time. It was part of a set of indie polishes that I was sent to review, and I had never seen it before. I'd heard of Enchanted Polish, I'd seen people mention some other colors by them, but I really was clueless and nothing prepared me for the shock that I got when I pulled this bottle out of that mystery box. I can't believe I haven't done a full post on this color yet. I posted it on Twitter right when I got it, but it deserves more pictures than that. Bigger pictures. Lots of them. This is about as close to my dream polish as I've seen so far.

Enchanted Polish Hey Jude. Do not adjust your screen. You are not seeing things. This polish is actually multichromatic and holographic. My pictures don't even begin to do it justice. It is glorious. It's a green-based multichrome that flashes every color of the rainbow depending on the angle in which it's viewed. It is dominantly gold/olive/green/blue in most lights, but you can get a really amazing blue/pink/purple side to pop out in dim light. In very bright light (or with flash, as seen above), in addition to the strong scattered holographic effect, a pink base shimmer shows through and adds a nice, unexpected twist to the olive duochrome.

The formula on this is pretty good. Not perfect, but not bad either. It's nice and smooth, but if I don't take my time and control my brushstrokes, it has a tendency to pool at the edges. It's not too thick or too thin, but it does have a bit of a 'stretchy' (for lack of a better term) quality to it. I had the best results when I applied thin coats and waited three minutes between each. I'm wearing four coats here, no topcoat.

Not only is it named after one of my favorite songs, it's also a combination of my two favorite nail polish finishes (duochrome/multichrome and holographic) and contains my two favorite colors (purple and green!). This color just completely blows my mind. I adore it. I haven't felt this strongly about a color in a long time.

Enchanted Polish is available from llarowe in the US and Harlow & Co in Canada.

(This was sent for review.)

Why I haven't been blogging as much as I used to.

2013-04-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I know that a lot of you have noticed my absence. I used to post once daily, sometimes even more than that, but for the last few months it hasn't been even as often as once a week. There's a reason for that.

A lot of things changed for me during my December vacation, mostly for the better, and one of the biggest changes has been a really difficult secret to keep. But, I'm just about healed up now, so I thought it was about time I revealed that secret.

During my vacation, I traveled out of the country to undergo a ground-breaking, experimental surgical procedure that will allow me to wear more nail polish. You know that I can't get enough nail polish, I just love it so much, and this seemed like the only logical solution.

Sure, it takes some getting used to, but I think the benefits far outweigh the risks. I have a feeling this is going to be the next big development in cosmetic surgery and you'll have me to thank for it! You're looking at a trendsetter, right here. Yep.

Essie Resort Collection for Spring/Summer 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-03-29T12:33:00.001-05:00

I really like Essie's Resort collection this year. I think I usually like their Resort collections, but I'm just really digging this one a lot right now. The promo pictures actually make it look boring, but it's so good in real life.

Essie Come Here. A fairly bright red-coral creme. Not super bright, but bright enough to make it interesting. Still has a softness to it that gives it a bit of a sun-bleached effect.

Essie First Timer. Gorgeous blue-tinged light mint green creme. Reminds me somewhat of MAC Peppermint Patti. Creamy and sweet looking, like mint ice cream.

Essie In The Cab-ana. A light sky blue creme. In some lights it looks more turquoise than pure blue. Either way, it's one of the more flattering light blue cremes on my skintone. They usually give me dead-looking hands (yet I still love them), but this one is a bit warmer-looking.

Essie Under Where? A light lavender creme. Sorta pink, sorta purple, and with a really nice finish. If it was a little more sheer, I'd call it a milky jelly. It's not a solid chalky creme finish, but it's not quite sheer enough for me to call it a true jelly. It looks soft and squishy, though. Not harsh, not stark. Just... pretty.

The formula on these was flawless. Smooth, creamy, exactly the right consistency. No streaking. No problems at all. Under Where is thinner than the rest of the colors but applies just as nicely. I did three coats of each but only Under Where needed the third coat. Dry time is fast.

Like I said, I really enjoyed this collection. The colors are bright, fresh and interesting and the formula is perfect. I'm in love with Essie's creme formula lately. They seem to have perfected the formula of their creme polishes so that they apply effortlessly, are opaque and non-streaky (for most colors, at least) and dry really quickly. I also like their small, precise brushes. Sure, it takes me more strokes to cover my nail, but the small rounded brush makes it harder to get polish on my cuticles.

Plus, the names of these polishes are strangely dirty and that amuses me.

The only negative thing I can think of regarding this collection is that the colors are probably dupe-able. Though, I think we're at that point in nail polish history where duplicates are inevitable, and as long as they have a good formula, I don't mind so much.

(This was sent for review.)

Zoya Lovely Collection for Spring 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-03-25T13:52:00.002-05:00

Zoya's Spring collection, Lovely, is your typical set of spring colors. Think easter eggs, flowers, frilly dresses, that sort of thing. Very subdued, demure, typically 'feminine'/girly delicate spring colors. As usual, it's half cremes, half shimmers. The colors are:

Zoya Blu. A light baby blue pastel creme. Has a distinct white opaque base that makes the color very dense.

Zoya Gei Gei. A light warm pink with a good amount of flaky/chunky/irregular-shaped iridescent silver shimmer.

Zoya Jacqueline. Another dense/opaque white-based creme that's somewhere in between pale custard yellow and sandy light beige.

Zoya Julie. A light lilac purple with the same irregular-shaped large silver shimmer as Gei Gei. Strong blue tones in this one.

Zoya Neely. A light minty seafoam green pastel creme. Has a slight warm undertone to it that keeps it from being too blue-green/turquoise and makes it more of a jade-like green.

Zoya Piaf. A light golden yellow shimmer. The same type of shimmer that's in Gei Gei and Julie. This one makes me think of Marshmallow Peeps!

The formula on these was good. The shimmers have a thicker texture than the cremes, but they all applied pretty much the same. I found that I liked all the colors best at three coats, so that's what I'm wearing here. Dry time is about average.

Nothing new or exciting in this collection. Like I said, it's your typical spring color collection, very traditional. Not much else to say about it! All of the colors are light, "springy", and delicate, though the creme shades tend to induce lobster claw hands on my fair, cool-toned skin. All of the colors seem to be geared toward skin with warmer undertones, so if that's what you have, you'll probably find all of these quite flattering on you.

The Zoya Lovely collection is available now on zoya.com.

(This was sent for review.)

Arms and Armory x Cirque Special Edition Alter Ego Set Swatches and Review

2013-03-18T13:53:00.001-05:00

Alter Ego by Cirque is a special edition release that consists of a black holographic Cirque nail polish and a custom art deco-inspired ring by Arms and Armory. You can view the entire announcement here, but if you just want to see swatches of this gorgeous black holo, take a peek below!

Arms and Armory x Cirque Alter Ego Ring

(image courtesy of Cirque Colors)

Cirque Colors Alter Ego. An opaque black creme base with heavy holographic flake. This is has a scattered holographic effect. In dim lighting it looks like a soft charcoal shimmer with very little hint of holo. In bright, direct light it loses the grey-ish smoky look and all of that lovely rainbow effect pops out. In addition to the hologram rainbow, it also seems to have a golden tan shimmer in the base (visible in the two pictures taken with flash).

The formula on this is good. It's very thin but it doesn't streak or leave bald spots. It applies very smoothly. I think it looks best at three coats, and that's what I'm wearing here. The dry time is quick and the wear of this is very durable compared to a lot of other holographic polishes. I got a week with only minimal chipping at the corners. In addition to the durable finish and smooth formula, the polish also features Cirque's signature herbal-floral scent for a little bit of soothing aromatherapy while you're wearing it.

The ring is adjustable- it has a gap in the back. Cirque states that it fits sizes 4-9.

The polish and the ring are both right up my alley. Black and silver is my favorite color combination for jewelry, and I absolutely love black holo polishes. I like the style and shape of the ring a lot. Despite how much I love the set, I do have a few small critiques on it:

-It's expensive ($42 for the set).
-Arms and Armory doesn't appear to have a webshop and their Etsy store is closed.
-Alter Ego could be a little stronger in the holo department for the price.

The ring is so cool that I'd love to see more of what Arms and Armory has to offer, but the lack of a functioning website is a turn-off for me. Cirque is on the level, though, no doubt about it. Their website has all the information you could need, swatches for every color, and great customer service.

The Arms and Armory x Cirque Alter Ego set retails for $42 and is available directly from Cirque Colors.

(This was sent for review.)

China Glaze Hologram Collection Spring/Summer 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-03-14T16:33:00.002-05:00

Now here's a collection to be excited about. I'm excited, at least. Tweleve new holographic polishes from China Glaze. Some shades are similar to the older, discontinued OMG collection holos, but some are completely new. These feature an improved formula and a really pretty fine linear hologram effect.

China Glaze Astro-Hot. Light lavender-leaning pink holo.

China Glaze Cosmic Dust. Light dirty silver / pewter holo.

China Glaze Don't Be A Luna-tic. Pale, cool-toned seafoam green holo.

China Glaze Galactic Gray. Medium warm graphite gray holo.

China Glaze Get Outta My Space. Light, soft, pinky-lilac purple holo.

China Glaze Infra-Red. Vibrant warm magenta holo. This is the most colorful and saturated of all the holos in this collection. I find it to be quite striking.

China Glaze Not In This Galaxy. Warm medium peach-coral holo. Almost as colorful and saturated-looking as Infra-Red, but lacks the same punch.

China Glaze OMG A UFO. Warm, yellow-toned, mossy-olive green holo.

China Glaze Sci-Fly By. Light, silvery sky blue holo.

China Glaze Strap On Your Moonboots. Dark midnight blue holo. Slightly soft/dusty look to the base color even when the hologram effect is visible.

China Glaze Take A Trek. Medium denin blue holo. Slight lean toward blue-green.

China Glaze When Stars Collide. Warm, slightly dirty/murky dark purple holo. This one is the most interesting to me, I haven't seen many holographic polishes this exact color. If you want a unique holo, this is the one I'd recommend.

The formula on these was great. Absolutely perfect. Thin and smooth-flowing without being runny, yet nicely opaque. I didn't have any of the typical holo-polish application problems like bald spots, running or streaking. Most colors were almost completely opaque in one coat. I used two coats for all colors here. No basecoat, no topcoat. The only problem I had with any of these is that a few of the brushes were frayed on the ends. Very fast dry time on all shades.

The holographic particles in the Hologram Collection polishes are very fine, but not as smooth at the OMG collection. You can still see a speckled texture to the polishes, sort of like static on a TV screen. In dim light, the polishes look slightly frosty with a faint rainbow sheen, which to me makes them better-looking than the OMG polishes. However, the Hologram collection polishes don't have the same intensity of holo effect in full sun that the OMG holos do. They're not weak, and they're much better than the Tronica ones, but they're not quite as strong as they could be.

For reference, here are some other popular holographic polishes, shown in indoor light.

Left to right:

Sally Hansen Magical Nail Makeup in Crystal Ball

China Glaze Sexagon

China Glaze OMG

Layla Mercury Twilight

I think these are really good. I'm not disappointed. The formula is better than I expected it to be and the colors are nice. Not all of them are unique, but attractive nonetheless. The holographic effect could be stronger, but, you know, I'm pretty happy with them. They're a lot better than the limited edition Tronica holo collection that was gone in the blink of an eye last year (or was it the year before?), and they have a smoother holographic sheen than some of the other holos that have been released recently. They're not chunky like the Kaleidoscopes and they're not too frosty and streaky like the OMGs. I approve.

The China Glaze Hologram Collection will be available starting in April 2013. MSRP on these is $14 each due to the cost of the materials.

(This was sent for review.)

Color Club Winter Affair Collection Holiday 2012 Swatches and Review

2013-03-11T13:09:00.001-05:00

Christmas has come and gone, and the holiday season has long passed. Spring is about a week away here in the northern hemisphere and the last of February's snow has just about melted from my yard. Yet, here I am, posing a Christmas/holiday collection. Truth be told, it doesn't really scream 'holiday' to me apart from the obvious paring of red and green, so no worries about wearing out-of-season color. (Like I ever worry about that, hah!)

Anyone else have a really weird winter? I know I mentioned it before, but it didn't even feel like Christmas happened this year. Maybe it's because there wasn't any snow, but, man... So weird. At least I bought an ugly sweater. It's so horrible, I love it so much, you'd be proud of me.

ANYWAY. Color Club Winter Affair!

Color Club Berry and Bright. This is a cool-toned medium red with a near-foil-looking glass fleck finish. This is the kind of red that glows on your nails. The glass fleck particles shine through the jelly-like red base and give it a subtle color shift and intense luminosity.

Color Club Gift of Sparkle. This is my favorite of the collection. It's a pretty busy polish. First you have a really pretty blue-toned purple shimmer base. Then there's a ton of red and plum shimmer mixed in to give it a near-duochrome look (though the red shimmer is more intense in the bottle than it is on the nail). Then, on top of that, you have a hefty amount of glitter. The glitter is a tiny, round, silvery-toned holographic type. There seem to be some smaller iridescent particles mixed in, too, but they're hard to see. This one is a topcoat-eater, but the end result is worth it.

Color Club Glitter Wonderland. A heavy blue-purple shimmer in a red-purple base with tiny specks of red, blue, and purple microglitter. This polish is more interesting up close than it is at arm's length, plus it was more sheer than the rest in the collection. I needed three coats of this while the others were perfect at only two.

Color Club Ho-Ho-Holly. A green and gold foil. The green color is quite rich when viewed straight on, but if you tilt your nails or view the polish in dim lighting, the gold flecks in the foil base stand out nicely. This is mostly a warm, yellow-toned green, but at the edges of the bottle and on the edges of the nail, a cool, blue-toned green flash peeks out.

Color Club Winter Affair. I love this type of color. A dark base with lighter duochrome shimmer. The base of this one is a very dark purple. It has an earthy, brown-toned softness to it and it's nearly black. The shimmer is a tiny glass fleck type that reflects several different colors. I see wine purple mainly, but there's also red, gold/yellow and orange.

The Winter Affair collection also includes a red-green flaky polish called Snowflakes. It doesn't look like much all by itself (though it does look cool solo, just subtle), but layered, it's a different story. This is your basic red-green flake polish (think Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure), nothing new or unique, but it's still pretty.

Color Club Snowflakes over Berry and Bright.

Color Club Snowflakes over Gift of Sparkle.

(BEST! AHHH SO COOL!)

Color Club Snowflakes over Glitter Wonderland.

Color Club Snowflakes over Ho-Ho-Holly.

(Does not show up all that well.)

Color Club Snowflakes over Winter Affair.

(Multi-color effect strongest over this one.)

The formula on all of these was good. Nothing note-worthy. Standard Color Club quality. The only qualm I had was that Glitter Wonderland was a three-coated while the rest were opaque at two. Dry time was quick, the brushes were good, really not much else to add!

Great collection. Gift of Sparkle is the must-have, in my opinion. It's the only color that actually looks new to me. Different. Unique. They're all super pretty, but that one's just... wow. Even if it does need extra topcoat.

(This was sent for review.)

Pretty Serious They Came From Beyond Space! Collection Swatches and Review

2013-02-26T14:29:00.001-06:00

This new(-ish) collection from Aussie brand Pretty Serious Cosmetics really doesn't need an introduction. The polishes pretty much speak for themselves. Foily. Sparkly. Color-shifting. Just... look at them. You're gonna like 'em.

Pretty Serious Atomic Brain. When viewed straight-on, I see a mix of warmer, redder purple and cooler, bluer purple, with little blue and red sparkles throughout. But, tilted at an angle, the polish gets and awesome yellow, orange and green flash.

Pretty Serious Galaxy Invader. A turquoise and deep blue near-foil sparkle that flashes royal purple with a tiny hint of gold and red at one angle, and hints at green and teal at the opposite angle.

Pretty Serious Phantom Planet. A light green with darker, more mossy-looking green accents from the front. But change the angle and it flashes bright green, blue, turquoise and gold, and at the opposite angle you get a little yellow and teal and just a tiny hint of purple all the way at the edges.

The formula on these was good. Thicker than the current standard 3-free polish texture, but not gooey or stringy or anything like that. It goes on smooth without running or pooling and doesn't seem to clump up from the thickness. It has an almost foamy or oily texture if that makes sense. I used three coats here and I thought they all looked best that way. Dry time is a little longer than average, likely due to the thickness, but applying thin coats and giving each a couple minutes to set reduces the length of drying.

A small collection but a very good one. You know I'm a sucker for duochromes/multichromes, and these ones are quite pretty. The finish on them is interesting. It's not really a glitter, not really a glass fleck, too chunky to be a straight shimmer but not really as dense or reflective as most foils. It's right in between a foil and a glass fleck, I'd say. Shiny and speckled-looking, but not rough or chunky like glitter. Lots of different colors mixed in when you look up close. Plus, cool sci-fi B-movie theme. No complaints here.

The Pretty Serious They Came From Beyond Space! Collection is available directly from Pretty Serious Cosmetics. It's not limited edition, they ship internationally, and you can get a 10% discount on the collection if you buy all three colors at once.

(This was sent for review.)

China Glaze Tranzitions Color-Changing Nail Lacquer Collection Spring 2013 Swatches and Review

2013-01-30T08:00:00.000-06:00

China Glaze's Tranzitions collection is a set of six very interesting polishes. They're not like ordinary polish. They're one color when you apply them, but adding a coat of topcoat changes them into a different color. Hence the name Tranzitions.

China Glaze recommends their Fast Forward topcoat (which is what I'm using in these swatches), but any topcoat will trigger the color-change effect.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Altered Reality. This is a frosty, metallic and slightly duochrome medium teal. The main color is a blue-teal and it flashes a deeper green-teal at the edges.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Altered Reality with topcoat. With topcoat, it becomes a darker, more blue type of teal. This one had the least dramatic color change effect for me.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Duplicity. This one's a very pretty light teal-ish turquoise, almost more of a mint green.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Duplicity with topcoat. With topcoat it becomes darker and more blue.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Metallic Metamorphosis. A dark smoky charcoal-silver metallic. The shimmer particles look a bit rough and it dries nearly matte. This might be my favorite one pre-topcoat.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Metallic Metamorphosis with topcoat. With topcoat, it darkens significantly and takes on a blue-green tint.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Modify Me. A bright periwinkle...

China Glaze Tranzitions in Modify Me with topcoat. ...becomes bright violet after topcoat. This is my favorite post-topcoat color.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Shape Shifter. This starts out as a frosty, muted navy with purple tones.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Shape Shifter with topcoat. With topcoat, it becomes a gorgeous dark blue-toned purple shimmer.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Split Perso-nail-ity. A medium mauve pink creme.

China Glaze Tranzitions in Split Perso-nail-ity with topcoat. This is a pretty dramatic change. It becomes a saturated berry color!

I found the formula on these to be problematic. The texture reminds me more of acrylic paint than it does of nail polish. It goes on with a slight drag and has a tendency to leave bald spots and make little lumps if I'm not careful. Three coats evens out the color, and that's what I used here. A little tricky, but manageable. I found the dry time to be long on all the colors. But let me tell you about what really bothered me about the formula: applying the topcoat.

These polishes have little speckles of pigment in them (it's visible in a lot of the colors if you look closely), and they bleed when you apply topcoat. That's what gives them the color change. However, it doesn't just bleed on the nail. It bleeds into your topcoat and onto the brush. I would highly, highly recommend keeping a paper towel handy and wiping the brush before putting it back into your topcoat bottle each time. You will end up with tinted topcoat if you don't.

The other problem with topcoat application is that it streaks. If you get the nail wet enough with topcoat, the streaks tend to disappear after a while. If your coat is too thin and dries too fast, the streaks will stay.

Neither of those will be an issue if you use topcoat strictly for creating designs, which is what the intended use is. Streaks aren't visible when creating dots, for example, and you won't have tinted topcoat from using a dotting tool.

So... These are a cool idea, for sure. Can't recall seeing any other polishes like these. If you take a thin nail art brush, or a dotting tool, or even a toothpick, you can draw cool designs with topcoat. The color change isn't as obvious on the darker colors, but it's dramatic on the lighter ones.

If I was better at freehand nail art, I think I'd like these more. But, my hands are too shaky to have much success with freehand designs, and since I found the formula so strange and the topcoat bleeding problem annoying, I wasn't thrilled by these. I could use them for an easy funky french, and I tried out some dots which looked cool, but otherwise they're just a novelty for me and I don't see myself wanting to reach for them often.

(This was sent for review.)