Revlon Grape and Sally Hansen Rockstar Pink

So glad that Blogger isn't acting up any more than usual and I can finally get this post out!

I have been able to wear this mani for a few days since I've taken the pictures and I have fallen in love with it a bit more each day. I admit it. I really like purple. And this color has not let me down. I picked up Revlon's Grape last week when Walgreen's was running a sale on Revlon. They were also having a sale on Sally Hansen, so I picked up a couple of Sally Hansen Xtreme wear polishes. One of them was Rockstar Pink. I sat staring at my new pretties and had an A-HA! moment. I'll put them together!

Grape turned out to be quite lovely on the nail. I would call it more of an eggplant or aubergine color. It has small red and blue shimmer to it too. They really blend into the polish, but they give the color so much depth. I think that is part of the reason I have come to love this polish.

Rockstar Pink is an amazing glitter bomb. It has fuchsia, red and blue glitter, and gold microglitter. At least that's what it looks like to my eyes. There is so much going on in this glitter, it's a little hard to tell.

 I showed this picture a bit fuzzy so you could see all the wonderful glittery goodness in this polish.


Application on both polishes was very good. The polish flowed very well and covered beautifully. I used three coats of Grape. I could have probably just used two. However, it is almost impossible for me to not put three coats on. I used one coat of Rockstar Pink on my ring finger for an accent. It covered really well. The glitter is dense enough in this polish you could probably get full coverage in two or three coats all by itself. I was a bit worried that the glitter would be a bit rough, but it only took one coat of Seche Vite to smooth it out. I did put a second coat of SV on, but that was more out of habit than necessity. 

What do you think of this combination? Do you like glitter polishes? What is your favorite one?

Blogger is being a Dong-a-Long

Well, I was going to work on a new post tonight and post it up for you. I've got on Revlon Grape and a glittery accent nail by way of Sally Hansen's Rockstar Pink. I really like and wanted to share it with you.

However...

Blogger is being a dong-a-long (as my eldest would say) and isn't letting me upload any photos. Well, phooey on them!

Hopefully, I'll be able to get it up in the next couple of days. Friday is my realllllly long day at work, so not sure if I can get to it then, but I'll try Saturday afternoon. (If I don't sleep it away that is.)

Finger Paints Magnetic Effects

I was in Sally's today (when am I not?) and happen to see a display for new magnetic polishes from Finger Paints. Well, I just had to pick them up. And since Sally is currently running a buy 2 get one free, I grabbed three of the four. I got Electro-Midnight, Cop an Attitude, and Steel of the Night. The only one I didn't get was Hypnotic. It just wasn't doing it for me.
 

First up is Electro-Midnight. This a a dark blue. With my love for blue polish I certainly couldn't pass this one up. The color and formula on this was really nice. I like the color shift that showed up with the magnet.

Next is Steel of the Night. A black that shifts to gray and silver. This one is perfect for football season. Go Raiders!!! Once again, it applied very well. And I like the shift.

 

Last is Cop an Attitude. A beautiful copper polish! If you look at this picture larger you can see these gorgeous red/orange sparkles shining through. Just beautiful!

Overall, I really liked these polishes. The formula on all three was really nice. The magnet could have been a bit better. I've seen worse though. I've also seen better. The large cap with the magnet does come off to leave a smaller lid behind. All mine came off easily with no problems. I've had some that were practically impossible to get off. The magnet has a lip that you place on or above your cuticle (depends on nail length) to keep the magnet off the polish.


Don't forget about my giveaway!

Have you tried magnetic polish yet? Which ones and what did you think of them?

Revlon Whimsical

When I bought Whimsical, I bought two bottles. One for myself and one for my giveaway. I knew I wanted to swatch it up for you so you could see all the loveliness of it, but I couldn't decided what base I wanted to use for it. I happened to be reading through my blogs and came across Lacquer Me Silly where she had just worn Tiffany Impostor. That made me think about For Audrey. And from there it was an easy jump to using For Audrey for my base for Whimsical.

I think For Audrey was a good choice for this. However, I wasn't thrilled with Whimsical. I thought the formula was a bit thin and the hex glitter was a bit too sparse. I love the pink and blue hex glitter. I just wish more of it would make it on to the nail. And the iridescent glitter shimmers wonderfully.

I used two coats of For Audrey and two coats of Whimsical for the photos below. That was then topped with Seche Vite.

Macro Shot of Whimsical

Really Macro shot of Whimsical

You can really see some of small glitter in this one

I've currently had this mani on for three days and it is holding up better than most. I usually have major chipping after a day at work, but this time I've only had minor chipping. Not sure what was different, but I'm glad for it no matter what it is!

Have you used Whimsical? Did/Do you like it?

Revlon Royal

 I got my Zoya buy 3 get 3 free in the mail the other day and I planned on swatching them. However, I also picked up Revlon Royal that same day and it sat there on my table screaming at me. It was begging me to put it on. And so I did. I topped it with some stamping done with Sally Hansen Celeb City. I had originally planned to just stamp accent nails on each hand. Planned. Originally. But, I oopsied and stamped the wrong nail on my second hand. That's what happens when you try to stamp and watch TV at the same time. So, I just went ahead and stamped the whole thing.

I really liked the formula on Royal. This blue is just gorgeous! I had to use three coats to get even coverage though. I tried it with two, but there were a few spots that just looked a bit thin. It looked great after that third coat.

This is only my second time doing stamping. I think it came out alright. I know I messed up in a couple of places, but overall I think that it looks nice.

 Also, I'm running a little giveaway to welcome myself back to the big bad world of blogging. I'm giving away Revlon Whimsical, Sinful Colors Cinderella, and Hard Candy Beetle. You can check that out here.

Welcome Back to Blogging Giveaway

I think I finally have things under control and can get back to blogging. YAY! I've missed sitting down at my computer and playing with my pictures and trying to get my posts just right. Of course I'm still learning. I'm just a baby blogger! But, I've decided, in honor of my return to the blogosphere, to have a giveaway.

I will be giving away three polishes: Revlon Whimsical, Sinful Colors Cinderella, and Hard Candy Beetle

Giveaway is only open to US residents. Sorry folks! This is my first giveaway and I want to keep it as simple as I can. You must use the Rafflecopter widget. Blog comments will not be added to giveaway.

Absence

This is just a short note to explain my absence from my blog. On March 2, my grandmother (who raised me as her own since I was 3) passed away. I've been focusing on that in my down time instead of my blog. I am hoping to start rolling posts out again in the next week or two. I may even have a giveaway to welcome myself back to the blogging world. It wouldn't be much, but I need something fun right now.

What small something would you like to see as part of the giveaway (besides polish)?

Swatch Essie - Go Overboard

I picked up Essie Go Overboard at my local Walgreen's a couple of weeks ago. I finally got a night where I could swatch it up and show it off. All photos were taken under my Ott Lamp. Since I work nights and sleep days, it is super hard for this vampire to ever see the sun. I think the Ott Lamp does a good job of showing off the true color though.

This swatch is a base of Essie Grow Stronger and 2 coats of Go Overboard. I probably could have gotten away with just one coat if I had been a bit more careful of my painting. I probably would have still done a second coat anyway. I find it hard to put less that three coats of polish on, and two is cutting it a bit fine for me. I'm not wearing any top coat in these photos. Just look at the gorgeous shine on there. 

Essie describes Go Overboard as a "limitless sea blue". I definitely put it in the darker teal category.

I know I could have been a lot neater in my application and should have probably cleaned up a bit. However, I was in a hurry and I didn't think it looked too bad. Until I saw the photos. I promise to try and do better on my next group swatch.

The application on Go Overboard was spectacular! It covered in almost one coat and probably would have had I used a slightly thicker coat. The brush worked really well and I was able to control it quite easily. The polish you see on my cuticles is from human error, not the brush.

Overall, I love this polish! I can't think of anything bad to say about it at all.

Stash Shopping

I got to do a little stash shopping today. Made it to Sally Beauty, Walgreen's, and Wal-Mart. I picked up a few that I had been looking at and a few that happened to catch my eye.

China Glaze Some Like it Haute, For Audrey, and Dorothy Who

Fingerpaints Avante Garde Green, Where Art Renoir?, Cerulean Seascape

Essie Go Overboard, Sinful Colors Let Me Go, Revlon Smoldering, Hard Candy Beetle

Polish Stash

I haven't been collecting nail polish for very long. Below you will find my current list of polishes. I've gotten many of them at Sally's in the clearance bin. I don't care if I get them when they first come out, I still love them. I don't have a lot of money to put toward new polishes right now. Hopefully that will change soon. I'm starting to have new polish withdrawals.

Are there any colors you would like to see swatched? Just let me know in the comments section.
Based on these colors are there any I don't have that you think I would love to own?

Avon	Black as Night
Avon	Empower
Avon	Pink Power
Avon	Tween
China Glaze	Black Mesh
China Glaze	White on White
China Glaze	Tinsel Town
China Glaze	Liquid Leather
China Glaze	Pelican Gray
China Glaze	Holly-Day
China Glaze	Solar Power
China Glaze	Near Dark
China Glaze	Twinkle Lights
China Glaze	Trendsetters
China Glaze	Lemon Fizz
China Glaze	Champagne Bubbles
China Glaze	Cross Iron 360
China Glaze	In Awe of Amber
China Glaze	Coconut Kiss
China Glaze	Faultline
China Glaze	Velvet Bow
China Glaze	Crimson
China Glaze	Ring in the Red
China Glaze	Ruby Pumps
China Glaze	Light My Tiki
Color Club	Orna-Minted
Color Club	Gingerbread Man
Essie	Grow Stronger
Essie	Shine of the Times
Essie	Bachelorette Bash
Fingerpaints	Asylum
Fingerpaints	Twisted
Fingerpaints	To-Teally Chic
Fingerpaints	Military Green
Fingerpaints	Comet's Collar
Fingerpaints	Vintage Velvet
Fingerpaints	Catwalk Queen
Fingerpaints	Haute Taupe
Fingerpaints	Purple Pinstripe
Hard Candy	Matte-ly In Love
INM	Out the Door
L'Oreal	VIP Status
NYC	French White Tip
NYC	Black Lace
NYC	Starry Silver Glitter
NYC	Skin Tight Denim
NYC	Empire State
NYC	Big Money
NYC	Times Square Tangerine
NYC	Purple Pizzazz
NYC	Plaza Plumberry
NYC	Fuschia Shock
NYC	Broadway Burgandy
NYC	Pink Promenade
NYC	Charming Rose
NYC	Big Apple Red
NYC	Classic Coral
OPI	Base Coat
OPI	Top Coat
OPI	French Quarter for Your Thoughts
OPI	unknown color
OPI	Warm and Fozzie
OPI	I'm Not Really a Waitress
OPI	Lincoln Park After Dark
Orly	Androgynie
Orly	Liquid Vinyl
Orly	Twilight
Orly	Stone Cold
Orly	Frisky
Orly	Sweet Peacock
Orly	Lucky Duck
Orly	Le Chateau
Orly	Velvet Rope
Orly	Fowl Play
Orly	Oui
Orly	Gorgeous
Orly	Ma Cherie
Pure Ice	All Night Long
Pure Ice	Mint Dream
Rimmel	Violet Metal
Sally Girl	Glo-in-the-Dark
Sally Girl	So Disco
Sally Girl	Silver Glitter
Sally Hansen	Double Duty
Sally Hansen	Celeb City
Sally Hansen	Ocean View
Sally Hansen	Spark
Sally Hansen	Emerald City
Sally Hansen	Ice Coffee
Sally Hansen	Elegant Cognac
Sally Hansen	Crushed
Sally Hansen	Pat on the Black
Sally Hansen	Berried Treasure
Sally Hansen	Shining
Sally Hansen HD	Laser
Seche	Clear
Seche	Vite
Sinful Colors	Hottie
Sinful Colors	Gorgeous
Sinful Colors	Let's Talk
Sinful Colors	Frenzy
Sinful Colors	Pinky Glitter
Wet n Wild	Rain Check
Wet n Wild	Black Creme
Wet n Wild	Blue Moon
Wet n Wild	Believe Me, It's Real
Wet n Wild	Caribbean Frost
Wet n Wild	24 Carats
Wet n Wild	Back Alley Deals
Wet n Wild	Eggplant Frost

Zoya - Adina

I had hoped to get several swatches done on my days off, but that just didn't happen. Once I put Adina on I didn't want to take it off. Maybe Saturday night I'll take it off and put on something new. Maybe.

I finally was able to pick up my first Zoya nail polishes. I chose Cynthia and Adina. I actually wore Cynthia already, but I was never able to get any decent shots of it. Our weather here has been nothing but overcast and cloudy for the last two weeks.

That makes it really hard to get good pictures. I resorted to using my Ott Lamp inside. The below pictures are better than the past ones that I have done. They aren't really good yet, but they are getting better. Know what changed that? I finally read my manual. Amazing how much one can learn from reading the manual!

Macro shot of the bottle. Love the brilliant green shimmer you can see.

The green showing through

The lovely dark lilac purple true color

More of the green showing.

I loved this polish, but I did have a bit of a problem with application. The stroke marks are pretty obvious. They aren't too bad, but I can see them. And that makes for a sad nail chickie. The coverage was also a bit thin. It took three coats to reach full opacity and keep me from showing any bare spots.

Visible brush marks

Visible brush marks

Name: Adina
Manufacturer: Zoya
Color: Light Purple/Green Duochrome

Application: Base - Essie Grow Stronger
                   Color - 3 Coats Adina
                   Top - Seche Vite

Overall: 4/5
     The color on this is just stunning. And the shift from purple to green is great. I would have given it full marks if the coverage and application had been better.


What is your favorite duo/multichrome color?