Wednesday, January 26, 2011

OPI "Rose Petals" (A.K.A. my new obsession)

Starting the week (on a Wednesday) with my completely underwhelming new curiosity in the nail polish world: MANNEQUIN HANDS! I don’t know why (possibly it’s the winter blah’s, evidenced by my disintegration into jeans and t-shirts every day.) but the idea of long, monochrome fingers is really appealing to me right now. I just ordered OPI’s “San Tan-Tonio” from the new Texas Collection, which seems like a darker mannequin hands variation. But this OPI, “Rose Petals” is a weenie to put on, sheer and thick and weird, but looks so puuuuuuuurdy.

It’s a beautiful nudey pink,  that gives me major mannequin hands.

Which would generally be a bad thing, but considering the situation of my life right now is NOT A BAD THING AT ALL.

I do def have some VNL, and it is super duper prone to bald spots.

I think that this was originally my mother’s. I may have stolen it from her.

Okay, on to the pictures of this tan with pink notes jelly:

Have a happy Hump Day!

love,

Frida

Color Club "Gossip Column" (A.K.A electric blue patent leather pumps)

This is a beautiful color. I want to say it's the perfect blue, but I haven't had enough experience with blues to make that distinction quite yet. It’s a Royal but bright blue, clear and strong while not overpowering everything. I wouldn’t say that it’s dusty or dark, but it is slightly subdued. I don’t think that I could wear a blue that was too strong, I would feel like there were little oceans on my nails. Rather, I felt like I had a blue patent leather pump on each of my fingers. Classy, right? I’m pretty sure that it’s from the Rebel Debutante collection, and that really fits it perfectly. As does “Gossip Columnist” I felt like a rebellious gossip columnist while I was wearing it. Here are the pictures!





I didn’t want to take it off quite yet, so I put “Solar Flare” by China Glaze on top of it. I got SO MANY compliments on this manicure! It made it feel like the weekend, even though it was a Tuesday.





Love,

Frida

Milani "Silver Dazzle" (A.K.A. a classy glitter party)

This is the classiest glitter that I have ever encountered. It’s beautiful. It has a dark slate gray base, with glitter of the same color, with silver flecks interspersed. If you’re a reader, you probably know how I feel about silver. However, my passionate hate of silver did not become a problem with this, because the idea of a dark gray glitter is so classy and sophisticated and such a party on your nails that it could have much more silver glitter and I wouldn’t care. This glitter is understated but still a party on the nails. It has a good soul. On to the pictures!





Love,

Frida

OPI Absolutely Alice (A.K.A. OMG AUGHmmmmhmmm yeah)

There is no getting around it, this nail polish is fantastically life changingly beautiful. I can’t even handle it! The thing that makes “Absolutely Alice” so wonderful is that it is not just glitter. Well, it is just glitter, but it’s so beautiful that it doesn’t seem like it. It seems like this beautiful top coat on top of beautifully shimmery nail polish. Lets get down into it. It’s bright but still wearable blue based blue and gold glitter. The gold glitter is interspersed with just enough rarity that it gives the impression of floating. It has a flatness (in a good way) so that it is not even handle-ably wearable and beautiful and amazing. It’s the kind of nail polish that causes you to get distracted in the middle of class, meetings, writing… of course it is gritty (though not as much as most glitters, a nice coat of Seche fixes that immediately) and chips quite easily (though it does not perform the surprise WHOLE FINGER DISSAPEARING thing that the burlesque polishes from OPI do.) but it’s so worth it. Enough! On to the pictures:



 

Love,

Frida

Milani "Pink Hottie" (A.K.A. pink pink pinky pink)

Hey all! I hope that you had a great weekend! I just got back from break in my hometown of San Francisco and am now back in the middle of nowhere, but its snowy, so it's okay!

Today I'm going to show you guys the nail polish that matches my hair! (just a streak of my hair, but it still counts.) it also matches my iphone case! my boyfriend said that I looked like "hipster Barbie" which is a little bit of an oxymoron, but I think I was flattered?

Well, to the nail polish! it's a pretty averagely amazing neon pink. it is bright and sassy, without being too crazy. It dries to a really satiny finish, which is unacceptable for me (either be matte or bling it up, is my motto.), so it definitely needed a topcoat. Surprisingly, it goes with quite a lot! it's not clashy, and is almost understatedly neon on the nails, if that makes sense! To the pictureses!







(trying to show it with different backgrounds, because I'm really picky about pinks, and I feel the necessity to know what they will look like in different environments)

And now, just for kicks, check out my color coordinated life!



Have a good tuesday, all!

love,

Frida

China Glaze "Calypso Blue" (A.K.A. the class-monster)

I got a huge Transdesign haul the other day, and the ration of blues to EVERYTHING ELSE evidences my exploration of my possible love for blues.

This polish affirmed my love, and will take me to the next level of my obsession.

This is China Glaze "Calypso Blue." Like Calypso (the nymph) in mythology, this polish brought me to it fairly innocently, but trapped me inside of it (not for seven years, but who's going to nitpick? not me!). It's so pretty. In the sunlight (which didn't exist in my life while I was taking these pictures) it's a dusty navy blue creme, that reminds me of these awesome corduroy pants that I had as a kid. The good thing about it, though, is that even in the lack of light, it doesn't turn completely black, it still has some light to it. I put in some flash photos so you can see the base color, even though it is never (AND I EMPHASIZE NEVER) that color. It's a beautiful polish. And I have to apologize for the chipping and tipwear, I've had this on for three days (GASP! I think that this is the longest I've worn one color of nail polish since the summer!!!!)

So here are the gorgy pictures!



love,

Frida

Happy New Years! (time to kill your eyes with glitter)

Happy New
Years
! This has been a great year! so... to celebrate I
am going to deliver the death of all my readers eyes in glitter
form. Here it is: Eyeko "Chi Chi Polish" with China Glaze "Solar
Flare" (my new favorite nail polish, BY THE WAY) on top of it.
"Chi Chi Polish" is
tiny (but not micro, think the width of a pin) robust dusty pale pink
glitter in a slightly murky pinkish beige sheer base. I wanted so
badly to be overwhelmed with love for this polish, but found myself
liking a close dupe (Milani Disco Lights) which i got for my best
friend better. The description of the base as murky is not an
exaggeration, sadly. It makes it so that it's opaque, but I t also
makes it less sparkly and exciting. I also found myself suffering
from gaping bald spots, which aren't noticeable while doing the
polish (I have no idea why. maybe my eyes just don't work). So
wholly, I am underwhelmed and will swap this polish away at the
next possible chance. China Glaze "Solar Flare," on the other hand,
is right up my short and well lighted alley. It's HUGE HEXAGONAL
GOLDEN GLITTER. yes, let me repeat that. HUGE. HEXAGONAL. GOLDEN.
GLITTER. I will probably post a picture heavy post with pictures of
this topcoat on top of EVERY NAIL
POLISH
IN EXISTENCE because that's what I've been putting
it on. It makes anything look classy and festive. not so much this
manicure, since its new years and therefore by definition not
classy (lets just say that my dress has less dress than sequins,
and less sequins than skin), but it's still fun and exciting,
without being overwhelming! it's my new love, and may be the second
polish in my collection that I need to buy a backup for. Because
honestly, these beautiful flakes of golden glitter are the loves of
my life. However, like most polishes of this sort, the glitters
drag towards the end of your nail, and require placement. They're
also hell if they hang off your nail or cuticle, even a widdle bit.
Also, when it comes to removal they become fortresses of unmovable
nail polish, acting like impenetrable hats for the nail polish that
you want to remove. (I just imagined all my nail polishes with
little golden party hats, BY THE WAY) But the positives so far
outweigh the negatives that its silly not to love it with all my
heart and soul. oh! and i have the best best friend on earth. Miss
amazingest amazing ever got me... PERPLEX! yes, Perplex. In in all
its glory (and it has a lot of glory, if I may say so myself). I
will post pictures soon, so that others can share in my "can't stop
staring at my nails because nothing else on earth could measure up"
joy. OH yeah! and she's the double best because she gave me Orly
"Space Cadet" as well, which makes me feel like Ke$ha. And who the
hell doesn't want to feel like Ke$ha every once in a while? I
mean... you get to wake up in the morning and feel like P-Diddy. I
secretly love Ke$ha so much. Happy New Year! Love, Frida

Winter break!

Being the smartypants that I am, I failed to take my camera with me on break. however, much has happened! I got a bunch of new polishes shipped to me, so the moment I get back (or sooner if I manage to steal my mother's camera!) I will do a haul post for all of you! in the meantime,  I'll show you some terrible pictures of a polish that I borrowed from ma BFFFL (best friend forever for LIFE) over thanksgiving and thought were too terrible to post. But now they are all that I have on hand! so there that is. Here are some pictures of Rescue Beauty Lounge "Recycle"



If you've read my blog before, you probably know how I feel about green cremes. the problem is that this particular green creme came while I was still all about the grey cremes. Poor Recycle. I do remember thinking that it was very blue-ish, as in it's a forest green with a teal base rather than a pure blue or yellowish one.  If you're paying this much for a polish, the application better be great, and this one certainly lives up to the expectations! However, as I'm typing this I'm looking down at my nails (no, I never learned how to type without looking) and they have my new Misa, "Dirty, Sexy, Money" and I'm much more enthralled and inspired by this color than by the fairly unoriginal (but as per the brand's reputation expertly executed) forest green creme.

merry christmahannakwanzikah!

oh yeah, and happy birthday to me!

love,

Frida

Zoya- "Shawn" (a.k.a. the green queen)

Sorry I’ve been absent for a while, I was waiting for TEN hours in the Las Vegas airport, when I should have ha to wait at most 30 minutes. And since then I’ve been recovering. It was terrible, by the way. To break me out of my slump, here is one of my favorite nail polishes ever. I consider her to be the queen of green crèmes. I think that I can at least partially testify to this seeing as I have fairly considerable collection of green crèmes. This is she… Zoya “Shawn” A beautiful, slightly (not to the baby puke level at all, just to a some energy) yellow slightly dusty medium green. It reminds me of the color of this type of plant that is in Golden Gate Park near some pond that I used to visit with my parents. This nail polish is definitely classy but in no way subdue. It shines with a refinement and passion that must be experienced. This is one of the only two polishes of which I have backup bottle (though I may need another one soon, as Charla may join the ranks of Shawn and Kelly) Here are the beauties!







Love,
Frida

Zoya "Crystal" (A.K.A. sparklies for my flu brain)

So I’ve been struggling with the flu and also spending a whole lot of time staring out the window at the amazingly large mount of snow that is POURING DOWN FROM THE SKY!!! As a California girl snow is a new idea for me! I love it. So I got some nice icy nails for you guys! This is Zoya “Crystal” If you’ve been reading with any sort of regularity, you’ll know that Zoya is my favorite brand. I JUST LIKE THEIR SOUL, haha. And they’re three free, so I don’t have to feel bad about my passion. Zoya “Crystal” is a silvery ice blue oil with gold and silver bits, that occasionally flashes dark blue when the light isn't directly on it. It reminds me of a much paler and foil-er version of OPI “Absolutely Alice.” Either way, it looks like you should be doing ballet in the light flurrying snow. I have to say, besides my love for it, it’s not all that pleasing. I wore it for maybe half a day, because it was too cool of a color for me. It made me little cold every time I looked at it, even though it was very very beauty-full.





Love,

Frida

Zoya- Valerie (A.K.A. disappointment, bottled!)

Hey all! I figured that since I showed y’all my Jade Dragon yesterday I figured I would show you the polish that I swapped for it. This is Zoya Valerie, and it was uber disappointing for me. In the bottle (and oddly in some of the pictures) there’s a gorgy gold duo chrome. But on the nail, it falls flat, and it’s not even all that glowy. I’ve never been a huge fan of vampy polishes, and this is no exception. It’s just dark and the sparkly flecks don’t stand out enough for me. This polish looks so much better in the pictures!

Well, here you are:





Who knows though! it might be exactly your cup of tea! but I couldn't wait to get it off.

Love,

Frida

 

Mac - Jade Dragon

Happy Hanukkah all! I swapped away for this beauty on MUA, checked my mailbox anxiously awaiting its appearance. And I waited. And waited. AND THEN IT APPEARED!!!

Oh lord it’s a beauty.

A breathtaking decalibrating beauty.

Jade Dragon is a forest green with a tinge of blue, and blue shimmer inside of it. Sadly it was snowing while I wore it, so I couldn’t see as much of the shimmer as I would have liked. But it is quite a beauty anyways. I got no end of compliments on this!

I love it!

Here are the pictures for your visual stimulation ;)



the only problem was that EVEN WITH A BASECOAT it stained my nail beyond all understanding! so i hate to show you this, but...



gross, right? that's right after i removed it. I guess the polish was just so good that it stained not just my nails, but my soul. CHEESY!

Overall diagnosis? Probably one of my new favorite every day nail polishes!

Love,

Frida

Color Club "Vintage Couture" (A.K.A. 50's Barbie Pink)

I bought this nail polish on a whim, but I was surprised that I loved it so much! It's one of them from my haul yesterday! It’s the only pastel that I’ve found that is satisfactorily opaque! HOWEVER that isn’t really saying that much, seeing as pastels are RIDONCULOUSLY hard to work with! How does that happen? Oh well. Even with this amazingly opaque polish there were still little sheer spots (like you can see on my middle finger, near the cuticle).

But onto the color!

This color makes me feel like ballerina Barbie. It’s a pastel pink, without being out of control pale. It still has that glint of passionate pink in it! It’s not boring at all. It’s called “Vintage Couture” and I can feel the vintage vibe, but not so much the couture. When I wear this with my pink polka dot circle skirt I feel like a 15 year old in the fifties. Which I love. But it’s far more of a fun color than a classy color. It make me feel young, not experienced. Point is, I love it!

Here are the pictures:





 

Love, Frida

 

And last but not least... I HAVE A DISEASE!

I have 78 polishes not counting top or bottom coats. Nuff said. Sorry about the gross messy desk.

Goodnight and goodluck,

Love,

Frida

HULK LIKE GREEN NAIL POLISH TO MATCH SKIN

Two parts to this post:

First part is entitled “HAUL HAUL HAUL”

I got new polishes for ma fangles!



From left to right:

Essie – Smoking Hot

Essie – Going Incognito

OPI – Absolutely Alice (I CANT WAIT TO WEAR THIS!!!)

OPI – Here Today Aragon Tomorrow

OPI – Cuckoo for this Color

OPI – Glow Up Already!

SpaRitual – Yes, I Can

SpaRitual – Living In The Moment

Zoya – Crystal

Zoya – Edyta

Zoya – Envy

Color Club – Vintage Couture (I’m wearing this right now)

Color Club – Untamed Luxury

Orly – It’s Not Rocket Science

Orly – Meet Me Under the Mistletoe (accidental mini!)

So exciting! Aren’t they BOOTIFUL!

And then, because I got so many greens, I did a skittles manicure, with green crèmes on the left, and green glitters (which was an epic fail, that smudged all over me and did not include my new burlesque, because I want to wait to do a full manicure of it!)

So…

Without further ado…

MY GREEN SKITTLES:





From left to right

OPI – Here Today Aragon Tomorrow

Zoya – Envy

(These two are perfect dupes after two coats. I’m swapping away one of them.)

Zoya – Shawn (not new, but I wanted to compare to “Yes, I Can”)

SpaRitual – Yes, I Can

Essie – Going Incognito

Then the glitters!



From pinky

Zoya – Edyta

Orly – It’s Not Rocket Science

Orly – Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

Color Club – Untamed Luxury

I’m sorry these are so messy; they were ridiculous, and all over my hands! Too much to handle!

almost to the end of my polipology (see what i did there? mixed polish and apology? clever eh?)

love,

Frida

Sally Hansen "Gunmetal"

Sorry that I haven’t been posting, I’ve been on break for the past week. But today I will make it up to you! I’ll even save the best (and most terrifying) for last! But to save the best for last I have to start with the worst. Here’s one of the nail polishes I bought on a whim back home in SF, and then ended up being TOTALLY UNDERWHELME by. Side note: whenever I use the words overwhelmed or underwhelmed I think of that scene in “10 Things I Hate About You” where Chastity says: “I know you can be overwhelmed, and underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?” And Bianca replies: “I think you can in Europe!”   Oh lordy I love that movie.   Sorry for the tangent. Here’s the underwhelming nail polish.



Sorry for the terrible picture, I couldn't wait to get this off of me.

I am not even whelmed :(

this is Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear "Gunmetal." enjoy