This polish was a surprise find. I was just minding my own business in Ulta, looking at the latest color collections in the nail polish section and finding myself restless and bored. OPI's Texas did nothing for me, and most of the other displays were mostly empty - and what was left in them was boring. A sign announced that Essie polishes were "Buy 2, Get 1 free" so I took a closer look...
CORNFLOWER BLUE! My dream color! The actual name of the polish is "Lapis of Luxury". It's a just-barely-purpled blue. It's a cream formula that applied really, really well (2 coats), and wore great, too! Definitely going to be showing up a lot on my tips and toes this Spring and Summer.
Do you have any cornflower blue polishes? Do you have a "dream color" you're looking for? What are on your tips and toes right now?
Disclaimer 1: I purchased this polish with my own money.
Disclaimer 2: The images were adjusted in photoshop to accurately portray the cornflower blue shade, which was impossible to capture.
How long has it been since you treated yourself to a manicure or pedicure?
I believe it's been an embarrassing TWO YEARS since my last professional pedi! Before you cringe away in disgust, it's not like I've been ignoring my tootsies. It's just that since I had Baby #2, time and finances have been directed elsewhere and all of my pampering has been self-administered!
Anyway, I finally submitted to the capable hands of someone else, and my feet are thrilled. Hooray for taking time for ME! Gotta do this more often...
I admit, I skipped the salon mani and did my own. I'm incredibly picky with my nails and I've gotten fairly good at doing my own. Besides, for whatever reason, I don't find salon manicures relaxing. I'd rather save the money and time and do it myself. I chose a cool grey with a hint of purple simply because it contrasts so beautifully with the eye-searing coral neon on my toes! Why be predictable?
Colors used:China GlazeFlip Flop Fantasy (Summer '10) on feet; EssieSmokin' Hot (Holiday/Winter '10) on fingers
So how long has it been for you? Do you go for mani-pedis regularly? Are you a do-it-yourselfer? Do you prefer to treat yourself with massages? Facials? What's your go-to pamper pleasure? What do you scrimp on?
Lady Gagais getting a fragrance. Of course. It may or may not be called "Monster;" that's unconfirmed - not to mention predictable. Coty, who will be producing the scent, says the ad campaign will be "unprecedented and groundbreaking". Doubtless. The packaging will apparently reflect the singer's "artistic sensibility". I can't wait... for the trainwreck.
Angel. The scent puts fear into the hearts of many. But many others disagree, which is why you smell it everywhere. Those of you in the latter group can rejoice! Thierry Mugler has dressed up the controversial scent in various wrappings as a present to fans. Collectors will want to snap up the solid perfume in a star-shaped, Swarovski-bedecked ring, a leatheresque-dressed star flacon, and a Swarovski-clad oversized perfume extrait (13oz of gourmand goodies). That last one, the Deluxe Superstar, will hurt the wallet, though (nearly 3k!). (Shh... I kinda want that ring!!)
Oh, Gio. You're killin' me here with these amazing new mottled eyeshadows. You say they give 24-hour wear, which is perfect for hanging out all night with international men of mystery (or hitting up the company holiday party). I don't even mind your choice of spokeswhore (much).
Wake me when it's over. Essie isn't actually working the shock and awe angle with their Winter collection. I just can't get excited about a green (looks like a darker version of Fall's Sew Psyched, which was gorgeous but geez!); a brown; a plummy-brown; a dark reddish-brown; a red; and a grey. At least it's not all sheer pinks...
Like many girls, I always loved those little dolls within dolls. Lush has released a holiday Matryoshka Nesting Doll that Will let us play like a kid on Christmas morning! Unwrap the doll to get your hands on a So White Soap, a Cinders Bath Bomb, and a So White Bath Bomb. Adorable!! (get it)
All righty, ya'll. It's time to talk about the elephant in the room: busted feet.
It's summer. You shouldn't be wearing boots or kneesocks on the regular. It's time to be brave and bare your soles.
For the purpose of this post, I've qualified Feet into four categories according to Their Level of Busted-nessTM.
Level 1: Princess Feet (as smooth as the day you were born) Level 2: Just Feet (maybe a tad rough in the heel area, but not too bad) Level 3: Jacked Up (pretty damn bad, but potentially salvageable) Level 4:Wrecked (most of the people in this category think they can't be helped and just skipped to another blog, shaking in fear and self-loathing)
A quick note to Level 1's: Maybe you're blessed with those baby soft feet that never look bad.
Maybe you've got a standing appointment with a fabulous pedicure-ist.
If you are one of these types, you're excused. Go on and read some of the pithy and genius thingsI'vepreviouslywritten. This post is for the rest of us.
To read about how to fix your situation, keep reading.
DISCLAIMER: I'm not a podiatrist, so none of this should be considered medical advice. If you are in the "Wrecked" category of Feet, you may want to consider seeing a podiatrist or dermatologist or exorcist or some other kind of professional who can better advise you.
Why is it that whenever The Ninja tells people that her wedding anniversary is on April 1st, people invariably say "You would get married on April Fool's Day!" like it's a bad thing? I mean, c'mon: it's a day dedicated to levity and fun and pranks. While The Ninja takes her marriage quite seriously, life is supposed to be fun. And if you can't have fun with your spouse... why in the hell did you get married in the first place?!
This April 1st, in addition to celebrating her 4th Anniversary and setting out whoopie cushions, The Ninja will be splurging a bit on these babies...
The Essie Wedding Collection
Petal Pink – a sweet and subtle creamy pink
BBF Best Boyfriend – a classic creamy mauve
Pillow Talk – a sheer and sultry nude
Walk Down the Aisle – a fresh and creamy white
Show Me the Ring – an iridescent pearl
Main Squeeze – a shimmering lilac cream
Yes... SHOCKING! Pale pastels and sheers. From Essie!
But The Ninja is interested in seeing BBF Best Boyfriend, Show Me the Ring, and Main Squeeze -- they could be interesting.
Maybe it's a pregnancy thing, but I'm obsessed with nail polish at the moment.
Below, pics of my nails earlier this week. Yes, I said "earlier this week" because the tips have changed again already...
I also just removed acrylics (hence the banged-up nature of the nails). A) I want to rock natural nails so it's easier for me to change polishes frequently; B) Saving money time - I can still get pedis but will scrimp on manis since I can do them myself (I suck at pedis) and C) When Lulu gets here, I'm not going to have time/energy to go get fills!
Below, on tootsies, Misa's Dirty Sexy Money. Love it! I've never worn greens/blues before and now I can't figure out why! This shade is a dusky, greyed-out teal and it's perfection.
On tips: a discontinued OPI called Blue Moon Lagoon. It's an amazing holographic polish in a soft blue-green. I can't stop looking at it when I have it on!
My manicure this past weekend was a real winner from the EssieNorth Fork
collection of Spring 2009. And just coincidentally this is exactly the
shade of the Crayola "Wild Blue Yonder" crayon I was using while
playing with my daughter!
Warning: These photos document how
bad my cuticles get when neglected, as in when a sick toddler and a
newborn sap all of my time and I can't even moisturize my hands!
Enlarge at your own risk.
Color:
Cool powder blue; a bit on the "dirty" side rather than bright. Soft
and pretty. This reminds me of a robin's egg! There's the slightest bit
of shimmer (more noticeable in the bottle than on the nail) that gives
this shade a nice vibrancy on the nail. Blue might not be a traditional
nail polish shade, but for "unusual" this sure is a ladylike color.
Application:
I could still see some VNL* with two coats, but since my nails are so
short I didn't mind stopping at two. Very thin, goes on nicely with no
drag or streaking.
*VNL = Visible Nail Line
Wear: Wear was only so-so with this mani; I got severe
chipping after only a day and a half. But I think that result was
because I was testing my base coat without my nail hardener underneath.
It's too close to taking off my acrylics for that kind of experiement!
The previous time I wore this wear was good, so this was a complete
anomaly.
What I used: Base coat -Orly Bonder; two thin coats of color; Seche Vite as a top coat.
Suggested uses:
If you've got a lot of stress, this peaceful shade will soothe your
battered nerves (put it on your toes for private therapy if blue isn't
appropriate for your everyday mani). If you're wearing this on tips,
try a navy on toesies. Would also pair well with a soft pink, french,
or even a soft true grey.
I
was in the mood for something a bit more traditional than the colors I
have been using lately. Lovin' the blues, teals, greens, oranges - but
sometimes you need to shake things up, right? Even if that means going
back to basics! So I looked towards one of the brands I'm reaching for
more and more: Essie. I grabbed their Lacy Not Racy, described as "velvety vintage burgundy", which I have in one of their incredibly adorable mini-bottles!
outside, in the sun:
outside swatch:
indoors:
indoors swatch:
Color:
As I mentioned, the Essie site describes this color as "velvety vintage burgundy". The thing is: it's not, really. What I mean is it's certainly a burgundy some of the time...
but when you take this sucker outside it's much more of bright red. I
tried to capture this color inside, but it's not an easy feat so the
pic is a bit blurry. Much of the time, the nails look more like the
bottle in the first picture here on this post, shown close-up to the
right. It turned out this was a great 4th of July mani, though that
wasn't specifically my intent. While it's not so Fourth-y inside, when
I went to the family picnic, the sun shown madly on it and brought out
it's red tendencies, which turned out to be quite festive.
Application:
I had a bit of trouble with this one, only in that it needed 3 or 4
coats to be even. It's a tricky one -at two coats and at some angles,
the coverage looked great, but then I looked again and noticed some
areas that were darker than others. So that's why I went to the third
coat. The 4th coat is because I "topped off" the next day and put on
another layer of top coat, too - one of my tricks to prolong a mani.
Wear: Using my trick, I have had 3 full days (and counting!) with no tip wear or chipping. I applied this on July 3rd.
What I used: Base coats -Orly Bonder over NailTekIIIntensive Therapy; 3 thin coats of color; Seche Vite
as a top coat. The second day, I applied a bit of color across the tips
("wrapping" the tips for better wear) and then another coat on top,
followed by one more coat of Seche Vite.
Suggested uses:
This is a great vampy for the red-lover, as long as you stay inside.
Paint it on the toes with a french on the tips if you're really going
or that classic look. Or try with a dark navy or black... maybe even a
silver. I may use this one for nail art once I grab some of those great
mattes* coming out now - the contrast will be great against a matte
black, blue or even grey.
*Essie has created a matte top coat, matte about you, that I'll be reviewing shortly - maybe I'll make my own matte to play with as a nail art project with this shade!
I recently got sent two nail products. I knew one was coming and had
high hopes, while the other was a complete surprise. BOTH items
immediately became treasured members of my Top 5 For Nails list, and I wanted to do a quick post to show you both
Indigo Paris, part of Lancôme’s Fall Collection,
is a fabulous blue shimmer that is nearly metallic! It's immediately
getting the "Holy Grail" status fro me, because I've been looking for a
blue comparable to my beloved China GlazeCoconut Kiss. Meanwhile, Essie's Matte About Youtopcoat taps into the matte trend by overlaying any polish you have with a sexy satin finish.
I did a mani with Indigo Paris and then layered Matte About You over it on the ring fingers. I then went back with Indigo Paris and painted a French-style stripe on the tip. On the thumbs, I reversed that - shiny nail bed, matte French tip.
Here are the swatches - plain ole Indigo Paris
on the left and on the right is the mattified version. Look how radiant
this polish is, even with the matte top coat!This is just the perfect
blue shimmer (and it wears well, too)! The formula is perfect - no
gloppiness, not terribly runny. Nothing to complain about!
And here are some more examples of Matte About You at work:
I
used the colors above (pardon the terrible pics) because I thought many
of the colors were familiar. Below, skittles nails before Matte About You, then after 1 coat was applied:
A closer look at ♥ matte Coconut Kiss ♥ and Aruba Blue:
A closer look at China GlazeRuby Heels and Lubu Heels,
and a peek of OPI Shootout at the OK Coral (2009 version):
Matte About You
dries in a hot second, leaving behind what can only be described as
"yumminess". I wasn't sure how I felt about the matte trend, as only a
few of the pre-made colors I've seen were really eye catching. But now
I have to say I'm quite interested in the experiments I can do with my
current collection of polishes, and I LOVE doing a mixed matte-shiny
mani. I may give a second look to Fall's matte collections, now that my
eyes have been opened, but all I really need is Essie's Matte About You!
Note:
Some of the matte polishes on the market come with a lot of rules. They
say "don't use a base coat" and "don't apply lotion" or the formula
will degrade. Not with Matte About You! I used my normal base
coat and the appropriate number of color coats for the particular
shade. In fact, I even topped that with Seche Vite to dry it all
quickly (in case I had to change a diaper!). Matte About You glided
on top and dried quickly and flawlessly. Using lotion or cuticle oil
de-mattifies the topcoat temporarily, but once the oils sink in or rub
off (whatever) the finish is back to satiny goodness.
I recently got sent two nail products. I knew one was coming and had high hopes, while the other was a complete surprise. BOTH items immediately became treasured members of my Top 5 For Nails list, and I wanted to do a quick post to show you both
Indigo Paris, part of Lancôme’s Fall Collection,
is a fabulous blue shimmer that is nearly metallic! It's immediately
getting the "Holy Grail" status fro me, because I've been looking for a
blue comparable to my beloved China GlazeCoconut Kiss. Meanwhile, Essie's Matte About Youtopcoat taps into the matte trend by overlaying any polish you have with a sexy satin finish.
I did a mani with Indigo Paris and then layered Matte About You over it on the ring fingers. I then went back with Indigo Paris and painted a French-style stripe on the tip. On the thumbs, I reversed that - shiny nail bed, matte French tip.
Here are the swatches - plain ole Indigo Paris on the left and on the right is the mattified version. Look how radiant this polish is, even with the matte top coat!This is just the perfect blue shimmer (and it wears well, too)! The formula is perfect - no gloppiness, not terribly runny. Nothing to complain about!
And here are some more examples of Matte About You at work:
I used the colors above (pardon the terrible pics) because I thought many of the colors were familiar. Below, skittles nails before Matte About You, then after 1 coat was applied:
A closer look at ♥ matte Coconut Kiss ♥ and Aruba Blue:
A closer look at China GlazeRuby Heels and Lubu Heels,
and a peek of OPI Shootout at the OK Coral (2009 version):
Matte About You dries in a hot second, leaving behind what can only be described as "yumminess". I wasn't sure how I felt about the matte trend, as only a few of the pre-made colors I've seen were really eye catching. But now I have to say I'm quite interested in the experiments I can do with my current collection of polishes, and I LOVE doing a mixed matte-shiny mani. I may give a second look to Fall's matte collections, now that my eyes have been opened, but all I really need is Essie's Matte About You!
Note: Some of the matte polishes on the market come with a lot of rules. They say "don't use a base coat" and "don't apply lotion" or the formula will degrade. Not with Matte About You! I used my normal base coat and the appropriate number of color coats for the particular shade. In fact, I even topped that with Seche Vite to dry it all quickly (in case I had to change a diaper!). Matte About You glided on top and dried quickly and flawlessly. Using lotion or cuticle oil de-mattifies the topcoat temporarily, but once the oils sink in or rub off (whatever) the finish is back to satiny goodness.
I was in the mood for something a bit more traditional than the colors I have been using lately. Lovin' the blues, teals, greens, oranges - but sometimes you need to shake things up, right? Even if that means going back to basics! So I looked towards one of the brands I'm reaching for more and more: Essie. I grabbed their Lacy Not Racy, described as "velvety vintage burgundy", which I have in one of their incredibly adorable mini-bottles!
outside, in the sun:
outside swatch:
indoors:
indoors swatch:
Color:
As I mentioned, the Essie site describes this color as "velvety vintage burgundy". The thing is: it's not, really. What I mean is it's certainly a burgundy some of the time... but when you take this sucker outside it's much more of bright red. I tried to capture this color inside, but it's not an easy feat so the pic is a bit blurry. Much of the time, the nails look more like the bottle in the first picture here on this post, shown close-up to the right. It turned out this was a great 4th of July mani, though that
wasn't specifically my intent. While it's not so Fourth-y inside, when
I went to the family picnic, the sun shown madly on it and brought out
it's red tendencies, which turned out to be quite festive.
Application:
I had a bit of trouble with this one, only in that it needed 3 or 4 coats to be even. It's a tricky one -at two coats and at some angles, the coverage looked great, but then I looked again and noticed some areas that were darker than others. So that's why I went to the third coat. The 4th coat is because I "topped off" the next day and put on another layer of top coat, too - one of my tricks to prolong a mani.
Wear: Using my trick, I have had 3 full days (and counting!) with no tip wear or chipping. I applied this on July 3rd.
What I used: Base coats -Orly Bonder over NailTekIIIntensive Therapy; 3 thin coats of color; Seche Vite as a top coat. The second day, I applied a bit of color across the tips ("wrapping" the tips for better wear) and then another coat on top, followed by one more coat of Seche Vite.
Suggested uses:
This is a great vampy for the red-lover, as long as you stay inside. Paint it on the toes with a french on the tips if you're really going or that classic look. Or try with a dark navy or black... maybe even a silver. I may use this one for nail art once I grab some of those great mattes* coming out now - the contrast will be great against a matte black, blue or even grey.
*Essie has created a matte top coat, matte about you, that I'll be reviewing shortly - maybe I'll make my own matte to play with as a nail art project with this shade!
The Essie Summer 2009 Color Collection joins the award-winning lineup beginning June 2009 at
www.essie.com and fine spas, salons and beauty destinations nationwide. SRP $8.00 USD.
TIP FROM ESSIE WEINGARTEN: For days in the sun, try Essie’s Non-Yellowing Top Coat (SRP $8.00). It’s the ultimate sun block for your nails that protects polish from harmful natural UVA/UVB rays as well as prevents color from changing.
I peeped this collection and fell in love! Especially with Not Just a Pretty Face and Cute as a Button. Wish I could swatch, but I didn't have the $$$. :(
The industrious can probably still scoop some of the following collection, too. Stunning neons; a follow-up to Essie's well-received neon collection of Summer '08.
Punchy Pink
– Deliciousberry
icicle
Flirty
Fuchsia – Flaming hot magenta
Funky
Limelight – Brilliant day-glo yellow
Perky Purple
– Electric boogie violet
TIP FROM ESSIE WEINGARTEN: "Since neon nail colors produce a matte finish, make sure to apply a base and top coat, like essie Protein Base Coat and Good to Go! top coat for a rich, high shine finish."
My manicure this past weekend was a real winner from the EssieNorth Fork collection of Spring 2009. And just coincidentally this is exactly the shade of the Crayola "Wild Blue Yonder" crayon I was using while playing with my daughter!
Warning: These photos document how bad my cuticles get when neglected, as in when a sick toddler and a newborn sap all of my time and I can't even moisturize my hands! Enlarge at your own risk.
Color:
Cool powder blue; a bit on the "dirty" side rather than bright. Soft and pretty. This reminds me of a robin's egg! There's the slightest bit of shimmer (more noticeable in the bottle than on the nail) that gives this shade a nice vibrancy on the nail. Blue might not be a traditional nail polish shade, but for "unusual" this sure is a ladylike color.
Application: I could still see some VNL* with two coats, but since my nails are so short I didn't mind stopping at two. Very thin, goes on nicely with no drag or streaking.
*VNL = Visible Nail Line
Wear: Wear was only so-so with this mani; I got severe chipping after only a day and a half. But I think that result was because I was testing my base coat without my nail hardener underneath. It's too close to taking off my acrylics for that kind of experiement! The previous time I wore this wear was good, so this was a complete anomaly.
What I used: Base coat -Orly Bonder; two thin coats of color; Seche Vite as a top coat.
Suggested uses:
If you've got a lot of stress, this peaceful shade will soothe your battered nerves (put it on your toes for private therapy if blue isn't appropriate for your everyday mani). If you're wearing this on tips, try a navy on toesies. Would also pair well with a soft pink, french, or even a soft true grey.
Despite a temporary "mystery collection" speed bump, we don't want you to get blue. Well, maybe we do! Essie goes a little crazy with their new Summer collection, North Fork. Take a look at Scrangie's find, and read the post for more info!
All Lacquered Up shares a sneak peek at another great China Glaze collection. (Can that company put out a dud? Hopefully: never) Introducing: Spring / Summer's Kicks! Visit to learn more.
That's it for nails today. Got anything else for us?
Any of these catch the eye? Are you too busy yawning to care? Share with the class!
Naturally, being a China Glaze junkie, I want to get my hands on Kicks! I can't wait to see that purple-y pink one, and the lighter blue. Essie has shocked me with the blues, and I'll peep those but I'm not that into blues - I just want to see 'em and prove to myself they're real! And you know I love orange, so I'll scope out the Chanel Orange Fizz, but it looks a little pale to interest me. Ya never know, though!
