Purple Shimmer Sunday: Nars Soho

Hi everyone! It's time for another Purple Shimmer Sunday! Be sure to check out what The Polish Haven and Pied Polish Piper have in store for this week!

Today's purple shimmer was a bit of a disappointment. I had heard that Nars Soho was a letdown for a lot of people because it looks pretty awesome in the bottle but it doesn't translate well to the nail. I found it on a blog sale for cheap, so I figured it was worth a try. It is a deep, plum jelly with scattered red and blue shimmer throughout. The shimmer is quite sparse and is quite hidden in most lights.

So I did what I always do when things disappoint...I did some layering. I layered on a franken from by buddy CapaXildebrand, called Word Vomit, which is a multicolored either microglitter or shimmer. If it is glitter, it is really fine and smooth. It was hard to capture on film, but it is a stunner in real life!

So yeah...Nars Soho gets a big fat meh from me. It was a limited edition polish and has been discontinued for some time...but it isn't worth worrying over if you don't have it. Here's to hoping that next weeks purple shimmer will knock my socks off! Thanks for looking everyone!

Fun with L.A. Girl Sand Blast Polishes

Hi everyone! Something crazy has happened...I have found textured polishes that I LOVE without topcoat. I have avoided the textured "creme" polishes since they were released because I was sure I would hate them. Even said some not-so-nice things about them. I recently stumbled upon some released from LA. Girl, the Sand Blast collection, and I decided to give them a try because I loved the colors (and hey...they were cheap!). I picked up a purple, blue, green, and a gold glitter that reminds me a vaguely of OPI Honey Ryder, but I like it much better. For today's mani I decide to play with the blue and green.

Sandy Beach is a saturated, Royal blue polish "creme" polish with texture. There are no sparkles in it at all. Green Sand is a light green texture polish that does contain a few sparkles, but they aren't super obvious and sparkly upon drying like some I have encountered (such as OPI Jinx, Julie G Sugar Rush and Julie G Hot Cinnamon). It is a gorgeous shade of green and because it does have sparkles, I will eventually topcoat it I'm sure. These are both shown at 2 coats. The formula was pretty nice on them, with the green having a slightly thicker formula, but neither gave me any problems. I decided to stamp these with Konad White and a design from the Cheeky XL Musical Nails plate. I love the look of the textured polishes stamped!

 

 

 

 

L.A. Girl polishes are available from Rite Aid and online from Cherry Culture. I haven't seen these out at my local Rite Aid yet, so I picked them up from Cherry Culture. What do you guys think about the textured "creme" polishes? I have heard a lot of people aren't too into them, but I would have never in a million years thought I would like them. It might not hurt to at least give them a try either way! With the L.A. Girl, Milani, and Sally Hansen ones around there are some good inexpensive alternatives to try just for fun. As always, thanks for looking!

Favorite Blacks/Greys

Hi everyone! Today I have my favorite blacks and greys for you. I'm not always one that reaches for greys, but there are some that I have found that are truly lovely. I'm always attracted to black polishes, but I don't find I reach for them often to wear so I don't purchase them a lot. The holos are really an exception to that rule...

OPI My Private Jet (original holo version) Wonderful polish. I will always have more black holos, but none will be as dear to me as this one. A gift from my pal Kathy. <3

Zoya Petra (on tips). This is a smoky, purpley grey creme. It is so amazing and one of the first greys that I ever loved. 

Zoya Kelly (base) under Pahlish Sullen Girl. Beautiful charcoal grey creme. Lovely formula too.

Layla Flash Black. The ultimate, rainbowy, grey holo. It is gorgeous!

OPI Let's Do It in 3-D. Another gift from my pal Kathy (she is just TOO much!). Pretty scattered charcoal grey holo.

American Apparel Hassid. My holy grail black creme. Followed closely by Finger Paints Black Expressionism.

Jade Magia Negra. Gorgeous linear effect. Love the Jades so much!

Color Club Beyond. Do I have too many black holos? Nah...they are all fantastic! 

HARE Polish King of Carat Flowers over Essence Grey-T to Be Here. I'm not always a huge fan of greys, but this one is gorgeous and subtle.

Esssence Grey-T to Be Here. The pink and gold shimmer in this polish is to die for!

Maybelline Cool Couture. I'm so glad I snagged this polish when it was around in drugstores. The subtle teal shimmer is awesome!

Illamasqua Raindrops. This is such a soothing, squishy polish. I'm glad I finally was able to acquire in on Illamasqua's second release. 

Butter London The Black Knight (over black). I think there is a Pure Ice dupe of this one now, so you should definitely snag it if you don't want to pay Butter London prices. The glitter mix is so fun!

Oopsie Daisies Moonside. I think the neon glitters make this black polish so much fun!

Darling Diva Polish TNT. The green/red/gold color shifting particles come alive against the black jelly base of this polish.

CrowsToes Shoot the Butterfly. It looks like a monarch butterfly in a bottle How can that be bad?

CrowsToes Season of the Witch. The green/purple color shifting flakes are wicked in this polish.

OPI Skull and Glossbones (base). Ahhh...late entry! I totally forgot to get a picture of this one on its own, but it is a lovely putty grey. It is surprisingly flattering. 

So how do you feel about blacks/greys? I know that they have to be really special for me to like them, but they are a favorite for some. Thanks for looking!

Favorite Pinks

Hi everyone! I'm slowly but surely getting all my my favorite posts together (I have about 5 others "in progress" at the moment that are just waiting for a few new pics to be added). Today I wanted to show you my favorite pinks. I know there are some pink haters out there, but I am not one of them. I really enjoy a girly pink mani every now and then.

Pretty Serious The Pink One. This polish is GORGEOUS! It has replaced Orly Oh Cabana Boy as my favorite neon pink!

Color Club Halo-graphic. I like Miss Bliss too, but I like that this one leans more purpley pink. Also yay for awesome iPhone pics...yeah...

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Dreams (over Illamasqua Collide). LOVE this polish. It is by far my favorite Lippmann. 

piCture pOlish Shocked. Gorgeous scattered holo. 

Illamasqua Stance (under Darling Diva Polish Call the Doctor). I use this polish for EVERYTHING! It is so pretty! Call the Doctor is awesome as well. This is a really purpley pink. So pretty!

Pahlish Sugar Venom. Adore this pink. So pretty! 

HARE Polish Party Palace. This polish has a gorgeous shimmer. 

American Apparel Angeline (under Oopsie Daisies Psykick). This is a great, all-purpose, medium pink creme with a fantastic formula. 

Girly Bits Razzle Dazzle. The holo sparkle in this is magical!

Illamasqua Collide. Neon pink jelly...just perfect. 

Deborah Lippmann Raspberry Beret. A gorgeous deep raspberry with flakies. 

OPI Steady as She Rose. A lovely pale pink creme with a touch of murkiness. 

OPI Sparrow Me the Drama. I remember I almost got rid of this one. I love it so much, so I'm glad that I kept it. It reminds me of Pepto-Bismol...in a good way. 

Orly Pre-Amp. A real winner from Orly. The shimmer is divine!

Cult Nails Untamed. Juicy pink jelly with shimmer. 

HARE Polish The Sky Was Pink (over China Glaze Under the Boardwalk). 

China Glaze Ahoy! Yummy raspberry glassfleck. 

China Glaze Strawberry Fields. Gorgeous golden shimmer in this one. 

OPI DS Exclusive. This is a deep, saturated, magenta holo. It is absolutely amazing (much more than this picture shows. It looks a bit deeper in real life too. 

OPI DS Divine. Another winner from the OPI Designer Series (I love them ALL!). Gorgeous pink holo. I know there are a lot of holos around now, but these are always going to be some of my favorites. 

OPI DS Extravagance. This one toes the line of being purple/pink. But it is a very rich and deep and the scattered holo is to die for. It just glows. It is a must have for EVERYONE!

Essie Play Date. I'm not sure if this one is pink or purple. It might be a very pink leaning purple. But it is gorgeous. That's what counts. 

Jade Delirio Rosa. This is a bubblegum pink linear holo. I know it is too "Barbie" for some people, but I happen to love it. It leans a little blue and that makes me love it even more. 

OPI Too Hot Pink to Hold 'Em. A squishy pink jelly that is perfect for jelly sandwiches. When OPI does jellies, they do them right. 

So are you tired of pinks yet? I just love all of these! Thanks so much for looking!