Amandalandish

Savina Wisteria

2012-02-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

I'm becoming a real fan of Savina polishes. I haven't posted any of my swatches of them (until now), but let me assure you, the colors and formulas alone are so fantastic, it shocks me these aren't more well known.

Wisteria is a shimmery, glass flecked medium purple creme that is pure butter on the nail. For this mani, I used three coats because the shimmer gives the illusion of bald spots, but I probably could've gotten away with two coats. Everything about this polish strikes me as something that Zoya would do, but instead this is sold in the same bottles as China Glaze (which confused me the first time I saw these in Nordstroms Rack) and go for about $4.

The color of Wisteria is truly amazing but super difficult to capture. In normal light, this purple seems to have a very, very slight red undertone but with flash, blue undertones magically appears in the pictures. I'd say that the first picture is more color-accurate but the second picture showcases the glass flecks beautifully.

I've never really posted a polish that photographs so differently with flash, but I figured I'd give you ladies an opportunity to see the best parts of this polish.

Have any of you tried Savina? Any other colors you think I should try?

*** My I "Cracked" 550 Follower Giveaway" closes this Saturday, March 3. Have you entered yet? ***

Color Club New Bohemian

2012-02-25T16:00:00.000-05:00

You like? I love.

A long while back Nory and I were feeling a bit blah about our polish choices. So instead, we gave each other "challenges," something outside our comfort zone to inspire us. Nory told me to pick a pastel blue knowing that I am super season-appropriate with my color choices and I hold off on pastels until spring (or at least try).

I picked up Color Club New Bohemian from the Back to Boho Collection Fall 2011 thinking it was a shade of blue in the aqua family; it was clearly pastel in the bottle. Boy, was I wrong.

New Bohemian is aqua all right, but more of a mint green leaning aqua. It's a gorgeous color that nicely rests between the Tiffany blues and mint greens that are consistently duped in the polish world. In fact, Color Club itself has duped this color in their latest Spring collection. Either way, New Bohemian is a really fun creme that doesn't create lobster hands. With a fabulous formula in 2 coats, what more can a girl ask for?

My apologies to Nory for not entirely complying with her rules. Mea culpa! But I do think that New Bohemian was a nice departure from my typical winter choices. Ideally though, I see that as a fun pedi to wear in the summer.

What do you ladies think? Any other faves from the Back to Boho Collection?

Anise Run for the Money

2012-02-24T17:00:00.000-05:00

I figure I'd round out the work week with another Anise. It was in my draft list so I figured before I forgot, I might as well share it with you lovely ladies.

I initially thought that Run for the Money would be a teal version of Dangerous Lover. However, as you can see, this is really nothing like yesterday's post. While metallic, there isn't that added foil finish that made Dangerous Lover a bit more unique. Run for the Money (why isn't something with this name green??) is a pretty sweet bright blue leaning teal that reminds me of the Caribbean Ocean. The silvery shimmer you can only make out in the bottle gives it polish that ocean-like glow on the nail.

This is 3 coats of a thin, fast drying formula. Also a bit streaky which is no bueno in my book for a metallic.

Hmmm...still not 100% satisfied with any of my Anise polishes. Oh well. I've been giving them out as gifts and in swaps and they seem to be well received so maybe it's just me. Who knows?

In lieu of a disappointing Friday swatch, I am determined to bring out the big guns for the weekend and post something I love. Wish me luck finding a good one!

Thoughts, ladies? Am I being a polish snob?

Anise Dangerous Lover

2012-02-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today I have another Anise polish for you. A brand that is new to most people, I first reviewed Agent Glam here. I picked up my handful of Anise polishes at the counter at an Annie Sez retailer, but I've read that these are also popping up at DSWs as well.

To the polish! Dangerous Lover is super quick drying (even between coats!) foil metallic in icy blue and flecked with sparse silver micro glitter. I actually received a number of comments on this polish when I wore it, mostly from girls who were self proclaimed fans of gunmetal polishes. Personally, I'm on the fence about this polish. It's a nice color in the bottle, but I just felt it fell kinda blah on me.

This is three coats. I've found that with all my Anises, three coats are necessary as they have thinner formulas that dry almost instantly and don't have a tremendous amount of saturation in my opinion.

I do see this color as the perfect polish to wear on a cold, icy night but otherwise, I'm not running to this polish anytime soon. It's pretty, but I just didn't like the way the color washed out my skin when I wore it. I think this would pop more on a darker or olive skinned girl...or at least someone who is not glow in the dark like me.

What do you ladies think? Am I being too hard on this little guy?

a-england Tristam

2012-02-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

I am absolutely smitten with today's swatch.

My first a-england polish was sent to me by the lovely, fantastic, spectacular Nory (who recently bought her own domain and revamped her site...take a look here!). a-england Tristam was a major lemming for me the minute I saw my first swatch of this gorgeous blue holo. However, as much as I loved it, I seriously couldn't stomach spending so much on a polish I had never even seen. But Nory decided I had to have it and sent me one! Thanks, girly!

Let me first apologize that this did not photograph as well as I had liked and I blame that largely on myself because I just wasn't feeling my application. This polish has a really fantastic formula that's thick but not too thick and just feels like butter when applying. However, I was sitting in bad light when I polished my nails and just couldn't really find my way with the brush. For some reason, that just made me feel that the whole swatching process of this was a bust and concluded with lackluster photography.

But regardless, this polish is truly stellar. While this picture is taken with flash to highlight the strong holo, even in normal light, you can make out how fantastically starry night this polish is. The deep blue -- but not navy! -- sapphire base absolutely glows and in two coats you have absolute perfection on your hands.

I know you've all seen a bazillion and ten swatches of this already but I just wanted to share my delight of this as well :)

By the way, did you ladies know that the story of Tristam and Isolde was the basis for the Romeo and Juliet story? I've read both and I can honestly say there's something haunting about Tristam and Isolde that stays with you years after reading. I highly recommend anyone who likes to read or enjoys Middle Age Era mythology take a stab at that story. The movie was also pretty good :)

So ladies, how much do we love Tristam?

Mattése Elite Mon Amour Collection

2012-02-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Mattése Elite has really been hitting out of the park with their latest few collection campaigns. I know I've said it before, but I absolutely adore their marketing. I first came to know of them with their Cosa Nostra collection and I was hooked by their display! Having been disappointed by some of the more mainstream collection campaigns as of late, I'm really excited to show the newest ME collection, Mon Amour.

Unfortunately, my picture isn't so clear so I highly recommend you click on the photo to enlarge to get a glimpse of the Paris-inspired collection of romantic glitters and sparkles. Even though I'm not into glitter, there's something about this collection that just feels really pretty in a non little girl kinda way.

Which colors strike your fancy?

Epic Nail Mail from Two of My Favorite Girlies!

2012-02-21T19:09:00.002-05:00

Normally, I'd begin my nail mail photos with a large shot of all the polishes. But with 15 (yes 15!) polishes, I couldn't fit them all in!

Here are my lovely new additions courtesy of the lovely Nory and Marisa. Thanks girlies!

OPI

Pedal Faster Suzi!

I Have a Herring Problem

Gouda Gouda Two Shoes

I Don't Give a Rotterdam

Wooden Shoe Like to Know?

Dutch Ya Just Love OPI?

Suzi and the Lifeguard

Pinking of You

Nory Franken Princess Abby

Nory Franken Melted Sprinkles

Nicole by OPI Green Up Your Act

Essie Braziliant

Bettina Preppy

China Glaze Gothic Lolita

Finger Paints Winter Sky

Can I just say that both Marisa and Nory went above and beyond with their gifts and I am beyond appreciative of all the new beauties I have to play with!

Which are your favorites??

11 Question Tag Again!

2012-02-21T17:00:00.000-05:00

I feel awful! My apologies to Chelsea from Nailed Blog who tagged me weeksss ago for the 11 Questions tag. I emailed her post to myself as a reminder but my inbox got inundated and this email got pushed to the bottom. But as I'm now cleaning this out, I want to respond to each of Chelsea's questions :)

1. Was there a particular polish that got you really into nail polish?

I don't think so. I was always into nail polish but once I left college, I found myself collecting and collecting and collecting...until it got to the point where I started my blog!

2. What do you see right now if you turn directly to your left?

Oh wow, I like this question...not that I have anything particularly interesting next to me. Immediately to my left is tea (it's really cold in NYC right now!), Vaseline, and a notepad and pen that I always keep my the side of my bed in case because I am perpetually making lists of things I have to do.

3. What is the most difficult class you ever took in school?

I had to take Financial Management as a pre-req for my Masters. That class was absolute hell. I'm not a math person but more than that, I just don't think financially. It's like my head sees number and instantly shuts off. So yeah, that class was pretty rough.

4. If you could meet any historical figure, who would it be?

Hands down, Mark Twain. I can't even imagine how entertaining that conversation would be.

5. Have you ever seen a movie in the theater more than once? If so, what film(s)?

I think the last movie I saw more than once was the first Harry Potter back in sophomore year of high school. I'm not a huge movie theater person, so going once is already a big deal for me.

6. What is your favorite TV show?

The West Wing will always be my all-time favorite show.

7. What is your earliest memory?

Oddly enough, I remember my baby room which was decorated in white and grey. I just remember patches of grey and being held by mother. I moved from that house when I was two and half so I imagine that was probably my earliest memory.

8. What is your favorite fast food restaurant?

I don't eat fast food so can't answer this question. Sorry!

9. What is your least favorite polish you've ever tried? Why didn't you like it?

That's a really hard question. Um, I used to swear off Maybelline polishes but since I received Notorious Navy from All That is Gorgeous...'s Jenn, my opinion has shifted slightly. But typically, anything with a bad brush, watery formula, or something with glitter and/or yellow is probably not my cup of tea.

10. What was the last great book you read?

Unfortunately, I haven't read anything that great in awhile but I started reading Shalom Auslander's Hope: A Tragedy and have been enjoying it so far. He really pushes the envelope.

11. Did you ever have a completely random or illogical childhood fear?

I have two: dolls and ghosts. I can't be in a room with a doll, I actually make people turn them upside down because I can't have them staring at me. Dolls' eyes completely freak me out. Stuffed animals, however, are absolutely adorable and do not share the category of Satan's spawn.

I'm not really afraid of ghosts, but I do have this thing where I don't like being in my kitchen or living room at night because I think my dead relatives might be there. As a child, I couldn't sleep with my door open because I was convinced the ghost of Abraham Lincoln was staring in on me. I don't know where that fear came from but it still haunts (pardon the pun) me to this day.

So that's it! This tag has gone around in a bazillion circles so I won't tag anyone further, but I hope you ladies enjoyed the read :)

Twinsie Tuesday: Golden Rose Velvet Matte 01

2012-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Already at a month of Twinsie Tuesdays!

I'm so pleased at the response this is getting and I'm happy to announce that the girls and I agreed that we're going to continue this weekly tradition. We've already created a schedule that will get us through June, and let me tell you girlies, the ideas are super cool.

For today's post, our goal was to swatch a matte polish. I can honestly say this really stymied me since I don't own that many matte polishes and while I do have a matte top coat, wasn't sure which "normal" polish to swatch that would work well mattified.

I kinda copped out and went with one of the matte polishes I own, a bright pink matte I won in a giveaway from Katie's Handmade. Sent all the way from Poland, this is the second of three Golden Rose Velvet Mattes in my collection (the first, a sky blue matte, I posted here). I really had to control myself from putting a top coat on because I'm just not a huge fan of matte polishes; and since this color is just so luscious (if you click the photo to enlarge, you may be able to see the hidden shimmer), I can't even imagine how much it would pop with a top coat.

This is two coats that applied exceptionally smooth and dried relatively fast.

Oddly enough, Golden Rose Velvet Matte 01 (oh, Europeans! Why must you number your polishes?) dries a bit more rubbery to me than actual matte, which makes me like it more. Although, I won't lie, the next time I wear this, hells yeah will I apply a topcoat! It's just a fantastic bright pink with purply magenta leanings that screams "wear me shiny in the summer!"

Want to see what my girlies are rocking? Click the links below!

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...
Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

China Glaze Capitol Colors

2012-02-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

With THE HUNGER GAMES about to begin, Capitol citizens can show their support for their chosen district through China Glaze®’s exclusive Capitol Colours nail polish collection. The collection combines rich crèmes, soft shimmers and bold glitters to create the limited edition 12 shade nail polish collection inspired by the most anticipated movie release of the year.

The China Glaze® Capitol Colours collection includes the following shades:

· Dress Me Up – A stripped down dark rose pink crème

· Foie Gras – Decadent dark crème taupe

· Fast Track – Soft sandy brown with a gold metallic shimmer

· Hook and Line –Pearlescent light grey

· Stone Cold – Matte slate grey with shimmer

· Smoke and Ashes – Black-based teal with multicolored shimmer

· Agro – Moss green with gold shimmer

· Mahogany Magic – Reddish-brown crème

· Harvest Moon – Crystalized copper shimmer

· Riveting – Bright orange shimmer

· Electrify – High-wattage gold and ruby red glitter blend

· Luxe and Lush – A high octane flaky overcoat

The release of the collection follows the debut of the China Glaze® Capitol Colours consumer and beauty trade advertising campaign featuring the story’s Effie Trinket, who is assigned by the Capitol to escort and prepare the Tributes from District 12 for the 74^th Annual Hunger Games. The ad features the tagline, “What will you be wearing to the opening ceremonies?,” encouraging fans of THE HUNGER GAMES to support their favorite tribute and district by wearing a corresponding shade. Full-page ads will run in the March issues of teenVOGUE, People Style Watch and InStyle.

China Glaze® Capitol Colours will be available in early March 2012 at salons and specialty beauty retailers including Sally Beauty Supply and ULTA stores, coinciding with the release of THE HUNGER GAMES in theatres March 23, 2012. Individual shades retail for $7. The collection will be available in a 12-piece counter display as well as open stock colors.

China Glaze® is free of DBP, toluene, and added formaldehyde. China Glaze® nail lacquers are available through salons and professional beauty supply stores nationwide. For more information, visit: www.chinaglaze.com or follow China Glaze on Facebook and Twitter:http://twitter.com/ChinaGlaze

OPI Panda-monium Pink (and an attempt at layering)

2012-02-20T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is a pink that I wore awhile back in the heat of my pink search that completely blew my mind.

OPI Panda-monium Pink is a pastel pink from the Hong Kong Spring 2010 Collection, the collection that you may know as collection that brought jade colored polishes to the forefront. In three coats, Panda-monium Pink finishes glossy, non-streaky, and with no visible bald spots. Yay for pastels that don't streak!

With flash, you can see the white base that gives this polish a slight (and I mean slight) lavender tint to it and while very subtle, this color pops on the nail. I absolutely adore this polish and I seriously could not stop staring at my hands while I wore it. Just so ladylike!

Panda-momium Pink wore really well so I was hesitant to take it off. Instead, I decided to layer it with Essie Demure Vix(en), a polish that really disappointed me when I bought it last year. One coat over my OPI mani gave this more of a nuder hue with only a slight (and I mean slight) purply pink shimmer. Demure Vix(en) is seriously a dud of a polish in my opinion and I had hoped that layering it would bring out some of that mauvy shimmer shown in the bottle.

Without the shimmer visible, as seen in the last picture, the color looks almost puttyish. I don't know about Demure Vix(en), but OPI Panda-monium Pink is truly a must-have for those who like their pinks. Absolutely gorgeous gem of a polish that I feel has not gotten the publicity it deserves.

Do you ladies have a polish that you are completely smitten with but are disappointed in the reception its received by the polish world?

Introducing Amanda's Musts

2012-02-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

I have come to realize that I'm constantly saving and forwarding links of my favorite blog posts to friends, family, and basically whoever will read what I send them. I figure after months of inundating everyone in my personal life's inboxes, it was time to share the wealth with you ladies, who happily share the same polish insanity that I do.

So, without further ado, I introduce you to Amanda's Musts. Basically, every Monday(ish) I'll be posting a few links to some of the most interesting posts from the previous week. I'm more than happy for you guys to send me links to some of your favorites, but since this is really a platform to share rather than promote, I ask that you please not send me links from your own blog. Please email all suggestions at amandalandish(at)gmail(dot)com and I will certain to reference your blog if your link is published. You can also leave those links in the comments but Disqus may take that as spam and automatically delete that comment.

Anyways, technicalities aside, here are some of my favorites from last week:

Nailed Blog provides an excellent how-to on avoiding falling for counterfeit OPIs. I've been hearing a few horror stories about these being sold on eBay, so if you should definitely check this post out before buying online.

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Fierce Makeup and Nails reviews the entire Bettina New Classics collection here and here. As a newfound lover of all things Bettina and a fan of more conservative polishes, this collection is truly stellar.

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KK Nails gives a great tutorial about how to make your own polish jewelry. As soon as I get a few hours to myself, I really hope to try this out myself.

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Art Evolve is the place to go for those of you with stronger stomachs and a like for unconventional nail art. The post I'm linking is ridiculously cool and puts everyone who thinks they can do nail art to shame.

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Lovelyish showcased a tutorial on how to get Adele's Grammy makeup look. I personally adore Adele's '60s style and hope this tutorial proves helpful to those of you who want to rock the Mad Men look.

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Can't wait to hear what you ladies think of these!

Like I said before, this is a platform to share, so please feel free to send me the links that got you gaga.

Shine of the Times Bonanza

2012-02-19T16:00:00.000-05:00

A little while back, Nory asked me to try out Essie Shine of the Times over Sally Hansen Violet Voltage. I did her one better and decided to test drive this Essie flakie over a bunch of different color types.

Each of these swatches is two coats of the base color and two coats of Shine of the Times.

Sally Hansen Violet Voltage

Fright Night Claw Polish Phantom

Joe Fresh Khaki

Kleancolor Espresso

Which do you like best?

Comparison Post: Zoya Neeka vs. Revlon Royal Cloak

2012-02-18T16:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I posted this comparison on the lovely Anne's blog, Grape Fizz Nails. I didn't want to post it on mine until I had published Royal Cloak, so without further ado, my first comparison post!

Sorry for any redundancies from yesterday's post, I kept the bulk of the post as it was published on Anne's blog.
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It occurred to me that two of my major lemmings from 2011 were both purple flakies that were heavily documented in the blogosphere. However, now that I happily have both in my possession, I thought I'd do a bit of a comparison post (my first, in fact!)

The first swatch is Zoya Neeka, one of the stars of the Smoke and Mirrors Collection. A deep purple cream, you can see there is a dusty quality to this polish that really makes Neeka beautifully unique.

Zoya Neeka

My second swatch is one of those polishes that I picked up a bazillion times in the store and always put down, only to realize that when I really, really, really wanted it, it was nowhere to be found. I was lucky enough to buy Revlon Royal Cloak, the LE purple bombshell from this fall's Masquerade Collection, from a blog sale for super cheap. Like Neeka, this is a creamy deep purple, also possessing that great dustiness I adore.

Revlon Royal Cloak

In my heavily biased opinion, both are equally gorgeous. But is there a reason to own both? Well, let me show you these beauties a bit closer:

As you can see, Neeka is a much richer, darker purple filled with gold glass flecks. Royal Cloak has a bluer base thus somewhat lighter, has silvery white glass flecks. Two halves of a purple whole, I think these compliment each other wonderfully.

However, as someone who pined for these for months and now (clearly) owns both, I have to say in full disclosure they're fairly similar when worn. In the end it really depends on your fleck preference (gold or silver), color saturation level, and your wallet. Both retail for about $7 USD, although Royal Cloak is now discontinued.

What do you ladies think? Is it worth it to own both or was I chasing purple dreams trying to own both?

Revlon Royal Cloak

2012-02-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

OMG. Major lemming fulfilled.

Royal Cloak was one of the polish nightmare situations where you see in the store, pick it up, put it down. Come back to the store, pick it up, put it down. Finally decide you need it, go to store, polish nowhere to be found. Head to palm. The end.

However, it was not the end! I searched high and low online for this and finally found in on Traci from the Trace Face Philes blog sale and literally jumped her inbox. With shipping, it was cheaper than it would've been in the store and it was a full bottle. Total score.

In two coats, we fell in love. A medium blue-toned purple infused with silver flakies. Ah, gorgeousness in a bottle.

Isn't this simply magical? My heart skips a beat looking at this macro shot.

Before I forget, Royal Cloak was a limited edition from the Revlon Fall 2011 Masquerade collection. If you can get your hands on it, I recommend you never take them off.

Anyone else have a story like this?

Brucci Kathy's Baby Blues and Sinful Colors Cinderella

2012-02-16T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hi girlies.

So the talk of the town these days is all about the new colors added to Sinful Colors permanent collection. I totally got caught up in it and went on a wild good chase looking for the standout addition, Cinderella. Of course, when I wasn't looking, I saw it sitting cheerfully in the main display, just waiting for me to pick her up and bring her home.

Because I read that this blue jelly shimmer was fairly translucent, I thought I would layer it over two coats of my favorite baby blue creme, Brucci Kathy's Baby Blues, seen by itself here. In person, this combo looked lovely although very, very subtle. After two coats of Cinderella, the blue and pink shimmer kinda got lost in the creme below it.

The last picture really shows off the sugary feeling of this polish and I'm glad I was able to capture it. I think the next time I wear this, I'll just do 3-4 coats for opacity since layering it over a creme did not do it justice.

What do you ladies think of the new additions? Any others that blew you away?

Giveaway Reminder

2012-02-15T20:57:00.000-05:00

March 3 is right around the corner so I wanted to make sure that everyone took the opportunity to enter my "Cracked" Giveaway.

Click here for the chance to own three China Glaze Crackle Glaze polishes.

Open internationally!

Feel free to share the love and pass this giveaway on to a friend :)

Essie Armed and Ready (and a little gold accent)

2012-02-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday, ladies!

I have tooons of school work to catch up on since I was away for about a week. I was super fortunate to have finally been offered a job (yay!) at a fantastic organization that helps fight poverty in NYC. I'm really so excited I can't even express it. So in the few days I have before I begin full-time, I have to get all my course work wrapped up so I can begin with a clear head (so not gonna happen, but a girl can hope, can't she?).

To celebrate, I'm glitzing up a polish you and I both know would never happen ordinarily. My polish bestie Nory gifted me Essie Armed and Ready from their Go Overboard Collection and I couldn't wait to test it out. While I think that this olive-ish, murky polish just doesn't fit right with the other colors in this mini collection, I have to say, independently, Armed and Ready is a pretty sweet color...I just wish it came out last fall. Seriously, who wears deep, murky colors like this in the Spring?

I digress. In two perfect buttery coats, Armed and Ready applies better than a lot of other Essies I have (I typically find their formulas to be hit or miss). While many of the swatches I had seen previously made this look very green, in real life, A&R pulls way more brown. With flash (second picture), the golden shimmer comes out slightly, but this is definitely more of a medium green-leaning brown than an olive shimmer.

The glitziness is all in the accent nail, where I layered one coat of Pure Ice 582CP on my ring finger.

For reference, here's A&R without an accent. Can you see how this looks more brown? Maybe even somewhat taupe?

Regardless, I really love this polish and just disappointed at when it was released. Sometimes these marketing departments baffle me, but whatevs. This will probably be shelved until next fall when I'll be craving more warmer, dark neutrals.

My eternal thanks to Nory for adding another beauty to my collection!

Do any of you own this or any other polish from the Go Overboard Collection? Does anyone else think this collection was a bit disjointed?

Brucci Romantic Red

2012-02-14T21:24:00.000-05:00

Here's a bonus -- and last minute -- Valentine's Day mani.

I actually wore this weeks ago, but the name and color just made me think it had to be posted today. Even at 9:25 at night.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend is working out of town today so while we aren't super V-Day'ers, we plan to postpone our night of getting pretty and eating a very expensive meal for Thursday night. I hope that those of you who are celebrating with loved ones are having a very lovely evening filled with tons of chocolate (because really, what's the point of commercialized holidays if not for the copious amounts of cheap chocolate that's mass produced and consumed?).

But to the polish. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I adore Brucci polishes. They apply so fabulously, are constantly updating their colors, and are on the cheaper side (between $2.50 and $4). From what I gather from comments, Brucci doesn't seem to be available in many places but is pretty well distributed in the New York Metropolitan area.

Okay, now really to the polish. This red jelly is simply one of the juiciest polishes I own. There's a real glamour factor in the shade of red that makes me want to be lounging on beach in Miami drinking a Mai Tai in the 1950s. Don't ask where this crazy imagery comes from, I seriously think I may be suffering from Mad Men withdrawal.

This is 3 coats.

While the picture does make this polish lean a bit orange, I can honestly say that this is a true bright cherry red. I can't imagine any skin tone that this would not flatter but since I'm a red polish lover, feel free to take that with a grain of salt.

Anyways, here's my tribute to Valentine's Day! And to those that aren't super into it (I'm more in that boat), enjoy the beauty that is Brucci Romantic Red.

So, did anyone do anything exciting today??

Twinsie Tuesday: Revlon Perplex

2012-02-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hi chicas! I'm baaaack!

First of all, let me just tell you that the Dominican Republic is truly a beautiful place. The beaches are immaculate, the people are laid back and lovely, and while the weather was a bit too humid for my taste, it was nice to not be in New York when snow hit.

But on to Twinsie Tuesday, Week 3! This week's polish is a famous dupe. I decided that I'd go with my first dupe ever and the beginning of what I believe is Revlon's transformation into a really reputable nail brand that can dupe a Chanel like nobody's business.

Behold, Perplex and really remarkable dupe for Chanel Paradoxical (seriously, Google it, you'll see what a fantastic job Revlon did...and for $7! Fab!). This muddy purple has an almost dusty quality, which you know I looove, that really screams chic to me. Opaque in two coats, this color is absolutely amazing and while muted, really made my skin look gorgeous while I was wearing it. This is truly one of my favorite all-time polishes.

With flash, you can see that inner shimmer that flashes pinkish-grey. It's not super noticeable in person, but when the light catches it, I promise you'll swoon.

For those of you who weren't able to pick up Perplex when it hit the stores last year as a limited edition, Revlon just rereleased this as "Naughty." While I think it's stupid to rename a very popular polish, make sure that if you're on the hunt for this to look for it under it's new name. (For confirmation, check out my girl ChiChi's post comparing the two.)

Oh and before I forget...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Want to see what my other lovely ladies chose? Check them out here below:

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...
Jenna at I'm Still Thinking...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

Adele's Louboutin Nails a la Ciate

2012-02-13T23:00:00.000-05:00

Am I the only one who has a major girl crush on Adele? That girl is absolute perfection to me. The style, the voice, the attitude, the everything. Amazingness.

And look at all her well deserved accolades from last night's Grammy Awards.

But to the important stuff. Her Louboutin style nails!

Wanna know what she rocked last night? Ciate polish, 5 free and available at Sephora in March for $15 a pot.

Mattese Elite Carnaval Collection

2012-02-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

I love me some Mattese Elite. As I've said before, I think they're marketing is awesome and love the themed collections that they keep churning out each season. Plus, being a NYC based brand makes me slightly biased ;)

This spring, ME is launching their Carnaval Collection, filled with "an explosion of color ranging from vibrant pinks to deep purples and greens." Having just returned from the Dominican Republic, I can honestly say I'm psyched to start whipping out some of these bright, happy cremes.

Which tickle your fancy?

Nail Art Week: Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous

2012-02-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last day of Nail Art Week and it ends with a bang :)

The lovely Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous was super kind to offer me up one of her amazing nail art posts to share with you ladies. If you remember, Amy was one of the bloggers showcased along with me in Nory's Blogger Love Week. She's an absolute pro when it comes to nail art and I'm really flattered she took the time to create this for us.

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Hello everyone! I'm Amy from I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous. Amanda was so sweet to ask me to be a guest blogger while she is on vacation... I hope she is having fun!!!!

Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, I thought I would do a Valentine's Day Manicure. This is two coats of Lacquistry Celery Stew with no top coat.

Then I added one coat of Lynnderella The Glittering Crowd. I did not add any top coat because I knew I would be adding some rub on nail art stickers. Those type of decals do not like to stick to slick surfaces. I purchased these super cute rub on nail art decals from EzNail. I love these type of decals--so fast and easy!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day! Please come visit me at I'm Feeling Nail-Venturous and say hello. I would love to hear from you!

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All my thanks to Amy! This is really something! It's quite different from other Valentine-themed nail art which I think is really cool. Plus, how cute are those decals?!

Thank you to all the lovely ladies who took time out of their busy blogging schedules to provide me with some really lovely nail art and tutorials for those of my readers who enjoy that. You guys have been awesome and really added value to what would've been blank space otherwise.

What will you ladies be wearing on your nails tomorrow to celebrate?

See you tomorrow!

Nail Art Week: Rachel from Top Coat It

2012-02-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Day 5 already? I hope that I'm not too burned about now. With pale skin like mine, I assume that as you read this, I will be currently basking in air conditioning and the indoors in the DR.

Anyways, on to my next guest poster. Rachel, who I teamed up with a few months ago for Share the Love Blogger Week, has done me the honor once again of sharing some of her fantastic nail art. I love purples so this whole mani was really awesome in my book. Check it out:

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Hello out there in Amandalandish land! I'm Rachel from Top Coat It. I'm thrilled to be here to share some of my nail art with you. When Amanda asked me if I would guest post I had no idea what I would create for her. I looked through my ideas and decided I was going to try my hand at a missoni print. I had seen it done in a couple places and know it's growing in popularity. I wanted to do mine in shades of purple.

I polished my nails in the base color I'd chosen and set to work. As a test, I just did my pinkie. It looked awful! I hated it. I have a pretty steady hand, but wasn't impressed with my zig-zag missoni skills. So, I took it off and it was back to square one. The rest of my nails were already painted purple so I had to figure out how to make it work.

Since I had OPI Do You Lilac It? on my nails already I grabbed Sinful Colors Savage and China Glaze First Class Ticket, my super skinny striping brush and went to work. I wasn't exactly sure what was going to come of it all, but really like what I ended up with. I have no idea what to call it. It kind of looks seaweedish to me, but the colors are all wrong.

What would you call this? I really like it. I've actually been wearing it for several days and don't have even a hint of a chip, just a teeny, tiny bit of tip wear. This was apparently a winning base coat, polish and top coat combination.

I hope you'll all come over and visit me at Top Coat It. Thank you so much for having me Amanda!

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My pleasure, Rachel! I love seeing what you come up with daily on your blog and I encourage everyone who reads this to run over to her blog stat and follow her! I always love how creative she with her teeny tiny canvasses :)

Many thanks again to Rachel for this really cool purple under the sea mani!

Nail Art Week: Carolina from Colores de Carol

2012-02-11T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy weekend, girls!

Carolina from Colores de Carol is one of my blogger idols. Her nails are always flawless and her nail art is also spot on. When she offered to do this guest post I think I almost had a stroke. I'm still in shock that someone this talented and cool is posting on my blog!

Okay, enough with the starstruck. Here's her beautiful V-Day mani!

(Normally I reformat font if it's in Times New Roman, but since this is Carolina's signature font, I kept it as is.)

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Hi, gentle readers,

My name is Carolina from Colores de Carol's Blog and today I feel so honored showing you my work here.

Valentine's Day is around the corner, so I decided to jump ahead and do this manicure, I hope you like it.

I used Essence Ultimate Pink and Essence Gleam in Blue, for the design I used Red Angel Image Plate RA114 with special polish in blue and IP I got from eBay with special red polish, the letters I♥U are from the plate BM02.

Thanks for asking me to do a guest post for you Amanda, I hope you and your readers enjoyed this manicure.

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Are you not totally blown away by this? I am! Thank you so much, Carolina, for this guest post! I'm always blown away by your talent and skills.

Please remember that I will be in the Dominican Republic until February 13 so I will be unable to respond to comments until then. In the meantime, please feel free to direct your comments directly to the guest poster. Feel free to show her some love!

Nail Art Week: Jenna from I'm Still Thinking...

2012-02-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

Today's guest poster is someone who I've really come to respect. Jenna from I'm Still Thinking... was one of the first to jump at my request for a guest poster and then worked so hard to come up with something amazing. She kept me abreast of all her attempts and I really enjoyed all her emails with her new ideas for nail art designs. I really, really loved her enthusiasm; it was simply infectious :)

In the end, she chose two: one that I really liked (polka dots) and one that is just so her (the green...she lovesss green!). Take a look!
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First things first, I really want to say thank you to Amanda for giving me the chance to write this guest post. This is my first ever guest post and boy have I been excited about it. Trust me, I probably worried Amanda to death with my constant emails asking if she liked this or that. She was very sweet though. Getting to do this post means a lot to me, thank you, again, lol.

Has anyone ever sat down with a million ideas and tried to find the perfect one for someone else? I am a people pleaser. You can ask anyone, I go out of my way to do everything I possibly can to make others happy. It's not a bad thing like most people think, because doing this is what makes me happy, too. Anyways, back to the point. For the past couple weeks I have done a dozen manis trying to get the perfect one for this post (half of these were complete fails). I finally decided on two. Yes, I know that's sad, but very true.

The first is a very simple dot...

This, of course, was very simple to achieve. For my base I used Black Radiance in Black Licorice (this is my go-to black creme, it never needs more than one coat and always looks perfect) and topped it with Hard Candy Matte-ly In Love. For the dots, I wanted some major surprise in them so I used Models Own in Pinky Brown from the Beetle Juice collection. I loved this mani and will definitely be doing it again.

For my other mani I tried something completely new to me...

I have seen so many dry brush manis lately, that I really wanted to put my spin on it. I like anything that is a bit abstract so perfection isn't as important. I started with a base coat of Essence Trendsetter. Then I pulled out that funny feathery brush that I never know what to do with. I just lightly dabbed it in Collection 2000 Angel Wings then swiped the brush on my nail until I got the density I wanted. Nextwas Bootie Babe Lime So Fine followed by Bootie Babe Brink Of Pink. With each color I used the same method, cleaning my brush between each one. Lastly, I topped everything with Seche Vite. I really liked the final look, so much so, that Sis is now wearing a very similar mani.

What do you think about this second mani, would you wear something like this? I hope everyone has a great day. Toodles!!!

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Jenna, thank you so much for all your hard work! It really paid off! Don't you think, girlies?

Nail Art Week: Nory from Fierce Makeup and Nails

2012-02-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

Day 2 of Nail Art Week!

I'm happy to showcase my girlie Nory from Fierce Makeup and Nails. By now, you should all know that Nory is my polish bestie and really brought out the big guns for today's post. I've dubbed her the stamping queen and I'm sure you'll be able to see why!

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Hello Amandalanders!!

I'm back!!!

My amiga Amanda, who you all know and love, invited me once again to take over for a nail art post. I want to share with you guys a stamping mani that I recently created. I have been practicing my stamping skills, and trying to find the right polishes, with the perfect consistency. I recently discovered from fellow stampers that WnW Black Creme is a great stamping polish.

I decided to stamp some flowers over my newest Bettina love, Flip Flop, from the Resort Collection. I used a Bundle Monster plate to stamp the flower, then filled in the accent nail with dots, using my dotting tool. It was fairly quick to create.

I never knew how awesome stamping would be. I thought it would be way to complicated. After hours of random stamping and like 10,000 YouTube videos later I think I got it. I kept sending picture to Amanda, asking for her thoughts. Now I am addicted to this cool new way to upgrade my manis.

I hope you all enjoyed my quick and simple mani, and get inspired to give stamping a try. It really is fun! Hope to see you guys around my blog so you can see what other crazy combos I can come up with, HA!

What do you all think!?!

Have a great day!!

xoxo

Nory

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Ahh, isn't that stunning?! I can't get over how beautiful Flip Flop looks with the black flowers. So perfect and tropical for me while I'm currently basking away in the DR ;)

Gracias, mama!

(That's me trying to speak Spanish.)

Nail Art Week: Leslie from Polish Art Addiction

2012-02-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

Hi girlies!

For my first installment of Nail Art Week, I bring you the über talented Leslie from Polish Art Addiction. This girl can do nail art like nobody's business. Plus I really love her taste in color :)

I really hope you enjoy her tutorial and are inspired to do your own tribal nail art!
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Hi Amandalandish inhabitants! It's Leslie from Polish Art Addiction. I'd like to share with you a tutorial for an accent nail that looks more complicated than it really is. If you really wanted to blow people's minds you could do each nail with this pattern! I'll break it down so you can see each step. The only secret is to use polishes that are opaque in one coat, and fairly fast drying.

I started with Barielle Grape Escape. I used 2 coats.

Pick an accent nail. Make sure it's dry.

Then I used a black striper polish to do a line down each side and fill out to the edge.

Then I used 1 coat of Barielle A Bouquet for Ava to divide the middle purple section in half. Use a small paintbrush, or if the previous steps are completely dry you can mask off the area with scotch tape.

Then I used the same black striper polish to do the following lines across the middle section.

Same thing for these lines.

Then I used a medium sized dotting tool to add these dots of Barielle Sweet Addiction. Just go down the middle dividing line between the teal and purple sections.

Then I made triangles along the black sections. This wasn't that hard. I just used my smallest dotting tool and basically did 3 dots close together. They don't have to be perfect triangles just yet.

These light teal dots are made using Barielle Sweet Addiction.

Repeat the same 3 dots close together to make some light purple triangles. I used Barielle Expressive.

Same thing for yellow triangles. I used China Glaze Lemon Fizz.

At this point my triangles did not have sharp corners, so I took my black striper polish to straighten the sides of each triangle. That perfected them.

Wait until your nail art is dry (give it 10 minutes to be safe) and apply a layer of topcoat. This will help to smooth it out and last longer! If you apply the topcoat too soon, you risk smudging the art. That would not be good after all the time it took.

Here are all of the polishes I used: Barielle Grape Escape, A Bouquet for Ava, Expressive, Sweet Addiction, China Glaze Lemon Fizz, & Kiss Nail Art striper in black.

So there you have it! It's a lot of little steps, but once you break it down.... each step is not too difficult. With patience you can recreate it! The benefit of using fast drying/one coater nail polishes, is that the layers will not be too thick and difficult. If each step were done with a thick gloopy coat of nail polish, it would NEVER dry! So the secret is to be thin.

Thanks for inviting me Amanda! And thank you to all of you followers that read this! Come and see me sometime. ;)
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Thank you so much, Leslie! Seriously, how fabulous were her step by steps? Anyone who wants to perfect their nail art skills should follow her stat!

Please remember that I will be in the Dominican Republic until February 13 so I will be unable to respond to comments until then. In the meantime, please feel free to direct your comments directly to the guest poster. Feel free to show her some love!

Going on Vacation

2012-02-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

Hi ladies!

I just wanted to write up a short post to let you know that I'm going on an all-girls family vaca to the Dominican Republic. I'll be gone from February 8 through February 13 so I will be unable to post anything new until then.

However, I thought that my absence would be the perfect opportunity to address a number of suggestions I was given in my last Rafflecopter giveaway. Many of you asked for nail art tutorials, and while I will never be able to provide those to my readers, I hope that a few fantastic guest posters will do the trick! I've already formatted and scheduled their beautiful posts, and let me tell you, these ladies banged out some fantastic nail art!

So while I'm away, please direct your comments in the comments form directly to the guest poster as I won't be able to reply. Think of them as the honorary "Amanda" (or Ethel) for the day. Please feel free to email me if you need anything, but keep in mind that I will have sporadic if any internet access during that time. Believe me, it hurts me more than it hurts you. Sigh...

Adios, chicas!

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I will miss you all!

Nail Rock Event this Week in NYC!

2012-02-07T11:56:00.000-05:00

For all my local NYC girls, here's an event that might interest you that's happening

Thursday, February 9 and Friday, February 10.

It's a great chance to meet the Creative Director of Nail Rock, Zoe Pocock!

Enjoy!

Twinsie Tuesday: Kiko 293 and Island Girl Island Sunset

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Second Twinsie Tuesday already?

For this exciting second installment, our theme was Layering. I'm not a huge layerer, so I went through multiple polish attempts before deciding on this combo.

Both of these polishes were gifted to me by two very special people. The Kiko base, a lovely, deep purple creme was sent to me by Ruth in Spain, one of my favorite nail polishaholics. My first Kiko, I really enjoyed how thick and viscous this color ended up. I will have to do a separate post where I swatch that beautiful plum alone.

Layered on top is my only Island Girl polish that my boyfriend brought me back from Hawaii as a surprise. I was completely floored that he even thought to pick polish up and I'm even more shocked at myself for not even thinking to ask him to pick Island Girl polish up while he was there. Anyways, knowing that I like purple and holo, the boy picked up Island Sunset, a light purple jelly infused with holo glitter. While I'm not in love with the glitter, the holo picked up nicely in the sunlight.

This is two coats of Kiko and maybe three coats of the Island Girl. For some reason, the Island Girl glitter kept sinking to my cuticles so I kept reapplying to keep it even.

I have a feeling that Sarah in particular will love this. She's quite the layering queen and is always trying to convince me to come over to the wild world of glitter. I hope she -- and all of you lovely ladies -- like this!

Can't wait to see what my other twinsies have planned for today!

Check them out here:

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

China Glaze Electric Beat

2012-02-06T17:00:00.000-05:00

Out of the three ElectroPop polishes I own, I think Electric Beat is my favorite.

I mean, look at it. This light blue -- but not pastel -- creme is just so delicate and yet still has that pretty remarkable pop to it. In real life, it's a tad lighter than it photographs and seems like it may be a dupe for Essie Lapis of Luxury (I'll have to do comparison shots soon to confirm). While it looks a bit jellyish in finish, this is a true creme that applies slightly gloopily in two coats with no streaks.

The thing that I'm most shocked about after trying 3 ElectroPop polishes is how watery and gloopy they are. I've never found China Glaze to have poor formulas, but I'm willing to overlook this blip because I really do adore this light, almost cornflower blue.

And that glossy sheen. How can you not forgive a polish that reflects light like that? And that's without a top coat!

This color really makes me crave spring so I can whip out more of these shades. I'm really surprised at how much I've really come to like the ElectroPop shades. Now I need to get my hands on Sweet Hook...

What do you ladies think of this blue? Good for winter or should I hold out a bit more?

This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review. Please see my PR Disclosure Policy for more information.

Giveaway Reminder!

2012-02-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

Ladies: don't forget to enter my latest giveaway!

This is your chance to win 3 fantastic China Glaze crackles.

Come on, you know you want them...

Click here to enter!

China Glaze Gaga for Green

2012-02-05T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday, girls!

My second polish from China Glaze ElectroPop comes from the Brights Collection side and is completely un-Amanda. While I've only recently discovered my love for greens, I don't think our relationship is solid enough for this shade: lime.

First let me start with the formula. I was actually shocked at how gloopy Gaga for Green applied and was happy that Nory gave me the heads up about this little guy. After I took control, I was able to apply two thick coats without creating a huge cuticle pooling disaster. What's really interesting is that in the bottle, Gaga for Green looks like a straight up neon creme. On the nail, however, it finishes quite jelly and not as bright as I expected. In two coats it's very opaque, so maybe I'd classify this as a "crelly," that silly name I've heard being used to describe a creme/jelly hybrid.

This lime green polish is really meh to me. Maybe I'll be more adventurous in the summer, but for now, I can't really be comfortable with something the color of a ninja turtle on my hands. Plus, it gives me lobster hands.

I know that this green will definitely find an audience; in fact, I know a number of girls who would go nuts over this. Unfortunately, I'm gonna have to pass on the color. Although, if China Glaze perfects the goopiness, I would be interested in seeing more colors in this crelly finish.

Thoughts, ladies?

This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review. Please see my PR Disclosure Policy for more information.

China Glaze Dance Baby

2012-02-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

More pinks, people!

Today, I'm showcasing one of the beauties from China Glaze ElectroPop spring collection. I've been really enjoying the swatches I've seen of the ElectroPop collection thus far; there's nothing particular original in the set, but I always enjoy a group of bright, happy, candy-colored cremes which will easily move from spring through summer.

Dance Baby, from the Lights collection, is the perfect definition of a Barbie Doll pink. It's not super in your face valley-girl, but a sweet pink pastel that does not apply chalky whatsoever, despite having a white base. Had I applied this slightly better, I'm sure I could've gotten away with one coat. Who am I kidding? Even if it covered perfectly, I'd never be okay with just one coat! So yeah, this is two.

How yummy is this? Reminds me of bubblegum, cupcakes, and all things girlie...I love it! I imagine that it's probably not everyone's cup of tea, but I think this is a fabulous spring staple.

Too girly, ladies? Or just right?

This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review. Please see my PR Disclosure Policy for more information.

Pure Ice Mother Monster vs. Material Girl

2012-02-03T17:00:00.000-05:00

My last crackle of the week is the Pure Ice Mother Monster vs. Material Girl duo. I absolutely love black and gold together and think that these two -- Strobelight black crackle and 582CP gold shimmer base -- really complement each other very well.

I really appreciate Pure Ice's sense of humor with this crackle campaign. This duo is inspired by the ridiculous drama stirred up by Madonna when she called Lady Gaga "reductive." I don't typically consider myself a product of my generation, but I was never much of a Madonna fan (um, you're from Michigan, what's with the British accent??).

Instead, I've always really appreciated what Lady Gaga stands for, even if I don't love all her songs and think she's a bit, well, gaga. (Side point: Nory and her husband think that my speaking voice sounds like Lady Gaga when she's interviewed. Maybe because we're both New Yorkers?) Anyways, I respect Lady Gaga even more for not responding to Madonna's public railing.

With that background, let's get to the mani:

I'm really digging this! Sooo not me, I know, but the colors are truly gorgeous together. I have been thinking that I might branch out into making polish jewelry soon as a stress relief and I definitely want to make this pattern into a bracelet or cocktail ring. How awesome would that look?

Back to you girlies: love it or leave it? And what do we think about the Lady Gaga and Madonna thing? Whose side are we on??

This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review. Please see my PR Disclosure Policy for more information.

Pure Ice Paint the Sky Blue

2012-02-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

More crackle, ladies.

I'm getting a bit better at timing the way I apply the crackle so I think today's application looks slightly better than the Year of the Dragon duo yesterday.

This blue and silver duo, dubbed Paint the Sky Blue, is comprised of a blue crackle, Strike a Pose, and a silver glitter base, 537CP, of which I used two coats.

What makes me laugh about this Pure Ice crackle duo is that it's inspired by Beyonce and Jay-Z's new baby, Blue Ivy and her rumored godmother, Oprah. "With Oprah as your (fairy) god mother," the press release states, "you have your whole world at your fingertips!"

You be the judge.

For all intents and purposes, this combo is cute and probably more appropriate for the summer or Israeli Independence Day. I'm not thrilled with the blue crackle color but can see myself using the silver glitter jelly base to layer.

Stay tuned for tomorrow where I'll show you my last attempt at crackle (for now)...it's also my favorite!

Normally at this point I'd ask you girls what you think about the mani, but instead let's get down to the real dirt: what do we think about the name Blue Ivy? And what's the most ridiculous celebrity baby name that you know of?

This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review. Please see my PR Disclosure Policy for more information.

Pure Ice Year of the Dragon

2012-02-01T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

Since ancient times, the Chinese New Year was considered as the time to honor ancestors and heavenly deities. The New Year began January 22 this year and will conclude with the Lantern festival on February 6. 2012 marks the 4,710th Chinese New Year; according to the Chinese zodiac, 2012 will be the Year of the Dragon. The Dragon is the fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac and is regarded as an auspicious symbol representing power, good luck, success, and happiness.

To celebrate, I've stepped outside my comfort zone and tried crackle! My first attempt at using this type of finish, I was actually surprised at how quickly the polish began cracking. While it's pretty cool to see, I think I need to work on my technique a bit more because I polish very carefully and with the Showstopper red crackle, you don't have a lot of time to be perfect. The crackle shrinks as well, so getting a good line around my cuticles was a challenge.

While I normally wouldn't go for a gold and red combo on my nails, I really enjoy this festive duo that Pure Ice developed. The yellow gold base coat, 313CP (it doesn't appear to have a name), is really not that great by itself but comes alive with the crackle. As per Pure Ice polishes, 313CP applied really well in two controlled coats.

source

What do you ladies think about crackle? And are you doing anything to celebrate the Chinese New Year?

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!

This product was provided for my honest, unbiased review. Please see my PR Disclosure Policy for more information.

Some More Hauling

2012-01-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Not bad, eh? And not one of these beauties was more than $4! I was on a deal hunt this week. Let me show you my goodies.

L'oreal

Tangerine Crush

Butterfly Kisses

Penthouse Pink

*Each was $1.50 from Cosmetic Market*

Kleancolor Sapphire

Kleancolor Espresso

Brucci Sophie's Sweet Pink

Brucci Typhoon Lagoon

*Kleancolors bought from dollar store; Bruccis typically retail between between $2.50-$4, but Typhoon Lagoon was half off at Duane Reade*

Cult Nails Power Thief

*A gift from Marisa from Polish Obsession! This is my very first Cult Nails polish and I can't wait to try this out*

Savina Frostbite

Savina Wisteria

*$4 at Nordstroms Rack in Union Square*

I've already started swatching a few of these, but I'm happy to take requests!

Thank you again to Marisa for my Power Thief! I can't even tell you how beautiful this looks in the bottle :)

Twinsie Tuesday: Catrice Dirty Berry

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hello, my lovelies!

I'm so excited to share with you the first Twinsie Tuesday! Today's post requirement was an International Polish.

I have for you today one of the most gorgeous polishes I have ever seen. Thanks to the fantastic Ruth in Spain, I was able to get my hands on this beauty (I am forever in your debt, Ruth!). A light grurple with a slight holo shimmer, this polish looked like diamonds on my fingertips. I just looooved every minute of wearing this.

In two perfect coats, I give you gorgeousness:

Ugh, I can't wait to wear this again!

Make sure to check out all the other lovely ladies involved in Twinsie Tuesday to see what they chose for today.

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

Sally Hansen Violet Voltage

2012-01-30T17:00:00.000-05:00

Short post for today. Not because I'm in a rush, but because I don't have a lot to say about today's swatch.

I realized that I started getting a bit purple heavy in my recent hauling. Nevertheless, I couldn't control myself from picking up this latest edition to the Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear line for Spring 2012.

Violet Voltage is a medium purple creme with a very slight gold shimmer throughout. In real life it's difficult to make out and even in flash photos you can only slightly see the golden undertones.

This is 3 rather thick coats.

While I like this color in photos, when I was wearing it, I was less than enthused. Maybe because it applied really poorly (very thick but still left bald spots after 3 coats) or maybe because I expected a bit more bang in this purple (where is that gold??), I just felt really let down by this color. Since I love my Sally Hansens, I'll definitely give Violet Voltage another go, but for now, I think we need our distance as I try to get over our previous differences.

What was the last polish that you ladies felt disappointed by?

My Guest Post at Grape Fizz Nails!

2012-01-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

I was so thrilled and flattered to be asked to do a guest post at Grape Fizz Nails, run by the fabulous Anne.

Check out my Zoya Neeka and Revlon Royal Cloak comparison post here!

Introducing Twinsie Tuesday!

2012-01-30T10:04:00.002-05:00

Recently, I began feeling my swatching was going stale. Not that I didn't enjoy writing up posts about all the new polishes I've been collecting over the past few months, but I was getting into a bit of a funk and felt all humdrum and at a loss for inspiration about what I chose to swatch.

After reading a quick post from Iris of Polish Amor and her "Twinsie Fridays" with Maria from Nails Made Simple, I thought that it might be interesting to try that concept out on a larger scale with all my growing group of blogger buddies. I reached out to a bunch of my girls and they all responded very enthusiastically to the idea of a trial month of Twinsie Tuesdays. Unfortunately, Iris was unable to join in this month, but I hope she enjoys our tribute to her fun idea.

Tomorrow we will be posting an International Polish. We have all kept what we choose to swatch and post a secret from one another so stayed tuned to see what we all selected!

The lovely ladies involved are:

Amanda at Amandalandish

Anne at Grape Fizz Nails

Ashley at Art Evolve

Chelsea at Nailed Blog

Jenn at All That is Gorgeous...

Katherine at Haul of Fame

Marisa at Polish Obsession

Meredith at Polish and Charms

Nory at Fierce Makeup and Nails

Rachel at Top Coat It

Sarah at See Sarah Swatch

I can't wait to see what everyone chose and more importantly, I can't wait to see your reactions!

Looking forward...

Winner of the New Year, New Polish Giveaway is...

2012-01-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, Nicole B., GFC: ilovemesomeginger!

You have won my New Year, New Polish Giveaway!

I have already emailed you for your address and contact information. If I don't hear back within 48 hours, I will select another winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered; this was my largest giveaway pool to date: 1,686 entries!

Make sure to check out my latest giveaway for another chance to win some goodies:

I "Cracked" 550 Followers Giveaway!

2012-01-29T11:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Sunday, ladies!

I hit 500 followers about a week or two ago while I was still running my New Year, New Polish Giveaway. I don't like to have two giveaways running simultaneously, so I saved these three China Glaze Crackles for the 500 mark giveaway.

However...

I just saw that I hit over 550! I am supremely gratified and touched that I have such a dedicated and enthusiastic following and have continuously built relationships with some very special girls. So in light of this milestone, I'd like to say thank you the best way I can:

(Don't mind the fact that it says "500" in the photo; I created that before I saw that the number jumped. I'll be editing that as soon as I'm back at my own computer; I'm currently using the boy's Mac.)

One winner will receive 3 Crackle Glazes from China Glaze:

Haute Metal

Crushed Candy

Latticed Lilac

Rules are as usual:
- Open internationally until Saturday March 3, 2012, at 11:59pm EST.
- Make sure to answer every entry correctly; all erroneous entries will be disqualified.
- If you have any questions or encounter any problems with the Rafflecopter form, please make sure to email me at amandalandish(at)gmail(dot)com and do not try and fill out the form again. Make sure to alert me if you think something went wrong so I can take care of it and have all your entries count.

Good luck girlies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Love Your Blog Award

2012-01-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

I am completely floored that I was awarded this from Marisa at Polish Obsession. She is truly one of the kindest bloggers out there and everyone needs to follow her if they don't already. And she is just as crazy as me about grammar and spelling! Can't beat that :)

There were no rules associated with this award, but the questions below were provided.

What is your favorite fashion magazine?
I would spend hours pouring over InStyle (the thick fashion one, not the gossip rag) when I was in high school. Loved it.

Who is your favorite singer/band?
Right now, it would have the be Adele. That girl can belt it out and make me cry like nobody's business.

Who is your favorite YouTube guru?
I don't typically have the patience to watch YouTube videos if they're that long so this question is completely not applicable to me.

What is your favorite makeup product?
Apart from nail polish (of course!), I need my blush, mascara, and eyeliner to feel like a person.

Where would you like to live?
Half my family lives in England and I absolutely love it there. If I had to move out of NYC, I know that London is calling (I know, I know, corny...but true!).

What is your favorite film?
What Dreams May Come is one of the most poignant, powerful, and strikingly beautiful movies I have ever seen. Bring the tissue box though.

How many pairs of shoes do you own?
Waaaay too many. I'm constantly purging and donating, but they seem to procreate in my closet when the door is closed. Never counted though.

What is your favorite color?
Purple.

____________

There are thankfully a number of blogs that I love and it's horrible to only list a few here. I know I copped out on the tagging yesterday, but this one is on principle. The girls that I'm in touch with and who comment regularly are true gems who by virtue of the fact that they also blog, makes their sites very special to me.

I want to thank Marisa again for this lovely nomination. I am very touched.

Duri Grape Swirl

2012-01-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

Even though I showcased Duris in one my previous giveaways, I was on a strict no-buy period at that time and couldn't pick up any of these for myself. I was super bummed because I had been hearing about Duri for awhile and even though it's sold mainly in Brooklyn, I had previously never encountered them in stores or salons. When I saw a tiny display at a mom and pop type pharmacy down the block from my boyfriend's apartment in Manhattan, I picked up a bunch for the giveaway and left with my own nails bare, so to speak.

However, I had been lemming Grape Swirl since the summer when I first saw swatches for their Wine Tasting Party Collection for Fall 2011. After resigning myself that I would never find this in stores, I consoled myself with the buzz that Sinful Colors Winterberry was a dupe. But then I had suchhhh an annoyingly hard time finding that polish and I really started to despair. Zoya Nimue was a supposed dupe, but I wasn't about to spend $7 plus shipping when I knew that there was a $2 dupe something out there in the world.

Anyways, as you can see from my link and the comparison swatch below, I eventually found Winterberry and fell in love. But a few months later when I went back into that small pharmacy, I saw a flash of grurple loveliness hiding behind an OPI display. I pushed the OPIs aside and saw a bunch of Grape Swirls cowering in the shadows, calling out for a new home. Well, me being the self-proclaimed foster mother of the nail polish world (the cape is in the mail), I instantly scooped a bunch of them up.

So reallllly long story short, I now own my first Duri :)

This was two perfect coats of grurple frosty shimmer. Applied like butter.

To compare to Sinful Colors Winterberry (with flash)

You can see that they really are dupes. In real life, they are equally beautiful and I found myself constantly staring at my nails when I wore these polishes. There's something about a light frost on a polish that really tickles my fancy. Just so wintery. Love it.

Yay or nay, girls?

*** My New Year, New Polish Giveaway ends today at 11:59pm EST. Enter here quickly before it's too late! ***

Pure Ice Collections 2012

2012-01-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

As you might have surmised, I've come to take a shine to Pure Ice polishes. They are both economical and well made and come in an array of pretty cool and wearable colors. For those who like to keep abreast of new collections, here are a few that are coming out shortly from Pure Ice.

Paint the Sky Blue: Strike a Pose Duo

Inspired by newborn Blue Ivy Carter and her godmother Oprah, Pure Ice created this magical duo. Want to know what it feels like to have to world at your finger tips? Maybe a little bit like this!

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Mother Monster vs. Material Girl: Strobelight Duo

Whether you are a Little Monster or a die hard Queen Madge fan, Pure Ice Strobelight has something for you. One coat disco ball-sy gold glitter and shiny patent leather badass black crackle - Pick your side and pledge your allegiance, monster claw and all.

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Year of the Dragon: Red and Gold Duo

11 Questions Tag

2012-01-28T11:00:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Jenni from Gold Speck Nails and Ashley from Art Evolve for the 11 Questions Tag. Thanks ladies!

This tag is a bit of a doozy but I hope you ladies enjoy!
Rules for this tag:
You girls all know the rules by now, I'm not going to repeat them here.

11 things about me:
I was named after a character on a soap opera my mother watched while she was pregnant. (Although my Hebrew name is Meira, which is the feminized version of my great-grandfather's name.)
___

I consider myself one of the original Ryan Gosling fans. I loved him all the way back in his Breaker High and Young Hercules days. Now that is commitment.
___

Apart from nail polish, I am a bag whore; my favorite bag designer is Rebecca Minkoff. My bag collection is very select and I'm obsessive about their condition and leather quality.
___

I have a photographic memory. When I was a little girl, my grandfather used to tote me around and tell his friends to tell me a word and make me spell it backwards for them. No one could stump me.
___

As crazy as I am about my skincare routine and hand health, I crack my knuckles constantly. I love the sound!
___

I am currently reading two books: Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander and a biography about President William Henry Harrison by Gail Collins. I am in love with Ms. Collins, a NYT editorialist, and recommend everyone read all her books.
___

If I could bring one famous person back from the dead it would unquestionably be Mark Twain. Besides being a brilliant wit and writer, that man's ideas about the world were way before his time.
___

I've always wanted to be a redhead.
___

I often have really bad nightmares. Many times, they involve the Holocaust. I can't tell you how surreal it is to wake up from something like that.
___

My favorite Disney movie is Pocahontas. Although I have a hard time watching it since Mel Gibson went off the deep end (he voiced John Smith).
___

I actually went for my PhD in American History until I realized I wanted to do more hands-on work in the public sector and switched to getting my graduate degree in International Politics.

So here's where it gets a bit tricky since I was tagged by 2 people. I now have to answer 22 questions!

Jenni's questions:

What was your favorite band when you were younger?
I was never into the whole boy band thing and actually really liked The Corrs, an Irish pop/rock band. I think they're still around..?

If you could be any film character who would you be?
Wow, what a question. If I had to be a book character, I think I'd go with Emma Woodhouse just because she is surrounded by the most eccentric group of characters. But from a movie? I don't know. Skip, please.

What super powers would you have if you were a superhero and what would your name be?
Oh, that's easy. My superhero name would be Supermanda. My superhero abilities would be coloring within the lines.

What would you rather go without: polished nails for a week or makeup?
Okay, now this is getting hard. Um...if I wasn't really going out and just running errands, then I can forego makeup. But if I have to "see people," than I'd have to go with naked nails (that really pains me to say that!)

If you could have three items on a desert island, what would they be?
A charged phone that calls internationally, a completely fueled airplane, and a professional pilot to fly it.

Zombie vs.... Would you fight to survive or just give up?
I imagine I'd fight but I guess I'll never know until actually attacked by a zombie.

If you could only have one type of polish (creme, glitter, etc.) for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The polish purist in me is screaming creme.

Do you have any weird habits?
When I'm nervous I tend to use really big words. It's odd.

What's your favorite season?
Fall.

What's your go-to comfort food when you're ill?
I don't know...I imagine it would be carby but I'm generally not hungry when I'm really ill.

What was your favorite game as a kid?
Trivial Pursuit and Taboo.

Ashley's questions:

What did you want to be when you grew up as a child?
I remember distinctly wanting to be a "singer, actress, lawyer" for a very long time. Yes, all three at once.
What is your favorite time of the day or night?
I love twilight, right before it gets dark.

If you could fix one thing about this world, what would it be?
I think people need to care more about others than their own bottom line. I believe that that would probably solve more than 3/4 of the world's problems (environmental, religious, etc.)

What's your favorite music?
I'm pretty eclectic and love anything from pop to rock to swing to classic.

If you could change into any animal any time you wanted to, what would it be?
My dog's vet used to say that he wanted to die and come back as a dog in my family (we spoil our dogs rotten). So I think that's good enough answer as any.

What is the first thing you would do tomorrow morning if there was a zombie apocalypse?
Okay, seriously now...what is up with these zombie attacks??

If you could meet anyone (past or present), who would it be?
Ha, I answered that earlier with the Mark Twain thing.

If you have the opportunity to travel the universe with The Doctor (I'm correctly you here Ashley! His name isn't Dr. Who ;), would you do it? (Also, where would you like to go first?)
In a heartbeat, yes. And I would go to the 1940s London first and experience the glitz and glamor, pre-war of course.

What is your favorite gemstone?
Does pearl count?

What was your favorite class in school?
I always loved History and English. Such a nerd, I know.

Tell me about someone who made a huge impact in your life.
My grandfather was the person who gave me my sense of humor. When he died, a little part of that went away too.

Sorry girls, but after all those questions, I don't have the stamina to ask my own questions or tag anyone. I do ask that you answer your favorite question(s) in the comments below. I love learning tidbits from my readers, especially those that don't have blogs and wouldn't normally have the opportunity to post this tag.

Thank you again, Jenni and Ashley!

Anise Agent Glam

2012-01-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

I came across Anise at the counter of a T.J. Maxx like store (Annie Sez, anyone?). The colors appeared really cool, with a lot of metallic looking duochromes in really fall and wintery colors. I picked up a bunch to test and a bunch to send out to my polish fairy godmother (you know who you are!).

Agent Glam was the first I tried mainly because it struck me as a possible dupe for Chanel Peridot, as it seemed to have that goldeny green shimmer floating in the bottle. To be honest, I can't put my finger on this polish. It does have a green lean to it, but there's a definite slate grey tinge. This is what I guess I'd call a weak duochrome, as it flashed between that molten green and slate grey, and even sometimes flashing a bit of blue.

This polish (as well as the others I tried and have yet to post) all apply very thinly so three coats was definitely necessary. Even without my quick dry top coat, this polish dried remarkably fast.

The second picture shows a little of that goldeny green to slate action. In person, it really depends on the light, but this is really no dupe for Peridot. In fact, I know of no other polish quite like this. I'm disappointed that this didn't translate as well from bottle to nail, but I'm intrigued at how unique this color is. Unfortunately, I didn't love this on me and am passing this on to a happier home :)

According to the bottle (oh, my researching skills in action), this is a Miami-based company and is 3 Free. If anyone knows more about this company, I'd be really interested to hear about it in the comments.

Have you girls ever experienced a polish quite like this? I'm not even sure what to define it as and could use your help!

*** One more day until giveaway... Click here to enter! ***

Pure Ice Love

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

You thought you were done with the pinks, didn't you? Well, I hate to break it to all my non-girly girls, but I'm still rocking that phase and I ask you to try and embrace the estrogen and lace bows for a few.

I was inspired by the Barbie doll pink shade that has become more palatable since the Nicki Minaj collection to venture out in my search. With an eye towards the really girly, I figured I'd experiment with a Pure Ice, a cheaper brand I've come to really enjoy lately.

In three coats, I was really happy with the Love pink look. While certainly a white-based pink with blue undertones, this pastel creme is not streaky after three coats and is already opaque in two.

Love isn't anything super special (that sounds weird to read, right?), but a nice addition to my ever growing pink collection. I'll probably whip this out a bit more in the spring, but I'm not that drawn to it now as I continue in my quest for the perfect pink.

To those that own OPI Pink Friday: is this a dupe? I'd add it to my Dupe Alerts page if it is.

To those that don't own this and/or don't do pink: was this post terribly painful?

*** My New Year, New Polish ends Saturday. Hurry to enter! ***

Pure Ice New Lilac

2012-01-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Move me to Florida and call me Ethel...I'm really getting into the grandma-ish frosties these days.

This lovely little Pure Ice polish contains a metallic lavender that in my opinion is perfect for the transition season between Winter and Spring. Let's talk about the color first. Is this not the most beautiful shade of lavender? It's not chalky, nor too white, nor too silvery. It's like Baby Bear's bed: just right. (Don't mind the casual fairytale reference; you've put up with my comparing polishes to relatives so my apparent certifiability shouldn't come as a complete shock).

The formula is standard Pure Ice formulation, which is slightly runny but pretty manageable. I would like to note that while runny, New Lilac is not watery. I realize that sounds contradictory but you'll have to try out the polish to understand. For the price and quality though, just use a little less in more coats and you'll be a happy camper.

But the finish is what gets me. I know that frosties are dated, but I don't know...there's something very Ice Princess about wearing these metallic cum frost pastels. They're not particularly trendy or relevant, but I still love them.

This is two coats of lilac loveliness.

What I also really like about this is while frosty, New Lilac does not dry super streaky. As you can see, there's more shine than streak, which makes me happy.

I've been getting into the Pure Ice polishes more and more (largely because I finally found a Walmart that's driving distance from me) and I'm truly impressed. Apart from still not finding Purple Reign (if anyone has it, please let me know!!), I've picked up a few gems in my search which I've been highlighting more and more on my blog.

I want to say though that I was initially concerned to buy Pure Ice because swatches that I saw in Google image searches made me think that all their polishes are mostly translucent color and/or shimmer. Some are, yes, but the bulk just need to be applied properly to really get that lovely saturated color out of them. And sometimes concede to a third coat.

What do you wonderful ladies think? Should I be looking into a name change and blue hair dye anytime soon?

*** Giveaway countdown: three more days to enter here... ***

Sinful Colors Seaweed

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000-05:00

Here's another fabulous dupe from Sinful Colors!

Seaweed, a greyed out green, is a pretty dead on dupe of OPI Stranger Tides. I initially thought of this as a fugly polish, but it really grew on me. I think I have a weakness for anything dusty; it really just makes everything utterly cool to me.

After three thick coats (sometimes an unfortunate byproduct of the cheaper SC brand), I was really pleased how well this jived with my fairer skin tone. I tried to spice it up a bit with 2 coats of Essie Shine of the Times as an accent. Even more daring for me, I mattefied the accent nail.

I apologize for giving my loyal readers a heart attack at my clearly un-Amandalandish-like lacquering. It may be a one time thing, so soak it up while you can.

I like the mix of Shine of the Times with Seaweed and really like how the matte finished. I can't say that I'm completely taken with the look of an accent nail for an everyday look, but as a swatch, I'm impressed at stepping out of my polish purist box.

What do you ladies think? Are you shocked at my radicalness?

*** Giveaway, anyone? Click here...you only have a few days left, girlies! ***

Avon Violetta Sparkle

2012-01-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday ladies!

Today I have a very special polish for you: Avon Violetta Sparkle. From their holiday collection, this was my first go at Avon polish. My initial reaction was at how large the bottle was! For $3, Avon doesn't shortchange. The color in the bottle just pops, which really drew me towards it.

On the nail, it's equally lovely. A dark eggplant jelly, the gold flakies really shine through. It applies a bit thick, but if you apply carefully, the jelly builds up nicely in two to three coats. This dried exceptionally shiny, which oddly enough, was not in this colors favor because the shine drowned out some of the lovely gold flakiness. Take a look:

From the macro shot, you really get a good taste of the eggplant base and gold flakies...and how the shine somewhat overpowers it. I still really love this polish and think of it as the fraternal twin sister of Orly Fowl Play. I hope to whip this out a few more times before I'm bitten by the Spring pastel-only bug.

Have you ladies tried Avon polish? Any you recommend??

*** And don't forget to enter my New Year, New Polish Giveaway before it's too late! Ends Saturday, January 28, 11:59pm EST. Get to it, girls! ***

Sinful Colors Starfish and Pure Ice Busted

2012-01-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

Ah, more pinks. The search for my perfect pink continues!

I wasn't completely wowed at the OPI Pirates of the Caribbean collection, but for some reason I was completely drawn to the Sinful Colors dupe collection, Adventure Island. But alas, I could not find this display anywhere and the one chance I had to pick up Verbena (the Planks a Lot dupe that was also part of the SC Beverly Hills collection, which was displayed at my Walgreens for maybe a day), I passed it by in lieu of Beverly Hills which I shortly gifted away.

I came to accept that I would never own any of the muted pastels from this collection until, one random weekend, about a month ago, I saw the entire flipping collection at a Bed, Bath, and Beyond. And it was reduced! For polish that's typically $2, reduction = almost free. Yay!

Starfish is a really awesome pink because, like with Sally Hansen Nail'd It, it is not a chalky pastel. Instead of the bluer base as in Nail'd It, Starfish has a greyer undertone that gives this pink a dustier quality.

A dupe for OPI Sparrow Me the Drama, this is 2 perfect coats.

Because of some blogger support of my begrudging tolerance for sparkle, I decided to try and spice this up and layered Pure Ice Busted on top of it. Busted is a very light pink jelly infused with purple and blue iridescent microglitter. No matter how hard I tried, though, I could not photograph the sparkle; it just kept falling flat. Stupid camera.

I had hoped the macro shot would have brought some of the Busted-ness into light, but it just looks like silver freckles. I assure you though, that this was actually a nice, subtle combo for a glitter-phobic like myself.

What do you ladies think?

(And FYI: for more dupes of the Pirates Collection and more, please don't forget to check out my Dupe Alerts page, located on the tabs above.)

Sh*t Nail Polish Addicts Say: A Video

2012-01-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

You may have seen this posted on other blogs, but just in case you haven't, you must watch this video now.

Apart from joining the Navy, this is my life in a 2 minute video.

Does any of this sound familiar to you too??

(P.S. Shout out to Nory for sending this my way!)

Sally Hansen Nail'd It

2012-01-21T17:30:00.000-05:00

Hi ladies!

I apologize for a lack of post yesterday but after finishing my class for the day, I literally collapsed in my makeup, contact lenses, and all and just couldn't be woken up. I finally have a little down time before I have to join a conference call, so I figure now would be a good time to do some blog housekeeping and post a swatch I've been meaning to show you guys for a while.

As any loyal reader of this blog knows, I am a true blue Sally Hansen fan. I tend towards the Complete Salon Manicures (especially the design collabs), but I certainly don't discriminate among her other polish lines. Hard as Nails is one that I really hadn't experimented with in a very long time, but as I recently saw the new large displays in my local pharmacies, I felt compelled to try one out.

I was instantly drawn to Nail'd It (the fact that they couldn't just add the 'e' actually irks me) because I've been really falling into this weird pink phase lately. I've never not liked pinks, but because they're typically very demure and subtle, I kinda glossed over them in favor of vampies in the winter and brights in the summer. But for some reason, all of a sudden, I've been really dogged about finding the perfect winter pink. Nail'd It stood out to me because even though it certainly can be labelled pastel, it does not have that streaky chalk factor that often cheapens pastels.

I believe this is three coats. Applied well, but not the best of the Sally Hansen formulas.

Nail'd It is what I'd label a "piggy pink," with blueish/lavender undertones. For a pastel creme, I think that the undertone makes all the difference, because like I said above, this does not finish chalky at all.

I would've liked perhaps a bit more pop to this (shimmer? flakies? brightness?)...I can't quite put my finger on it (no pun intended), but I think something is just missing here. I still like it, but this will not be a go-to pink in my quest for the perfect winter pink.

Do you ladies have any recommendations for me in my pursuit of girly fingernails?

*** Only one week left to enter my New Year, New Polish Giveaway! ***

Announcements!

2012-01-19T21:37:00.000-05:00

Before I completely collapse for the night in front of the TV (it's Jerzday people!), I have to share a few things with you special ladies:

My week

I want to first apologize for not being more present on other blogs. I tend to check my Google reader a couple times of day from my Droid and comment as much as possible; however, because I'm in an intensive week-long course for my Masters, I barely have a chance to breathe when I get home after class between readings, writings, and projects. I will be done by Monday, so hopefully I'll get back into my regular rhythm shortly. But please know that even if I don't comment on something I typically would, I'm still reading it...just maybe a day or two later.

My followers

As I said, this week has been particularly crazy and I've been more stressed than usual. But when I looked at my follower count just now, I saw that I hit 500! I want to thank each and every one of you ladies who read, comment, guest post, give me feedback and suggestions, and are just amazing. I started this blog because I love nail polish but I now blog because I love you! Thank you for being such a large part of my little de-stressor at the end of my day.

I plan on having a 500 follower giveaway shortly, but since I am currently having my New Year giveaway, I plan to wait until that ends. I need ideas for a giveaway though! Please leave suggestions in the comments :)

My current giveaway

And talking about giveaways, have you entered my New Year, New Polish giveaway yet? No? What are you waiting for? Click here for the opportunity to get a rainbow assortment of glittery Jordana polishes. Open internationally until January 28, 11:59pm EST.