#31DC2013 Tribal Print Nails In Slate Green And Devotion

Purchased

I've never done tribal print nails before so today's challenge was a novelty for me.  I remember when I was in elementary school we had a project in art class where we drew tribal posters to hang up in the hallways, and I would endlessly paint tribal posters.  Come today, I have no idea how to start.  I decided to choose my colors first, so I went with some untrieds - Model's Own Slate Green and Illamasqua Devotion along with Wet n Wild Black Creme.  I layed down three coats of OPI My Boyfriend Scales Walls, which, by the way, after this try is not my favorite white.  Next, I randomly drew some lines color by color with the nail brush, and then followed with the dotting tool.  Viola, my first attempt at tribal nails!  I then layed a thick coat of my Poshe/NYC GCS mix over top and managed to not smear the black too much.

#31DC2013 Tribal Print Nails In Slate Green And Devotion

#31DC2013 Tribal Print Nails In Slate Green And Devotion

#31DC2013 Tribal Print Nails In Slate Green And Devotion

#31DC2013 Tribal Print Nails In Slate Green And Devotion

#31DC2013 Tribal Print Nails In Slate Green And Devotion

This is one of those times where I wish I had some nail art pens, but I can't seem to find a good one in my area.  I've heard the Barry M one is good, but unfortunately those aren't accessible to me.  If anyone has any recommendations, I'd love to hear it! 

I'm looking forward to seeing how the other ladies fared with this challenge - look below to find out!

Purchased

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops Swatch And Review

The giveaway has ended and I'll be announcing the winner shortly.  Stay tuned!  Meanwhile, on Tuesday we celebrated LO's birthday and took her to get fries for dinner.  I noticed that it's one of her favorite foods, so of course I had to spoil her with a plate.  We went to The Counter for burgers, and ordered her her own plate of two mini veggie burgers with a side of fries.  She nearly devoured all the fries herself along with a veggie patty.  She had a ball!  If she had a belt, I swear she would have loosened it a notch.

I recently got my hands on Illamaasqua Pink Raindrops and I was totally excited to swatch it despite the poor reviews I read about the formula.  The formula lived up to the hype(or un-hype perhaps), and was not easy to apply smoothly.  It was thick and patchy and didn't self level at all.  I used three coats for the mani below with no topcoat.  Regardless, I love every single pink iridescent flake in the mani.  The pale pearlescent pink color, not so much.  The pale shade doesn't do much for my skin tone.

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

The flakes don't show up in the mani as well as it does in the bottle, and they're really hard to see IRL.  It's a shame that both Raindrops have crappy formulas, but I'd much rather tangle with the original blue grey Raindrops - the coloring is more flattering for me and worth the trouble.   I could stare at the bottle of Pink Raindrops all day though - it's like swimming in a heavenly sea of shimmering pearls.  Here's a closeup of the bottle:

Illamasqua Pink Raindrops

It's a shame that it doesn't transfer over onto the nails, otherwise this would be an incredibly stunning nail polish.  This is the first time that I've been disappointed by Illamasqua but it won't deter me from purchasing other nails colors from the line.  Illamasqua has always provided me with perfectly performing polishes(say that three times fast) and I'll continue using their brand.  

Polish Days To Boldly Go: Battlestar Galactica Cylons with Illamasqua and Nerdlacquer

I always seem to get my inspiration for the Polish Days challenge at the last minute, and this month was no different.  I was trying to think of my favorite scifi shows, which are pretty much all of them, and realized that I needed to do something for Battlestar Galactica.  I didn't watch this show while it was airing, instead, I discovered in on Netflix after the series had ended.  I was addicted after watching the first episode, and watched back to back episodes of all four seasons over the course of a few weeks, sometimes cramming in five or six 1 hour episodes in a night.  It was thrilling and novel, and the storyline was epic.  I think it's probably one of my all time favorite shows ever to date.  That being said, if you haven't seen it, you need to watch it. Like, now!!

I based my mani on the Cylons in the movie, because I think the robots are so creepy but the women are stunningly beautiful.  For the red, I used Illamasqua Throb, a highly pigmented creamy red that is nearly a one coater, and then for the black, I used Illamasqua Boosh, a creamy black with similar formula.  The glitter on my pink and ring is Nerdlacquer HOCCHHHKSSSHHHHH(yes, I know it's not from the same series but hello, it's scifi!).  For the Cylon robot I used Illa Snap for the dark shimmery silver and DSW for the lighter grey areas.  The characters I cheated and used a silver Sharpie that was nearby.  The number 8 represents Grace Park's character Boomer, and the number 6 represents Tricia Helfer's character, over red polish to represent her iconic and sexy red dress. And how could I not use the word "Frak," BG's favorite curse word throughout the entire series?

Polish Days Sci Fi:  Battlestar Galactica Cyclons with Illamasqua and Nerdlacquer

Polish Days Sci Fi:  Battlestar Galactica Cyclons with Illamasqua and Nerdlacquer

Polish Days Sci Fi:  Battlestar Galactica Cyclons with Illamasqua and Nerdlacquer

Polish Days Sci Fi:  Battlestar Galactica Cyclons with Illamasqua and Nerdlacquer

I'm sure the other ladies contributing to Polish Days came up with some out of this world ideas, so please check them out below!

Illamasqua Venous and Comparison of YSL Vert D'Orient with China Glaze Exotic Encounters

Happy Friday!  I hope you've got some great plans for the weekend, that way I can vicariously live through you while I'm working on Saturday.  Aside from work, it's my five year wedding anniversary and we're planning on going to one of Roy Choi's restaurants for dinner.  I'm really looking forward to it because I've been seeing so much of his food on tv lately.

I have another fantastic dark teal for you today, and that is Illamasqua's Venous.  It's a dark green leaning teal cream that had a superb formula.  With absolutely no issues with application, this polish nearly painted itself on my nails.  I almost got away with one coat but used two to be safe and then finished with a layer of Poshe.

Illamasqua Venous

Illamasqua Venous

Illamasqua Venous

Illamasqua Venous

Illamasqua Venous

And as promised, I have a comparison of Illamasqua Venous, YSL Vert D'Orient, and China Glaze Exotic Encounters.

Comparison of YSL Vert D'Orient, Illamasqua Venous, and China Glaze Exotic Encounters

As you can see, Venous and Vert D'Orient are closer in shade than Exotic Encounters.  EE leans more darker and dusty.  Application-wise, China Glaze was streaky and thinner than either YSL or Illamasqua, but Illamasqua wins hands down in formula and ease of application.  The YSL was a bit thicker and didn't self level at all, unlike the Illa that smoothed itself out.  I'll keep looking for a cheaper alternative, but if you like this shade of teal, I definitely recommend the Illa over the other brands.

Illamasqua Raindrops Swatch And Review

I swear, I asked for a Venti decaf early this morning and he must have given me a regular coffee because I've been zooming around all day like I was on crack.  I got a million and one things done on an nearly empty fuel tank.  I can't say that I mind the mistake(if there was indeed a mistake), but I don't think I can take many days doing as much as I did today.  I love my low key days!

If you haven't heard yet, Illamasqua is re-releasing it's highly sought after polish Raindrops after a long haitus.  Loved by polish fanatics, it's a squishy light greyish blue crelly with flecks of silver.  I've had this in my Helmer for a long time and never got around to wearing it despite it being so immensely popular.  I guess it's because I'm not a huge fan of light cool tone colors, and this is one of those polishes that are a touch too cool for me.  At one point I had two or three of these but ended up giving them away in RAOKs.  It's a delicately beautiful polish and I had very little issues with application - it was a little more watery than I like but I think that's normal for Illamasqua.  As a result I got a little more pooling in my cuticles than normal.  I used three coats and found it to be a little streaky and didn't self level as much as I would have liked, but again, that could be due to the nature of it being a lighter colored polish.  I used a layer of Poshe in these photos.

Illamasqua Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops

Illamasqua Raindrops

If this is something that's been on your wishlist, I suggest heading over to the Illamasqua site here to purchase it now, otherwise you'll have to wait for it to make it over to the states. It'll be cheaper to wait but then again you'll also miss the current Illamasqua sale going on now with several polish colors reduced.  Either way, you can't lose!

Illamasqua Vridian and Glitterati Duo Swatch And Review

I never really understood the phenomena known as Dim Sum.  We had some for brunch today and it was more hassle than I think it was worth.  Brunches on the weekend usually involve some sort of wait for seating, which I don't mind, but more than 30 minutes for what is essentially Americanized Chinese food makes me want to go elsewhere.  Parking was a nightmare too, and all for some food that's been sitting in a cart for who knows how long and being breathed on by too many people.  Meh.  I just don't get it.  Someone explain what I'm missing, please?

Sephora recently had a slew of markdowns at the beginning of the year so I jumped on the Illamasqua Duo Set of Vridian and Glitterati during the sale.  I'd been eyeing this set for a while so I was stoked to see that it was marked down, plus an additional 20% off making it less than $8 a bottle.

Firstly I have Vridian to show you, it's a metallic forest green shade that was well pigmented.  I used two coats in these pics with no topcoat.  It was a little thinner than I would have liked but I love that there was very minimal visible brush strokes once it dried.

Illamasqua Vridian

Illamasqua Vridian

Illamasqua Vridian

Illamasqua Vridian

The second polish in this set is Glitterati, a beautiful dark berry shade with gold microflakes and silver hex gitter.  It was well pigmented and I used two layers for opacity.  My only complaint is that I wish there was a touch more glitter in the formula because it seemed sparse after the two coats.  It dried a little bumpy but I only needed a layer of Poshe to add shine and to even it out.

Illamasqua Glitterati

Illamasqua Glitterati

Illamasqua Glitterati

Illamasqua Glitterati

Illamasqua Glitterati

Overall I'm really happy with this set, with Glitterati being my favorite of the two.  If you like it, you can still nab a set on Sephora or on the Illamasqua website. 

Layla Ceramic Effects CE 54 Green Galaxy Swatch and Review

Hooray!  I got paid today!  This is my first paycheck in about five months so although most will go to my bills, I have a little extra to splurge.  I bought a few polishes(of course), and also went to the mall with DH and LO to take advantage of the B&BW semi-annual sale to get some candles and hand soaps.  I also stopped at Ulta and found a lemming on sale that I'll show you in this post.  Later, I met up with some friends for Korean BBQ so they could meet LO and had a great time showing her off.  Overall, it was a fantastic day!

I've tried Layla Cosmetic holos before and love their application and unique colors, but this is my first time using one of their Ceramic Effects polishes and I hope that they stay true to my previous experience.  Luckily, Green Galaxy did not disappoint me with it's stunning shade of green jelly and green multisized glitters.  I used two layer over Illamasqua Rampage, a green jelly, so that it wouldn't diminish the jelly-ness of the Layla but I think I probably could have used two coats of Green Galaxy on its own and gotten the same result because it was fairly opaque.  I had no trouble with the glitter clumping but it did dry a little rough so it benefited from a layer of Poshe topcoat.  Green Galaxy didn't really play as well as I'd like with the fast drying topcoat so you may see a little bit of shrinkage. 

Layla Ceramic Effects CE 54 Green Galaxy

Layla Ceramic Effects CE 54 Green Galaxy

Layla Ceramic Effects CE 54 Green Galaxy

Layla Ceramic Effects CE 54 Green Galaxy

Layla Ceramic Effects CE 54 Green Galaxy

Greens are my favorite and I adore this color combination.  I compared this to Hare's Supernova Springs and found that the Hare's was lacking in the larger hex glitters but similar otherwise.  I adore the larger hexes in the Layla so it's enough justification to keep both(in the mind of a polishaholic of course).

Illamasqua Charisma Swatch and Review

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I'm thankful to have spent the day with my family and in-laws that flew in for the holiday.  This year has been really special for me and I couldn't be happier or more thankful for it.  We were out and about and I could tangibly feel the peacefulness that everyone we encountered exuded.  I wish that Thanksgiving was every day!

I've been rocking Illamasqua Charisma for the past few days and I gotta say, I'm really impressed at how well it's held up.  I haven't gotten a single chip with two coats and Poshe, and only very slight tip wear.  Charisma is a new color for fall and is a gorgeous shimmering deep red that's perfect for the season.  I had no trouble with application at all except that I was a little anxious with drying time.  I applied the topcoat too early and got a little bit of dragging on my right hand, so I would recommend waiting for it to dry completely before applying your next coat.

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

Illamasqua Charisma

This color is so pretty one the light hit it at the right angle.  I'm usually not comfortable wearing reds for whatever unexplained reason, but this color looks so good I don't want to take it off. 

Love! Illamasqua Rampage and Hare Supernova Springs Swatch and Review

Before the arrival of my in-laws, I had to clean up my nail polish work area, ie my kitchen bar area, where I had a rather large group of recent untrieds.  I had to stash them somewhere to tidy up the kitchen, and they ended up in one of the bottom drawers of my kitchen.  My Helmer is not an option because it's full, and neither is the unopened boxed Helmer that I have next to it because I don't have the space to put it anywhere once it's built.  Considering that we get guests staying fairly often, this hiding of polish is not a new process for me.  This means I end up with stashes of polish all over my kitchen that I end up forgetting about sometimes.  I would say that there's probably a sizeable collection of nail polish in my kitchen at this point and I'm afraid to think how many there are!  Does anyone else do this?  Please make me feel better and tell me I'm not the only one.

Recently I've been obsessed with buying sheer or jelly polishes because I want to do more glitter sandwiches.  It's a shame there aren't more out there because they're so pretty.  I know I could probably franken my own but it's so much easier to buy one.  This quest made me stumble upon Illamasqua's Rampage, a dark jelly green, on Sephora's website.  It was sold out for a few weeks but at the end of the VIB sale it came back in stock so I pounced.  Needless to say I'm over the moon with this polish because of the combination of the gorgeous deep saturated color and the fabulous formula that Illamasqua is known for.  Most times jellies end up streaking or going on unevenly but I had no issues with this at all.  It dried quickly between layers and it self leveled on its own.  I used two layers in these pictures with no topcoat because it dried so shiny on its own.

Illamasqua Rampage

Illamasqua Rampage

Illamasqua Rampage

Illamasqua Rampage

Illamasqua Rampage

As an added bonus, I realized that this would be a perfect undie for Hare's Supernova Spring, an untried that I had in one of my stashes that I found in my kitchen closet.  I'm kicking myself for not finding this earlier in my squirreled away collection.  This is a deep dark green jelly with emerald hex glitters suspended throughout.  I used one coat on top of Rampage and I had great glitter saturation and it dried shiny on it's own, so no topcoat in these pics.

Hare Supernova Springs

Hare Supernova Springs

Hare Supernova Springs

Hare Supernova Springs

Gorgeous isn't it?  I wonder why SS didn't sell that well compared to her other colors, but then again, I'm biased because I adore green.  I recently gifted this to a friend and I hope that she likes it as much as I do!  What about you, do you have any sleeper indies that you adore?