Jade Vermelho Surreal Swatch And Review

Purchased

Hello dears!  I've been obsessing about holographic accessories lately, especially shoes, but it seems like everything I find is long sold out in my size.  Luckily, I found a holographic wallet on sale yesterday and ordered it.  I figure a wallet is better than shoes anyway, I can use it everyday and not have to worry about it matching my outfit.  It'll be the perfect bling to go with my nails too!

Speaking of holographic finishes, when I was looking for a red holo I didn't have far to look.  Jade makes the best holos for an amazing low price, and is accessible on most nail e-tailers.  I found mine on Color4Nails with reasonable and fast shipping. Vermelho Surreal is an orange based red that leans rust colored in certain lights.  It's not what I would call the perfect red shade, but it's a lovely color with lots of linear holo rainbows.  This applied smoothly and easily with a jelly like consistency, and I used three coats for good measure.  No topcoat shown here, with the first pic in the light tent, the rest under direct light.

Jade Vermelho Surreal

Jade Vermelho Surreal

Jade Vermelho Surreal

Jade Vermelho Surreal

Jade Vermelho Surreal

Jade Vermelho Surreal

I love holos that have jelly bases because I feel that it really allows the holo particles to shine through.  This red reminded me a lot of Enchanted Polish November 2013, but for more than half the price.  If you missed out on that elusive shade, you can easily find Vermelho Surreal and consider your search over.  IMO, it might even be a better version of red holo because the holo flair is a touch stronger than November 2013.  As for myself, I'm now looking for a red holo that's more blue based... any recommendations?
 

Purchased

Jade Mystic Gold Swatch And Review

Hello, how is your weekend going?  Are you adjusting to daylight savings well?  I much prefer the fall daylight savings because of the extra hour of sleep in the mornings, more than how much I dislike the early nightfall.  So far this weekend DH and I have been trying to find LO a pair of shoes - it occurred to me that she's going to be walking soon.  Poor thing, every time I try a pair of shoes on her, she vehemently tries to kick the offending object off her foot.  Hopefully I can find her a pair of Converse before she starts daycare on Monday.

I've been craving an awesome gold holo and decided to try Jade Mystic Gold to see if it would satisfy.  Jade is a new to me brand and I'm impressed by all the holo shades that are available, from silvery white to dark black.  Application was easy and although two coats was enough, I did three for the camera.  No topcoat in these pics, with the first pic in the light tent and the rest under direct light.

Jade Mystic Gold

Jade Mystic Gold

Jade Mystic Gold

Jade Mystic Gold

Jade Mystic Gold

Jade Mystic Gold

Jade Mystic Gold

 Needless to say, I'm super impressed by the holo-ness of this polish!!  This is definitely the perfect gold holo, and makes me wish all gold would look like this.  Imagine C3PO with Mystic Gold paint!  Actually I recall seeing a pair of American Apparel leggings in this shade... hmmm... nah, I'm not brave enough.  Well, after using this Jade holo, I'm excited to try more of their colors.  Have you tried any yet, and what shade do you like most?

Enchanted Polish July 2013 Swatch And Review

Whew, what a busy week!  My BFF is in town visiting during LO's birthday week.  I can't believe how much we've managed to pack into this week with my already busy schedule.  On Tuesday, LO's birthday, we all went to a good burger joint to get her some french fries for her birthday treat.  We ordered her the kiddy meal with two mini sliders and a side of fries, and she wiped the plate clean!  That's quite an accomplishment for a one year old!  On Wednesday we went to the Hollywood Bowl, which was an amazing experience.  I love that venue, and it was a fantastic evening because we got comped terrace seating ad watched Steve Martin played the banjo with the Steep Canyon Rangers.  The music was incredible and Steve Martin was hilarious.  Later we were invited back stage, and although I didn't meet Steve, I met some of the members of the band and Steve's dog.  LOL.  Today after work, BFF and I got our hair cuts, and although we got cut by different stylists, we somehow ended up with the same haircut.  I asked for short layers, and she asked for long layers.  Hmmmm.  I expect the rest of my weekend is going to be just as crazy!

I've been wanting to swatch this polish all week, but with all the craziness, I couldn't get to it until tonight(you should have seen my nails, they were wrecked!).  This is Enchanted Polish July 2013, an exquisite jade green holo with a slight pink shimmer.  I was expecting this to have the same formula as the other holo I've used from Enchanted, but this one missed the mark because if its terribly thick formula.   I couldn't get the coats thin enough and I got some pooling on the sides that didn't dry uniformly and thus dragged on the second coat.  Bah.  This needs a lot thinner to make it more workable.  I didn't use any here so you can see the results.  Because of the thicker layers, it took longer to dry.  And since I ain't got no patience, I ended up dinging up this mani shortly after these pics.  No topcoat in these pics.

Enchanted Polish July 2013 in light tent

Enchanted Polish July 2013 under direct light

Enchanted Polish July 2013 under direct light

Enchanted Polish July 2013 under direct light

Enchanted Polish July 2013 under direct light

The pink shimmer is not really visible in these pics, but it's definitely there.  You have to be looking at it at the right angle and light.  Aside from the super thick formula, the color is truly breathtaking and perfect for summer.  I'm super happy to have found a holo in this shade of green and will be keeping this with a note to add thinner.  I only hope the thinner doesn't affect the holo flare!  Have you had any experience with thinning out holos?

SpaRitual Moss Swatch And Review

So by now my little family and I are in Pennsylvania, and hopefully we're tolerating the humidity and heat ok.  I was born and raised in PA and during my trip back, I'm definitely hitting up some of my favorite spots, like the Roots Farmer's market and the outlets for tax free shopping.  I'll be bringing LO around to meet old friends, and hopefully she'll be handling the heat and the traveling ok.  I definitely plan on letting her get some pool time to refresh herself!

With all this busy-ness a-goin, what is better than a cool and calming nail polish?  I've got SpaRitual's Moss, a lovely light jade cream.  Formula was ok for this, meaning it was slightly watery and wanted to pool and streak, but then again, maybe I'm spoiled by all the amazing polishes that are out there now.  I really like SpaRitual polishes because they're 5 free - I only wish they were more accessible.  I stumbled upon this when I was at TJMaxx a month or so ago, can you believe that?  I used three coats for these pics with no topcoat.

SpaRitual Moss

SpaRitual Moss

SpaRitual Moss

SpaRitual Moss

SpaRitual Moss

Feel refreshed and cool yet from looking at that color?  I know I do.  It may be the only reprieve I'll get from the sweltering heat of the East coast.  I'm a spoiled West coast girl, I know.  I'm trying to think of dupes of this, perhaps China Glaze Re-Fresh Mint?  I don't have that one so I can't compare, but looks close enough to me!  Speaking of polishes that I don't have in my collection, PA might be a good place to do some dusty hunting... I will have to keep that in mind!

Verity Asian Jade Swatch and Review

Another post in one night?  Yup, I'm making up for last night's missed post!

Now that my mom is in town visiting for the next couple weeks, our first stop was Little Saigon in Westminster, Orange County.  Mama's gotta cook and she needed to stock up on groceries and indulge in prepared foods.  And if you didn't already know, Little Saigon is the mecca of nail polish supply stores, so I had to stop by one that was next door after lunch.  It was a new to me store that I hadn't visited before, and it carried a decent selection of OPI, Essie, China Glaze, Nubar, Verity and Color Club.  I didn't see anything super new - it looked like they might have been a season behind.  I saw the Neon Essies and the Halo Hues Color Clubs, but they didn't have the Naughty Nauticals that I've been lemming.  Prices seemed lower than other nail supplies in the area - Essies were only $3.50 and Verity were $1 so of course I had to pick some up.  They also had $3 OPI nail stickers that I couldn't resist.

So of course, tonight's swatch is a Verity polish called Asian Jade.  I think it's suppose to be a dupe of YSL Vert D'Orient, which is basically a french for Asian Jade.  The formula is nowhere near as smooth as YSL's formula.  It was a little streaky on the first coat, but was opaque on the second coat.  It was a touch thick but that didn't impede application.  I didn't use any topcoat in these pics.

Verity Asian Jade

Verity Asian Jade

Verity Asian Jade

Verity Asian Jade

Verity Asian Jade

And since I'm a sleep deprived mother with a baby that's teething, I haven't had a chance to swatch the YSL next to the Verity, but the colors look really similar.  And for only a dollar, this is definitely worth picking up if you don't already have a similar color in your collection.  Do you have any must own cheapies like this one?

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 001 Duo Swatch And Review

Happy Monday!  Hopefully you've had a great start to your week.  Today I'm meeting up with some out of town friends for breakfast and the Mommy and Me movie which is Iron Man.  I might do a little sightseeing with them too, we'll see how the day pans out!

Who can resist two Dior polishes for the bargain price of $29?  Not me.  I had to pick up this duo when I saw how stunning the colors were.  The polishes themselves do not have names, but rather go by number.  Each bottle is 7ml which is fairly small, but considering that I've never finished a bottle of colored nail polish, doesn't really bother me.  If anything, it makes the bottle more travel friendly.  Samba 402 is a lovely vibrant jade cream that becomes opaque after two coats.  Despite what I've read, application for me was a little streaky and the formula did not level well on its own.  A layer of Poshe topcoat hides the imperfections well.

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 402

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 402

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 402

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 402

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 402

I used some striping tape before adding the second polish of the duo.  It's my first time using it, hopefully it turned out ok!  Samba 794 is a dark teal foil that has some duochrome to it, changing to a dark blue in some lights.  Application of this was really smooth and not streaky from what I can tell, and I only needed one coat on top of 402 to get opacity.  Once dry there was very minimal brush strokes, win!

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 794

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 794

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 794

Dior Birds Of Paradise Samba 794

I really like both colors in this set and I think I'll definitely be able to get a lot of use out of them despite being tiny bottles.  Samba 794 is a great color on its own and will be perfect for pedis in the summer.  I'm sure that there will be dupes of these colors out soon, so you may want to wait for those if you want larger bottles for less money.  Have you picked up any of the Birds Of Paradise, and what's your favorite color from this collection?

A Quick Comparison of OPI Thanks a Windmillion and YSL Jade Imperial

Good evening dears, I have a request to compare OPI Thanks A Windmillion and YSL Jade Imperial.  They're both pretty jade creams but there's quite a price difference between the two.

Formula is very similar for both, each could be nearly a one coater but two coats provide even coverage.  The brushes are both wide and there's no pooling or streaking for either.  Both dry to a high shine on their own.  

Colorwise, there's definitely a visible difference.  The YSL appears a touch darker and greener whereas the OPI is lighter and leans slightly blue.  Do you need both?  Probably not.  Personally I like the greener shade of the YSL and will most likely keep that one in my collection.  However, if I didn't have the YSL already, I think I would be just as happy with OPI Thanks A Windmillion

Thanks for the question The Ramblings Of A Maniac!

Yves Saint Laurent Jade Imperial Swatch And Review

I'm a little bummed tonight because my left thumb nail has a crack below the quick, and I think the only way to really fix it is to go to the nail salon tomorrow.  I don't think I can bear it breaking now, it's too far down and I know it's going to hurt!  Other than the salon or the teabag method, do you have any recommendations for a cracked nail?

If you're looking for a Valentine themed polish, you're looking at the wrong place.  I don't have anything pink or red, but I do have a polish that I'd like to make as my Valentine!  This is a spring 2013 limited edition release by Yves Saint Laurent called Jade Imperial, and I luurrve this polish!  I adore the dusky jade shade of this creme, and the application was buttery smooth and self leveling like other the YSLs that I've tried before.  Below is two coats with a layer of SH Insta Dri to help with dry time.

Yves Saint Laurent Jade Imperial

Yves Saint Laurent Jade Imperial

Yves Saint Laurent Jade Imperial

Yves Saint Laurent Jade Imperial

Yves Saint Laurent Jade Imperial

I think it's my favorite shade for spring so far. I had trouble finding it but I think it's now on Sak's website and will be available on Nordstrom's website with free shipping around the 22nd.  You definitely have to snag this LE color before it's all gone!