Happy Halloween, everyone! I wanted to do a Halloween mani but didn't have enough to do any nail art, so here's my extremely loose interpretation of candy corn.

I mean, all the colors are there...

I used 3 coats of Melodious Utopia for the base, sponged Lara's Theme on top, and then dabbed on Wham. It took all of 5 minutes or so, but I don't mind the result.



I'll let you all know how many people get the candy corn reference. My guess is zero. :)

This is what happens when I have literally two minutes of free time to make a new post.

3 coats

OPI Underneath the Mistletoe looks like this ^^^. It's pretty! Great formula.





Buy it at Ulta for $9!

2 coats Emotions

OPI Emotions is a black liquid sand. There is black texture glitter and black hexes in a black base.I don't hate Emotions as much as I thought I would; it's more of a strong dislike. I still very much prefer glittery textureds. Emotions was opaque in two easy coats.



OPI I Snow You Love Me is faceted holo circle glitter in a clear base. This glitter is gorgeous but very sparse. The super thick, globby base doesn't help keep the glitter suspended, so it all just sinks to the bottom. I got the glitter to cover my nail with a little patience and a lot of crazy. I won't be doing that again. Pretty effect, though!



The OPI Mariah Carey Holiday 2013 collection retails for $9 each and is available at Ulta.

I'm quite disappointed with OPI's holiday collection. Typically, this is the collection that excites me the most, but there were just too many freakin' reds! Anyway, here's one of the more interesting (at least to me) polishes from the collection.

2 coats

OPI Sleigh Ride for Two is a plum red with a fine red shimmer. I really like the finish - smooth and glowy. This applied quite nicely with no major issues.

2 coats

YSL Bleu Majorelle is a cobalt creme. I seem to be developing a serious thing for cobalt because I've been wanting to wear this shade non-stop for a while now. Bleu Majorelle is a tad darker than Baker Street, so of course it's okay that I own both. The formula is amazing! It is super pigmented (I would've stopped at one coat, but you know...macro and stuff), and it applies like a dream. The perfect formula plus a really great brush made application around my cuticles a piece of cake.



I need more cobalt polish in my life. Any recs?



YSL Blue Majorelle retails for $25 and is available at Nordstrom.

The last polish I have to show you from Big Bang is Sunshine Superman.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Sunshine Superman is a super shimmery golden orange. It's really pretty, but I hate it on me. The color plus the finish are a little too garish. The application was a piece of cake with this one. No formula issues at all.



Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

I know I said I was only going to get Petrol from Butter London's Holiday 2013 offerings, but this polish was just too pretty to pass up.

2 coats

Butter London Bluecoat is a royal blue with blue-green shimmer. It is such a stunning color! The real star is the formula, though. It applied like a dream and was very pigmented. Also, no staining at all with this one, and I wore it for a couple days without a base coat. The only downside to this polish is it's only available in a duo with a less than desirable glitter topcoat. Hopefully Butter London will offer Bluecoat on its own someday.





Butter London Double Take retails for $24 and is available at Ulta

3 coats

Givenchy Beige Mousseline is a pinky beige creme. I love nudes like this because they work so much better with my skin tone than nudes with grey tones. The color is beautiful, but Beige Mousseline has an awful formula. This is surprising and
disappointing, since I've loved all the Givenchys I've tried until this
one. It's stringy, streaky, and really thick. Thinning didn't help much with application.



One thing I will say it that it self-levels quite well. I managed to get it to look normal by floating the brush and using very thick coats. If you like this color, please look elsewhere. Wet n Wild Private Viewing and Dior Incognito are along the same vein.



Onto Beaded Couture. So pretty, right?? I suck at applying nail apps, so I can't say whether these were easy to apply or not. I think if you like a design enough, they're worth looking into. The best thing about them is they're not nail polish based, so you can use them for accents and not worry about them drying out.





Givenchy 02 Beige Mousseline retails for $20 and is available at Sephora.

Revlon by Marchesa Beaded Couture retails for $9.99 and is available at most drugstores.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Sweet Life is a mauvey nude creme. It instantly reminded me of Modern Love, so here's that comp.

3 coats Sweet Life, 2 coats Modern Love

They're close, but Modern Love is a bit darker and warmer than Sweet Life. I don't prefer one over the other, but if I was forced to pick, I'd choose Modern Love. It has a better formula, and it's a bit more flattering on me.





Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

2 coats

Zoya Stevie is a gorgeous purple that everyone should own. Not much else to say! The formula on all the Pixie Dusts I've tried so far has been really great. They dry quickly and are easy to remove. Pixie Dusts are still the only textureds I like.

2 coats

OPI Miss You-niverse is a dusty eggplant creme that is perfect for the season. It is almost a one-coater, and the finish is so shiny and smooth. It's been a while since I've been impressed with an OPI shade, so I'm extra pleased with Miss You-niverse.



It stamps pretty well, too.

OPI Miss You-niverse stamped over Nails Inc. Porchester Square

OPI Miss You-niverse retails for $9 and is available at Ulta.

My lovely friend Lakeisha of Refined and Polished sent me a package brimming with indies to try, since I try to stay as indie-ignorant as possible (more on that later). Shimmer Karina stood out to me the most, so it's the first I tried.

3 coats Rouge Dada, 2 coats Karina

Karina is such a pretty glitter mix, but I could live without the black glitter. It seems a bit incongruous. None the less, it complemented my Rouge Dada mani perfectly.



There are two main reasons I've stayed away from indies. First, it's kind of the same reason I stay away from drugstore polish. I have a Pokemon mentality when it comes to polish, and I decided early on in my collecting that I would focus on higher end and salon brands. Second, buying indies seems like a lot of work. I see posts about certain brands restocking, and people having to refresh for twenty minutes just to check out...ugh. No thanks. I know that craziness doesn't happen with every brand, but the fact that it happens at all is a huge turn off. Plus, I prefer to buy my polish in person. I'm so enjoying the polishes Lakeisha shared with me, but I think I'm still fine admiring indies from afar. Mainstream seems to be catching up quite nicely, anyway



YSL Rouge Dada retails for $25 and is available at Bloomingdales.com

2 coats, Nfu.Oh 50 accent

Ciate Pool Party is a vibrant cobalt blue crelly. It's a little darker than my photo in most lighting, but it looks like this in direct light. Talk about stunning, right? This is my favorite shade of blue. I just love how clean and focused the color is. Pool Party dries matte, so I'm assuming there's some neon pigment involved.



The formula is outstanding! It applied so well, and it is quite pigmented. Perfect consistency, too.



Ciate Pool Party retails for $15 and is available at Sephora

3 coats

 Marc Jacobs Fluorescent Beige is an iridesent pinky mauve with a slightly crelly finish. This automatically reminded me of Essie Demure Vixen, but the base colors are different. The formula on this is nice but not spectacular. It does dry with a shiny finish, but I don't think I'll ever understand the "30 coats of lacquer" claim.



Marc Jacobs Fluorescent Beige retails for $18 and is available at Sephora.

In case you missed it, check out part 1.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Lara's Theme is a bright orange creme.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Scream & Shout is a midtone pink creme. It has just the slightest bit of squishiness. I like the finish a lot.

2 coats

Deborah Lippmann One More Night is a plum creme. Such a luscious color.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Girl on Fire is an oxblood jelly. This girl is on fiyahhhhhh!

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Invincible is a vampy maroon crelly.





I'm kind of in love with all the shades in this batch. Well, except Lara's Theme. It's a beautiful color, but orange looks horrible on me. Anyway, the formula on these is okay, nothing to rave about.



I have two more shades to show you from this set: Sweet Life and Sunshine Superman. I need to reswatch both of them because my current pictures are inaccurate as heck. I'll get those up asap. Update: Sweet Life and Sunshine Superman swatches are up.



Overall, Big Bang is a cute set, but I don't love enough of the shades to say this is a must-have. It's not even a great representation of her formula, so it wouldn't make the best gift for a DL newbie in my honest opinion. I'm praying to the polish gods that she makes Green Eyed Girl, One More Night, Girl on Fire full sized and permanent. I'd be in there like swimwear!





Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

The Deborah Lippmann Big Bang set is a collection of 12 mini polishes. All of them are new shades with the exception of Lara's Theme. I'd love to know her reasoning behind repromoting only one color and why she chose that one. Anyway, onto the swatches.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Harlem Shake is a pinky purple crelly. It's super shiny and vibrant.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Bad Moon Rising is silver frost.

2 coats

Deborah Lippmann Green Eyed Lady is green shimmer. Gorgeous! One of my favorites.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Big Blue Note is a vibrant midtone blue creme.

2 coats, with 2 coats Dior Gel Top Coat

Deborah Lippmann Sparks Fly is a deep navy base with bright blue glitter. This dries matte and gritty. It's also pretty thirsty.



The formula on these is just okay. Not a very good representation of DL's typically amazing formula.



Check out part 2, here.



Deborah Lippmann Big Bang retails for $78 and is available at Sephora.com

Ur Square is part of the Formula X Lusters collection.

2 coats

Formula X Ur Square is a shimmery beige base with rosy pink microglitter. It's a beautiful, complex shade. So complex, in fact, that I didn't even realize it was a holo until I'd been wearing it for a few hours.






The holo is weak, but it's definitely there. What a gorgeous polish! Ur Square's formula is really nice. The application was easy. My only gripe is that all the Formula X polishes I've tried so far have had stuck caps due to leaked polish in the bottle threads. No new, shrink wrapped polish should have this issue. It's annoying that I have to clean the necks of the brand new polishes. Has anyone else experienced this with these polishes?



Formula X Ur Square retails for $12.50 and is available at Sephora.

over 1 coat of Dior Incognito

OPI When Monkeys Flys is large gold hex and holo microhexes in a clear base. No longer a taco mess, it can finally be appreciated for what it is - a really awesome chunky glitter. Love it! Application was easy. I had no problem getting a nice dispersion of glitter onto my nails.



OPI When Monkeys Fly retails for $9 and is available at Ulta.

I'm going to see Sara Bareilles in concert today! This mani was inspired by the colors of her Blessed Unrest album.







So excited!

Formula X's Xplosive Top Coats collection is the most indie-looking part of this entire range. I love that these glitterbombs are becoming more mainstream because mainstream = accessible. All the pretty with none of the hassle of restocks or drama.

Demolition dabbed over 3 coats RBL Starfish Patrick

Formula X Demolition's glitter mix is turqoise, lime, orange, light pink, and white hexes in varying sizes. It applied as well as a glittebomb can. I really like this glitter mix. It took forever to decide what to put it over because it looks good over pretty much everything.



Formula X Demolition retails for $12.50 and is available at Sephora.

3 coats

Dior Abricot (sorry, the photo's mislabeled!) is a pale peach with gold pearl. Abricot! Why you so pretty?! It's such a delicate, elegant shade. It's also probably the most flattering polish in this color family that I've tried so far.



I know I rave about Dior's formula all the time, but I kid you not, Abricot applied flawlessly. The consistency is thin but not at all runny. No streaking or cuticle dragging. I'm going to go ahead and say this is a must-have if you like shades like this.



Dior Abricot retails for $24 and is available exclusively at Sephora.

Petrol is the only polish that even remotely piqued my interest from Butter London's Holiday 2013 offerings. Usually they come out with some real winners, but half the collection is repromotes. Anyway, onto what I think is the star of the collection.

3 coats, 2 coasts over 1 coat Illamasqua Boosh on pinky

Butter London Petrol is purple/blue duo. It is promoted as an overcoat, but it actually looks better on its own. Considering it only takes 3 coats for opacity, that's pretty great news. Over black, it loses that squishy look and some depth of color. I will try other combos soon, as I think it has potential to make some shades look awesome.



The formula was just okay. It applied pretty streaky, and I had some dragging at the cuticle. I needed two coats over the black because the first coat was too streaky to leave it that way. I prefer for my layering polishes to apply perfectly in one coat.



Petrol reminds me of Sally Hansen Grape Going, but I no longer have that to compare the two. Might be worth looking into if you're looking for a cheaper alternative.





Butter London Petrol retails for $15 and is available at Ulta.

It's a little unhealthy how much  I love Deborah Lippmann mini sets. There has yet to be a set I've been disappointed with, and the Starlight set is no exception.

I mean, look at them. They're all glitters!

All of these swatches have 1 coat of Deborah Lippmann Addicted to Speed. The glitters that could be layered were layered over one coat of  Illamasqua Boosh and two coats of NARS Ecume.






Deborah Lippmann Blinded by the Light is a clear base with silver and holo sequins and microglitter.











Deborah Lippmann Champage Supernova is a peachy pink base with the same glitter as Blinded by the Light. This is perfection over white. I bet it would look even better over a white jelly.










Deborah Lippmann Cosmic Love is a pink jelly base with gold, purple, and pink holo hexes. Definitely my favorite glitter of the bunch. I can't wait to make a jelly sammich with this!










Deborah Lippmann Fantastic Voyage is a blue jelly base with gold, blue, and silver hexes. There is also some blue microglitter in this one. Another love for me.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Lost in Space is shimmery blue base with holo hexes. This dries matte and lumpy, but with some patience and some top coat, Lost in Space looks absolutely stunning.

3 coats

Deborah Lippmann Twilight Tone is a black shimmery base with holo hexes. The black version of Lost in Space. Same story here. It takes a little manipulation to get it to not look lackluster.





The formula of the glitter bombs was what you would expect from a polish packed with glitter. A bit clumpy, and they need to be dabbed on rather than painted on. Blinded by the Light and Champagne Supernova were less dense than Fantastic Voyage and Cosmic Love.



The matte shades were a bit tricky to apply because they dried really quickly, and the glitter has a tendency to clump. None of these are especially top coat hungry.




The Deborah Lippmann Starlight set retails for $49 and is available at deborahlippmann.com

I am more than pleased with this revamp of Sephora's nail polish
offerings. I was never super impressed by SOPI, so it's awesome to have
it replaced by a range so diverse and complete. They covered all their
bases. The first shade that caught my eye was a shimmer from the New
Classics collection.

1 coat

Formula X Infinite is described as an aubergine pearl. I see it. It glows like nobody's business. Infinite's formula was just okay for me, but oh my goodness is it pigmented! Thinner will be necessary for the next time I wear this, so it will be interesting to see if it's still a one-coater when it's not as thick.





I popped a coat of Nfu.Oh 51 over Infinite, just to see what would happen to the color. Magic. That's what happened. 









Formula X Infinite retails for $10.50 and is available at Sephora.

2 coats

Givenchy Fuchsia Irresistible is a vibrant pink with a touch of warmth. I wouldn't call it fuchsia because it's not cool toned at all. While this isn't the most unique color, the formula makes it a bit more special. I have yet to be disappointed by the formula of any Givenchy polishes. Wonderful! However, if you were going to pick one shade from this range, this would not be my recommendation.



Givenchy Fuchsia Irresistible retails for $20 and is available at Sephora.com